How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa

Kepler’s
Non-Fiction. 336 pages. Hardcover. 2022. Nobel Peace Prize Winner. New York Times Bestseller.
A Nobel Laureate details her fight against authoritarianism, disinformation, and the corruption of power.
“an impassioned, well-informed warning” — Kirkus Reviews.
“Searing and electrifying." — Booklist (starred review)

From the publisher: From the recipient of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize comes a powerful memoir and manifesto about the fight for democracy in the digital age. Maria Ressa, cofounder of the Philippine news site Rappler and one of the most courageous journalists working today, tells the story of her years covering the rise of authoritarianism in the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte—and the personal cost of speaking truth to power.

As Ressa and her colleagues reported on the government’s violent “war on drugs” and the systematic use of social media to spread disinformation and manipulate public opinion, she became the target of relentless online harassment, political intimidation, and a series of criminal charges designed to silence her and shut down independent journalism. Drawing on decades of reporting around the world, she exposes how technology platforms amplify lies and hatred, weakening democratic institutions and enabling strongmen.
Part memoir, part warning, and part call to action, How to Stand Up to a Dictator is a gripping account of one journalist’s struggle for press freedom and a clear-eyed look at the urgent challenge of defending truth and democracy today.

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