skimmed through books at National Library of Singapore
I was interested in learning about the failures of democracy, anarchism and communism, respectively.
- “Twilight of democracy: The failure of politics and the parting of friends”. Anne Applebaum. (2020).
I feel like the author is sobbing on my shoulder. She's sad that she's lost her friends.
- “Why communism failed”. Jasper Becker. (2022).
Seems to portray historical attempts at utopia as a great big lie. (“The statistics are fake, and everybody got duped, and central planning failed!”) The blurb quotes a certain Head of Political Economy, who conveniently divides the world's population into two camps: pro-capitalism and pro-communism. That dude seems to believe that the two camps shall remain eternal enemies. I wonder how much this book resembles propaganda: pro-capitalism, anti-communism, propaganda.
- “Resistances: Between theories and the field”. Editors: Murru and Polese. (2020).
Argues that tenants engage in acts of resistance, every time they negotiate rent with their landlord. Seems to be concerned with academic analysis rather than edification.