Published in 1935 but chillingly relevant today, It Can’t Happen Here is Sinclair Lewis’s haunting political novel about the fragility of democracy and the rise of authoritarianism in America. When a populist demagogue named Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip is elected President of the United States, promising a return to greatness and the punishment of dissenters, few believe the country’s democratic institutions could truly collapse. But as Windrip consolidates power—silencing the press, building a militarized regime, and spreading fear through propaganda—life in America quickly descends into oppression. At the heart of the resistance is Doremus Jessup, a small-town newspaper editor who must choose between comfortable compliance and courageous defiance. His quiet rebellion becomes a symbol of truth in a country spiraling toward dictatorship. It Can’t Happen Here is both a gripping dystopian tale and a prophetic warning about the ease with which freedom can be lost. With insight, irony, and unsettling prescience, Sinclair Lewis delivers a novel that continues to echo through every generation.
