David František Wagner
-

Original Sin – Hubris/ Age
The book presents a story that is more than obvious in hindsight: that President Biden’s cognitive and physical decline was both visible and consequential, yet shielded from public reckoning by an inner circle more concerned with maintaining power than serving the public interest. While the reliance on anonymous sources makes definitive judgment difficult, the narrative aligns…
-

When Natasha Dances
Orlando Figes’s Natasha’s Dance is an ambitious, sweeping exploration of Russian cultural identity from the 18th century to the late Soviet period. Rather than presenting a traditional chronological history, Figes constructs a cultural palimpsest—layering music, literature, visual arts, religious thought, and ideology to capture the elusive, shifting essence of “Russianness.” The central metaphor, taken from a scene in…
-

Chokepoints
Chokepoints by Edward Fishman delivers a sharp and sober analysis of economic coercion as a strategic tool of U.S. foreign policy. Drawing on a wealth of sources and his experience in the U.S. State Department, Fishman chronicles the evolution of sanctions against Iran, Huawei, and Russia. Rather than presenting a dramatized geopolitical thriller, he offers a disciplined, evidence-driven look into…
-

Book reviews – March 2025
Certainly one of the months with no specific highlights. Book of the month: Careless People;Flop of the month: Slavic Mythology Collection, the sheer laziness of the edit is killing me. Slavic Mythology Collection (annotated): Fairy Tales of the Slav Peasants and Herdsmen along with Sixty Folk-Tales from Exclusively Slavonic Sources Alexander Chodzko, Emily J. Harding…
-

Knihy – březen 2025
Rozhodně jeden z těch měsíců bez zásadních highlightů. Kniha měsíce: Careless People;Zklamání měsíce: Slavic Mythology Collection – ta naprostá editorská a redakční lenost mě zabíjí. Slavic Mythology Collection (annotated): Fairy Tales of the Slav Peasants and Herdsmen along with Sixty Folk-Tales from Exclusively Slavonic Sources Alexander Chodzko, Emily J. Harding (Translator), A.H. Wratislaw (Poslouchali jsme před spaním…
-

Book Review Special: Careless People
Careless People Sarah Wynn-Williams Facebook isn’t always doing great. Its digital currency failed, its virtual worlds aren’t working, it’s a tool for political campaigning, and much of its content is now AI slop and crude scams.Many have already charted how the world’s first truly global social network became today’s behemoth and how Mark Zuckerberg’s ambitions evolved.…
-

Recenze: Careless People
Careless People Sarah Wynn-Williams Facebook není vždycky v pohodě. Nefunguje ani jeho digitální měna, ani digitální světy, slouží k politickým kampaním a velkou část jeho obsahu tvoří AI šlichta a primitivní podvody. Jak se z první skutečně globální sociální sítě stal dnešní mamut a jak se vyvíjely ambice Marka Zuckerberga už mapoval leckdo. Sarah Wynn-Williams ve svých memoárech přináší něco nového:…
-

Knihy – únor 2025
Většinu února jsem strávil vyučováním na Tchaj-wanu, takže jsem nestihl číst tolik, kolik bych chtěl. Kniha měsíce: Here All AlongZklamání měsíce: Nejspíš Save the Cat. The Psychedelic Handbook: A Practical Guide to Psilocybin, LSD, Ketamine, MDMA, and Ayahuasca Rick Strassman Většina knihy je poměrně praktická, propaguje rozumný přístup ke snižování rizik (včetně velmi jasného „tohle bys měl…
-

Book reviews – February 2025
Spent most of the February on Taiwan teaching, so did not manage to read as much as I would like. Book of the Month: Here All AlongDisappointment of the month: Save the Cat I guess. The Psychedelic Handbook: A Practical Guide to Psilocybin, LSD, Ketamine, MDMA, and Ayahuasca Rick Strassman Most of it is quite practical, promotes reasonable…