Four star review, originally posted here on November 24th, 2024.
Ah, good, reliable Anne Applebaum. Why do I keep reading her when everything she tells me is absolutely terrifying? I’m not entirely sure. I think it’s because she somehow still sounds calm and somewhat positive while telling me about how the entire world is burning down. Maybe she is so reassuring to me because, while describing how the world is burning down, she’s always pointing out that the world has burned down a bunch of times in the past and always comes out on the other side. And maybe it’s because she has concrete, positive (maybe naive?) suggestions for how to avoid burning the world down. I don’t know, but anyway…
This is a short book by Applebaum standards, so if you just want to totally bum yourself out for a weekend instead of the month it takes to read most of her other books, then this is the book for you!
Real talk, though, Applebaum is on point as always. This book is full to the brim of historical and current info from around the globe, along with solid no-nonsense analysis. Applebaum reads the audiobook herself, which I appreciate because she does a good job of pulling off that “serious but positive” vibe described above in her narration as well.
Helga without the H 