A review by edwina
Freedom: How we lose it and how we fight back, by Evan Fowler, Nathan Law

5.0

A poignant and thought provoking book by Nathan Law which is essentially a love letter to his home in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong he believes it can be. In discussing freedom and what it means to be free whilst battling against authoritarianism and being an activist, Law concisely does this by offering up nuggets of questions to readers about the extent to which our democratic societies have the ability to uphold our freedoms under the threat of authoritarian regimes like the CCP who rule by law. This is incredibly detailed, insightful, jam-packed with memorable lines that I know will stay with me for a while. It is an impressive, eye-opening and touching read to those who believe in hope, change and the incredibly fearlessness and resilience of the pro-democracy movement in HK especially during 2019-20 and of course, to Nathan who writes this as he remains in exile in the UK. A personal experience for him, is a lesson for us all. It is highly emotive and Law adds his thoughts on authoritarianism and how we can confront this as a collective. In saying that, it is a reminder for us to never take our freedoms for granted and to continue to uphold the freedoms we value and hold close to our hearts as the book explores the ways in which at once a free and open society like Hong Kong, has had their own freedoms eroding.