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Quick answer: If you read It Can't Happen Here, continue with The Plot Against America, 1984, Brave New World and The Handmaid's Tale. All imagine free societies sliding into authoritarian rule and ask how ordinary people respond.
Sinclair Lewis's 1935 novel imagines a charismatic politician who wins the presidency and builds a dictatorship in America. It was written as a warning. The books below share that concern, from classic novels to modern studies. Most are fiction with a few nonfiction companions, and all are real, in-print books.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Plot Against America | Philip Roth | Adult | alternate history |
| Nineteen Eighty-Four | George Orwell | Adult | essential dystopia |
| Brave New World | Aldous Huxley | Adult | soft control |
| Fahrenheit 451 | Ray Bradbury | Teen and adult | censorship |
| The Handmaid's Tale | Margaret Atwood | Adult | women and power |
| The Testaments | Margaret Atwood | Adult | sequel |
| Animal Farm | George Orwell | Teen and adult | political fable |
| Fatherland | Robert Harris | Adult | Nazi alternate history |
| The Man in the High Castle | Philip K. Dick | Adult | occupied America |
| We | Yevgeny Zamyatin | Adult | first dystopia |
| V for Vendetta | Alan Moore and David Lloyd | Adult | graphic novel |
| Parable of the Sower | Octavia E. Butler | Adult | visionary dystopia |
| On Tyranny | Timothy Snyder | Adult | short nonfiction |
| How Democracies Die | Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt | Adult | political science |
| Darkness at Noon | Arthur Koestler | Adult | show trials |
1. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
An alternate history in which Charles Lindbergh becomes president and a Jewish family in Newark suffers. Personal and chilling.
Best for: alternate history.
2. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
A man tries to resist a state that controls truth and thought. The most famous novel of authoritarianism.
Best for: essential dystopia.
3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
A society controls people through pleasure and conditioning. A different kind of dystopia.
Best for: soft control.
4. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
A fireman burns books in a future where reading is banned. Short, lyrical and urgent.
Best for: censorship.
5. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
In a future Gilead, women are forced into roles of servitude. A classic of dystopian fiction.
Best for: women and power.
6. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
The sequel set fifteen years later, told by three women. Tense and satisfying.
Best for: sequel.
7. Animal Farm by George Orwell
Animals overthrow a farmer and a new tyranny rises. A short, bitter fable.
Best for: political fable.
8. Fatherland by Robert Harris
A detective in a Nazi-ruled 1964 Berlin finds a secret. Alternate history thriller.
Best for: Nazi alternate history.
9. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
In an America ruled by Germany and Japan, a banned novel imagines another outcome. Strange and sharp.
Best for: occupied America.
10. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
A mathematician in a future glass city begins to question the state. The model for many later dystopias.
Best for: first dystopia.
11. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
A masked anarchist fights a fascist government in Britain. A landmark graphic novel.
Best for: graphic novel.
12. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
A teenage girl with extreme empathy survives collapse in California. Clear and urgent.
Best for: visionary dystopia.
13. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
Twenty lessons from the twentieth century for defending democracy. Short and sharp.
Best for: short nonfiction.
14. How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt
Two political scientists show how elected leaders can erode democracy. Clear and well researched.
Best for: political science.
15. Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler
An old Bolshevik is imprisoned and interrogated by the revolution he served. A classic of totalitarian logic.
Best for: show trials.
How to Choose
Start with 1984 or The Handmaid's Tale if you want the best-known dystopias. For an American focus, The Plot Against America. For short reads, Fahrenheit 451 or Animal Farm. For nonfiction, On Tyranny and How Democracies Die. These books are political, so read them with a critical mind and discuss them with others. Political fiction is most useful when read with history. Pair a novel with a biography or a book about the period that produced it, such as a history of the Depression for Lewis or a study of the Cold War for Orwell. Discuss with others who may read the book differently.
Related: 6 Unexpected Ways Reading Can Improve Your Relationships · 5 Powerful Ways Reading Can Boost Your Creativity
Frequently Asked Questions
What is It Can't Happen Here about?
Buzz Windrip, a populist senator, becomes president and sets up a dictatorship, while a Vermont newspaper editor resists.
Is It Can't Happen Here based on a real person?
Windrip echoes figures like Huey Long, and the novel was written in response to rising fascism in Europe.
Is it still read?
Yes. It has been widely discussed whenever concerns about democracy rise.
How long is it?
About 380 pages.
Is it satire?
It is a political satire and thriller with serious warnings.
Who was Sinclair Lewis?
An American novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1930.
Is It Can't Happen Here a good first dystopia?
1984 is more famous, but this one is shorter in time and more focused on American life.
When was it written?
In 1935, during the rise of fascist leaders in Europe.
Is there a play?
Yes. A stage adaptation was produced in 1936 in many US cities, and again in 2016.
What should I read after it?
The Plot Against America or 1984 are good next steps.