Daniel Ziblatt with Joe Kennedy: Tyranny of the Minority

Brookline Booksmith

Read on for important details for this live, in-person Brookline Booksmith event.

<h2>In person at Brookline Booksmith! Celebrate the paperback release ofTyranny of the Minority with author Daniel Ziblatt, in conversation with Mod Name.</h2><h2> </h2><h2>Register for the event!</h2><h3>RSVP to let us know you're coming! Depending on the volume of responses, an RSVP may be required for entrance to the event. You will also be alerted to important details about the program, including safety requirements, cancellations, and book signing updates. In the event that we reach capacity and have to close RSVPs, there will not be a waiting list.</h3><h3> </h3><h2>Get your copy!</h2><h3>Books will be available for purchase at the event, but you can ensure that you get a copy by preordering on this page. You can pick your book up after 6:30PM on the day of the event.</h3><h3>Can't make it to the event? Preorder the book here to have it signed, and choose to have it held or shipped from the store!</h3><h3>Book orders are processed for pickup or shipping after ticket sales have closed.</h3> <h2>Livestream!</h2><h3>When possible, events are livestreamed. Check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/brooklinebooksmith" title="https://www.youtube.com/brooklinebooksmith" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">our store YouTube channel</a> for livestream updates. No registration is required for the livestream.</h3><h3> </h3>

<h2>Tyranny of the Minority</h2>NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A call to reform our antiquated political institutions before it’s too late—from the authors of How Democracies Die “[Levitsky and Ziblatt] write with terrifying clarity about how the forces of the right have co-opted the enshrined rules to exert their tyranny.”—The Washington Post ONE OF THE CALIFORNIA REVIEW OF BOOKS’ TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • A NEWSWEEK BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR America is undergoing a massive experiment: It is moving, in fits and starts, toward a multiracial democracy, something few societies have ever done. But the prospect of change has sparked an authoritarian backlash that threatens the very foundations of our political system. Why is democracy under assault here, and not in other wealthy, diversifying nations? And what can we do to save it? With the clarity and brilliance that made their first book, How Democracies Die, a global bestseller, Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt offer a coherent framework for understanding these volatile times. They draw on a wealth of examples—from 1930s France to present-day Thailand—to explain why and how political parties turn against democracy. They then show how our Constitution makes us uniquely vulnerable to attacks from within: It is a pernicious enabler of minority rule, allowing partisan minorities to consistently thwart and even rule over popular majorities. Most modern democracies—from Germany and Sweden to Argentina and New Zealand—have eliminated outdated institutions like elite upper chambers, indirect elections, and lifetime tenure for judges. The United States lags dangerously behind. In this revelatory book, Levitsky and Ziblatt issue an urgent call to reform our politics. It’s a daunting task, but we have remade our country before—most notably, after the Civil War and during the Progressive Era. And now we are at a crossroads: America will either become a multiracial democracy or cease to be a democracy at all.Daniel Ziblatt is the director of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University, where he is also the Eaton Professor of Government. He also leads a research group based in Germany at the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB). His research focuses on European politics and the comparative study of democracy. Ziblatt's previous positions at Harvard include Professor of Government and Paul Sack Associate Professor of Political Economy. He holds a PhD in Political Science from UC Berkeley and a BA from Pomona College. In 2023, he was elected member of the American Academy for Arts and Sciences. Ziblatt is the co-author, with Steven Levitsky, of the New York Times bestsellers How Democracies Die and Tyranny of the Minority.Joe Kennedy has dedicated his career to social and economic justice. A former Congressman, legal aid volunteer, and assistant district attorney, he currently serves in the Biden Administration as Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs, a key diplomatic post through which he focuses on the long-standing U.S. commitment to peace, prosperity, and stability throughout the region.Joe is President at Citizens Energy, a diversified renewable energy non-profit that helps low-income families meet their basic needs.He is also the founder of Groundwork Project, a political advocacy organization dedicated to supporting local community organizing efforts in regions of the country historically under-resourced and disenfranchised.Joe served as the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts 4th congressional district from 2013-2021, where he focused on civil rights and economic justice. Before his election to Congress, he worked as an assistant district attorney in the Cape and Middlesex County offices and as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic.Joe was born in Boston and graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Law School. He currently serves on numerous non-profit boards, including the Woodwell Climate Research Center, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, and the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health. He is married to Lauren Birchfield Kennedy and they have two young children, Eleanor and James. <h2>About Brookline Booksmith</h2>We are one of New England’s premier independent bookstores, family-owned and locally run since 1961. We offer an extensive selection of new, used, and bargain books; unique, beautiful gifts; award-winning events series; and specialty foods. Every day, we strive to foster community through the written word, represent a diverse range of voices and histories, and inspire conversations that enrich our lives. Find more at <a href="http://brooklinebooksmith.com" title="http://brooklinebooksmith.com" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">brooklinebooksmith.com</a>! EVENT ACCESSIBILITYThis event will take place at street level. If possible, the event will be livestreamed to YouTube. ASL interpretation may be provided (based on the availability of interpreters) but must be requested at least 2 weeks in advance of the event. Seats are limited. Please email us at ticketing@brooklinebooksmith.com as soon as possible if you require ASL interpretation, guaranteed seating, or other accommodations. We will do our best to serve your needs!