At a time when European citizens are increasingly detached from their political representatives while uncertainties are growing, Tzvetan Todorov makes us discover or rediscover figures who, each in their own way, have managed to reconcile moral demands and public action. They lived in different contexts, faced enemies of a different nature and their responses were diverse. All of them, however, renounced comfort, risked their freedom, sometimes their lives, rejected subjugation and had the courage to resist while avoiding succumbing to hatred and the temptation of revenge. The names of the eight Rebellious are more or less known: Etty Hillesum, Germaine Tillion, Borís Pasternak, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, David Shulman and Edward Snowden. But their ethical choices have not always received the attention they deserve. Tzvetan Todorov comes to cover this gap and, faithful once again to his will to reflect on the challenges of our world, he offers us an exciting source of reflection and inspiration. Not only to formulate our reactions as citizens to public debates, but also to respond to the most ordinary challenges of our daily lives.
