Sound bites obfuscate intent. Click bait headlines twist the truth. Deep fake videos destroy shared reality. And that makes critical thinkers and clear-eyed observers like M. Gessen all the more needed. Gessen does not talk down to people who are scared, does not suggest you should not believe your eyes as the famous George Orwell quote goes, does not downplay fear.

As a journalist living in Moscow during Vladimir Putin’s ascendancy, Gessen brings a perspective on democracy that slices knife-like through the stories America tells and shows how a few short years have changed us from a people who thought of ourselves a nation of immigrants to a country zipping up its borders, unsure of what truth means. Through their writing, Gessen sits with you on the page and discuss what happens when you no longer recognize the country you live in as your own.