After the End of Truth | John Searle, Hilary Lawson, Hannah Dawson

In this book, Peter Pomerantsev recounts his experiences working in the Russian TV industry, where he encountered a world of professional killers, Kremlin puppet-masters, suicidal supermodels, and oligarch revolutionaries. The book is a kaleidoscopic series of anecdotes and vignettes that reveal the corruption, decadence, and rapid changes in post-Soviet Russia. Pomerantsev's observations highlight the subtle yet powerful form of dictatorship that has emerged under the Putin regime, challenging the West with its unique blend of illusion, glamor, and authoritarian control.

In 'In Defence of History', Richard J. Evans mounts a robust defense of the historian's capacity to reach genuine insights about past events. The book challenges postmodernist theories that question the possibility of objective historical truth. Evans argues that history is necessary and that historians can achieve a realistic grasp of the past through rigorous methods and evidence-based research. He discusses the evolution of historical discipline, critiques extreme relativism, and acknowledges the positive contributions of postmodernist thought while rebutting its more extreme claims. The book is a significant contribution to the philosophy and practice of history, following in the tradition of works by E.H. Carr and G.R. Elton.