PRESS RELEASE · GLORIA ÁLVAREZ
Gloria Álvarez’s fourth book examines the human cost of digital hostility
The Guatemalan author brings her experience in public debate to a book about cyberbullying, free expression and emotional resilience.
MEXICO CITY — September 28, 2026
Guatemalan political scientist and author Gloria Álvarez has placed the emotional consequences of online public life at the center of her fourth book, Cómo defender la libertad y no suicidarte en el intento. Known for books and talks on liberty, populism and political dialogue, she now examines a question that reaches beyond ideological labels: how can someone defend ideas in public without surrendering mental health to permanent digital hostility?
The book draws on Álvarez’s own years of visibility. She describes the pressure of constant exposure, the speed with which attacks spread and the difficulty of leaving a conflict behind when a phone keeps it close at hand. Cyberbullying and online harassment form part of the story, as do polarization, cancel culture and the expectation that a public figure must answer every provocation. Alongside that political and cultural analysis, she addresses anxiety, loneliness and the emotional exhaustion of living in an environment of continuous judgment.
The subject has particular force for people whose work depends on speaking in public: journalists, educators, authors, activists and creators. The book does not ask them to stop participating. Instead, it considers the habits, boundaries and forms of resilience that allow them to remain in the conversation. It connects freedom of expression with individual responsibility and asks what a healthier digital public square might require from those who use it and those who shape it.
“This book brings to the table uncomfortable but urgent questions about how we will face a world of emotional crises caused by digital violence and addiction, from a perspective of individual freedom and personal experience, when politicians are not doing so.” Álvarez said in a Spanish statement included in an earlier press release. [English translation.] Her words point to the book’s distinctive combination of personal testimony and a broader argument about the way technology affects public life. The work includes comments from singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona and journalist Jorge Ramos, as documented in the supplied book and press materials.
The book follows three earlier titles. Álvarez coauthored El engaño populista with Axel Kaiser, an examination of populist politics. In Cómo hablar con un progre she addresses arguments associated with the political left. Cómo hablar con un conservador examines points of disagreement between liberal and conservative positions. The fourth book retains her concern with the freedom to argue, while moving more directly toward the person who must bear the consequences of that argument online.
Álvarez graduated with honors in International Relations and Political Science from Universidad Francisco Marroquín. Her team’s materials report more than 3,000 talks on four continents and appearances in academic, business and cultural forums. She has also participated in political debate in Guatemala through a presidential proposal of 15 measures. Her career offers interviewers both a regional perspective on liberty and firsthand experience of the risks of visibility in polarized digital spaces.
The work has been presented in Mexico and other Latin American settings, including events documented by her team in Brazil, Bolivia and Guatemala. Álvarez will participate in Miami Book Fair 2026 on Saturday, November 21, with a book conversation, audience questions and a signing. Media interviews about the book and its themes can be requested through Majo Salinas, PR & Management.
About the book
The fourth book by Gloria Álvarez explores cyberbullying, online harassment, cancel culture, free expression and emotional resilience through her experience in public life. Spanish print ISBN: 978-607-2612-74-7, as listed in the supplied editorial catalog.
About Gloria Álvarez
Gloria Álvarez is a Guatemalan political scientist, author, communicator and international speaker. She graduated with honors in International Relations and Political Science from Universidad Francisco Marroquín and has written or coauthored four books.