All School Read
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Review 3
In this impassioned warning and inspirational call to arms, Ressa identifies and illuminates her core values of empathy, honesty, and faith in humanity to illustrate how a strong commitment to such foundational beliefs can provide the key to democracy’s survival. . . . Searing and electrifying."
Booklist
Review 2
Nobel Peace Prize cowinner Ressa . . . delivers an outstanding memoir-cum-action plan for creating 'a vision of the internet that binds us together instead of tearing us apart' . . . . Elegantly written yet stuffed with research data and technical details, this is an essential update on the battle against disinformation."
Publishers Weekly
Review 1
[Ressa’s] courageous work has garnered well-deserved international attention, and her book serves as a readable, urgent plea for journalistic integrity, vigilance, and transparency. . . . An indispensable journalist presents an impassioned, well-informed warning about vital global issues."
Kirkus Reviews
What is the value of free speech and democracy really? Perhaps a question like this cannot be answered until an existential threat makes losing those freedoms real. Journalist Maria Ressa's remarkable life is the story of threats made real and threats answered by her courageous actions. How to Stand Up to a Dictator details Ressa's relentless quest to uncover the truth about who controls truth in a digital age.
Filipino-American investigative journalist Maria Ressa is the co-founder of Rappler, a news organization based in the Philippines. With a turbulent childhood, moving from the Philippines to America, she has always felt a strong conviction to what is right and wrong. After studying at Princeton University, she returned to the Philippines, where she helped build a strong journalistic presence there. Throughout her life, she has exposed corruption and abuse of power in the government. This led to her political persecution and eventual jailing by the government there. She helped expose the dictatorial Philippine government and usher in a democratic movement in the Philippines. She has also written several books and articles pushing back on misinformation on social media while also detailing how social media helped her gain a platform to expose government corruption. Her efforts won her the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021. She lives today as a leading journalist in combating dictatorships, disinformation, and corruption throughout the Philippines and on social media.
Thanks to the student members of the community reading committee for their help in drafting these blurbs.