Understanding The Now

While 2016 has been an annus horribilis overall (unless you’re a racist, in which case, it’s probably a magical time to be alive), it has a been a great year for books helping us attempt to understand the heady times we live in. Most people would agree that we live in a state of rapid change.… Continue reading Understanding The Now

Censorship

I’m currently reading Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate. It’s an epic Russian novel about World War II, centered on Stalingrad-but really a critique of the Soviet Union. There are many great passages in the book, but I’m particularly taken by this one about a former editor of a Communist paper: Sagaydak had a particularly fine grasp… Continue reading Censorship

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Categorized as History

Contrasts

Right now I’m reading Empires of Light. It’s the fascinating tale of how the world was electrified. Not “electrified” in the sense of “the Beatles are coming to town!” but rather, literally, why I can flip a switch and the lights go on in my house. This tale could be utterly pedantic – for instance,… Continue reading Contrasts