A Washington Post Best Book of the Year! A YALSA 2021 Nonfiction Award Nominee! A Kirkus 2021 Best Young Adult Book of the Year! A Bank Street College 2021 Best Children's Books of the Year! * "History's warnings reverberate in this gripping read about five dictatorial strongmen. A pitch-perfect balance of nuanced reflection and dire warning." -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review * "A fascinating, highly readable portrayal of infamous men that provides urgent lessons for democracy now." -- Publishers Weekly , starred review * "Kenneth C. Davis (Don't Know Much About series) conveys his plentiful knowledge of dictators in this powerful, spine-tingling biographic work." -- Shelf Awareness , starred review " Strongman is a book that is both deeply researched and deeply felt, both an alarming warning and a galvanizing call to action, both daunting and necessary to read and discuss." --Cynthia Levinson, author of Fault Lines in the Constitution "A wake-up call to democracies like ours: we are not immune to despots . Strongman demonstrates that democracy is not permanent, unless it is collectively upheld.

This book shakes that immortality narrative." --Jessica Ellison, President of the Minnesota Council for the Social Studies "Rarely does a history book take such an unflinching look at our common future, where the very presence of democracy is less than certain; even rarer is a history book in which the author's moral convictions incite young readers to civic engagement; rarest of all, a history book as urgent, as impassioned, and as timely as Kenneth C. Davis' Strongman ." --Eugene Yelchin, author of the Newbery Honor book Breaking Stalin's Nose "[I] . found myself engrossed in it from beginning to end. I could not help admiring [Davis's] ability to explain complex ideas in readable prose . very much a book for our time." --Sam Wineburg, author of Why Learn History (When It's Already on Your Phone) "At a time when dictators are rampant in such countries as North Korea, Turkey, China, Russia, and others, Davis' deep dive into the lives of five of history's most notorious dictators (or strongmen as he calls them)--Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Hussein--is apposite and timely.

" -- Booklist.