ON TYRANNY 
Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
Written by Timothy Snyder; Illustrated by Nora Klug

Timothy Snyder is a Yale professor and one of the top two authorities in the world on European and American history. Major smarts, major chops in this stuff. On Tyranny, written in 2017, is even more relevant today. It address how normal people can follow weirdo leaders and do stuff their early lives would never suggest was possible. Following dictators, believing rubbish, behaving contrary to who they are and how they comport themselves in their daily lives. This is an easy, fascinating, graphic version of a much bigger book, same name, that you may not have time to read. This one will take you one and a half to two hours to read. 

Illustrated by Nora Krug, another professor and pro illustrator and author of another book on Ukrain and Russia. On Tyranny is an important book. If you read one important book this year, you could do way worse.