In this brilliantly analytical yet personal book, nondemocratic societies are put under a microscope to reveal the mechanics of tyranny that sustain them. In exposing the inner workings of a "fear society," the authors explain why democracy is not beyond any nation's reach, why
it is essential for our security, and why there is much that can be done to promote it around the world. Freedom, Sharansky claims, is rooted in the right to dissent, to walk into the town square and declare one's views without fear of
punishment or reprisal. The authors persuasively argue that societies that do not protect that right can never be reliable partners for peace and that the democracy that hates us is much safer than the dictatorship that loves us.

Natan Sharansky is a former Soviet dissident and political prisoner who has spent his life championing democracy and freedom. For his courageous struggle against tyranny, he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1986. Currently he is Israel's minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and daughters.

Earphones Awards recipient Simon Vance was born in England and worked for the BBC for ten years as a radio news announcer and as a narrator for the Royal National Institute for the Blind in London. Besides narrating audiobooks, he is involved in numerous stage-acting projects in the United States and Europe.