August 1, 2026

Yesterday I finished reading Violeta by Isabel Allende. About two-thirds of the way through the book, the society around the characters began to crumble. We watch a peaceful democratic republic in South America get taken over by a right-wing military dictatorship. It felt way too familiar.

Allende drew on her actual experience with these events in the 70s and 80s. When I was much younger, I remember seeing much of this play out on my tv screen. It is something completely different to live through the atrocities along with the characters in the book. It was terrifying. Whether we learn history from fiction, non-fiction, books, movies, or podcasts, it is important to understand what some humans are willing to do to others in the quest for power, profit, and control. Learn to recognize the patterns and do what you can to push back before it is too late.