On Friday, October 9, 2026, AmerikaHaus NRW hosted Gal Beckerman for a presentation and discussion of his new book How to Be a Dissident at the Stadtbücherei Düsseldorf. Beckerman, an author and a journalist at The Atlantic, read excerpts from his book and discussed his inspiration, research, and writing process. The discussion was moderated by Viktoria Harbecke, Director of AmerikaHaus NRW.

How to Be a Dissident was inspired by a dream Beckerman had early in President Trump’s second term; a dream which made Beckerman wonder about the kind of person who is capable of acts of dissidence, of “sitting apart.” He asked himself whether and how one could become capable of such behavior - of actions that a person may never before have considered. How to Be a Dissident seeks to answer these questions through profiles of dissidents, both in the present day and throughout history. Beckerman defines a dissident as a person who reacts to a repressive situation, to the crossing of a moral line as opposed to the proactive engagement of an activist. Based on the acts and works of numerous dissidents he identifies ten qualities that dissidents share, among them “Be Alone”, “Be Pessimistic”, “Be Loyal”, and “Be Human”.

After the initial presentation and moderated discussion, the floor was opened to questions from the audience. The guests asked questions relating to how Beckerman managed to find channels for discussion with modern-day dissidents in repressive states such as Russia or Iran. He also reflected on whether acts of dissidence can encourage others to break the “instinct to conform” and become dissidents themselves. The author spoke of his recent visit to Minnesota and conversations with citizens there on why they reacted to ICE enforcement in their neighborhoods. Since he started writing the book in early 2025, he noted, resistance to the U.S. administration’s policies had grown. As a main takeaway from his book, Beckerman underlined that people should reflect on where they stand morally and be aware of their own agency.

We cordially thank Gal Beckerman for presenting and discussing his book with us and everyone who joined us. We would also like to thank the Stadtbücherei Düsseldorf for their hospitality.

This event was kindly supported by the Federal Foreign Office.