How to Be a Dissident

By: Gal Beckerman

‘Invites us to learn from those more courageous than ourselves’ TIMOTHY SNYDER

‘Profound … feels essential in these times’ SARAH BAKEWELL

An invigorating guide to fighting back – part philosophy, part history and part how-to guide for living with integrity in an age of authoritarian drift.

How do we push back in a world where political leaders wield fear and where social media misinforms? We need role models to show us how, and here, acclaimed writer Gal Beckerman goes looking for them.

Drawing on the stories of dissidents from around the globe and across time, from Socrates to Ai Weiwei, and Hannah Arendt to Iris Murdoch, Beckerman reveals the defining characteristics these extraordinary figures share and how they might equip anyone navigating the pressures of modern tyranny.

Structured around ten qualities – among them, Be Pessimistic, Be Funny, Be Reckless and Be Immortal – this illuminating book charts a dissident’s journey from the solitary moment of recognising the truth, through the risks of speaking it and on to the last impact they can have.

Urgent and inspiring, Beckerman shows us that dissidence is a human capacity that we can all cultivate: a refusal to betray one’s inner voice, no matter how great the forces around us. How to Be a Dissident lights the way.

‘Urgent, wise, and immensely compelling … Everyone should read this book’ CLAIRE MESSUD, author of The Emperor’s Children

‘A sharp, cogent analysis of what dissidents really do to fight repressive regimes’ ANNE APPLEBAUM, author of Autocracy, Inc.

©2026 Gal Beckerman

Critic reviews

Praise for How to be a Dissident:

‘One way to change the world is to be yourself. This is harder than it sounds. Gal Beckerman, one of our most thoughtful commentators on the soul of politics, appealingly invites us to learn from those more courageous than ourselves. Along the way we learn some history that we should know and find ourselves by the end not only instructed but wiser’ Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny

‘ Urgent, wise, and immensely compelling, Gal Beckerman’s How to Be a Dissident illuminates an inspiring gallery of history’s independent thinkers, their lives both reassurance and exhortation in these challenging times. Everyone should read this book’ Claire Messud, author of The Emperor’s Children

‘A sharp, cogent analysis of what dissidents really do to fight repressive regimes, with essential advice for anyone who wants to join them’ Anne Applebaum, author of Autocracy, Inc.

‘A beautiful, profound book, rich in examples. It helped me to think more clearly, to feel heartened, and to focus on what is most important – all of which feels essential in these times’ Sarah Bakewell, author of How to Live