In this episode, meet Will Doig, author of High-Speed Empire, Anne Applebaum, author of Twilight of Democracy, and the storyteller known as “The Captain,” author of F*cking History.
These authors have written compelling narratives that combine history and current events, from Will Doig’s tracking of China’s advances in high speed rail, to Anne Applebaum’s examination of how and why democracies around the world are turning toward authoritarianism. And to add a splash of irreverence to the mix, “The Captain” has a few hot takes on “history lessons you should have learned in school.” Now, listen in to hear each of these authors talk about recording their audiobooks.
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Listen to clips from the audiobooks mentioned in this episode:
Less than a decade ago, China did not have a single high-speed train in service. Today, it owns a network of 14,000 miles of high-speed rail, far more than the rest of the world combined. Journalist Will Doig traveled to Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore to chronicle the dramatic transformations taking place—and to find out whether ordinary people have a voice in this moment of economic, political, and cultural collision.
From the United States and Britain to continental Europe and beyond, liberal democracy is under siege, while authoritarianism is on the rise. In Twilight of Democracy, Anne Applebaum, an award-winning historian of Soviet atrocities who was one of the first American journalists to raise an alarm about antidemocratic trends in the West, explains the lure of nationalism and autocracy.
Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. Enter The Captain, the ultimate storyteller who brings history to life (and to your life) in this hilarious, intelligent, brutally honest, and crude compendium to events that happened before any of us were born. People in the past were just like us–so learn from life’s losers and emulate the badasses. The Captain shows you how.
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