Seldom before in the history of the world has rage been so global in scale. Authoritarian leaders are largely to blame for this dangerous pass—their brutal surgery on masses without administering anaesthesia. Sadly, we do not know enough about them and their chillingly effective ways. Autocrats: Charisma, Power, and Their Lives fills that gap with real-life situations of how an authoritarian’s cult takes hold, grows, and sustains itself. It describes grippingly their personality, their psychological make-up, and their private lives. The book sketches, step by step, the roadmap to tyranny from the earliest times to now, and poses questions that people are afraid to ask: Are autocrats born bad? Are their brains wired differently from ours? What makes strongmen the evil they become? Do they leave their country in a better or a worse shape? It is also a deep dive into all that is dishonourable in society; the unreal times when people are their walking images: weak, afraid, cowardly, and fearful. This compelling account uncovers the inner demons of strongmen, their anxieties, and their phobias. Intensely researched, Rajiv Dogra’s prose is elegant and sophisticated, making this book a magnificent cathedral of words. Autocrats: Charisma, Power, and Their Lives is going to haunt us for a long time.