Quillette Narrated

The spread of mass education may have exemplified the promise of liberal civilization. But, without an understanding and appreciation of what allowed it to flourish, it could also accelerate its dissolution.

The Children of the Revolution by James David Banker. Read by William Laing. Mao Zedong activated China’s youth—unblemished and uncorrupted in heart and mind—to lead the struggle for purity.

Why China Is Hiding the Horrors of its Past: While the Chinese government continues to transform Xinjiang through its cultural genocide program aimed at eliminating the distinct identity of the Uyghur population, it is also putting a high priority on controlling the history of the region and its people. By Nick Taber. Read by Iona Italia.

White Lotus, Red Dragon—China’s History of Millenarian Dissent: When one woman refused and snapped at them to “go away,” they attacked her with a chair and mop handle. By Aaron Sarin. Read by Iona Italia.

'The Death of a Deluded Man' by John Aziz. Read by John Aziz. Yahya Sinwar should be remembered above all as a failure whose fetish for Jewish—and Palestinian—blood turned Gaza into dust and rubble.

'Serfing the Future' by Joel Kotkin and Wendell Cox. Read by William Laing.

'The Fall of Beirut: Calling Hezbollah merely a terror group is too simplistic, and nothing in Lebanon is ever simple or easy to explain.' by Art Keller. Read by Iona Italia. 

'America's Forgotten Crisis: A terrific new account of America’s social and political turmoil during the 1910s and ’20s provides some much-needed perspective on the problems afflicting the country today.' by Michael J. Totten. Read by Iona Italia.

Have we just lived through one of the best years in human history? As we look at 2023 through the rearview mirror, I think that’s a defensible claim. In fact, the same thing could have been said at the end of pretty much every year since the beginning of the millennium (with the exception of the disastrous pandemic years of 2020 and 2021). Never before have so many people lived in affluence, safety, and good health.

'I Blew Up My Lucrative Public-Service Career (And So Can You): A veteran of British Columbia’s public-sector workforce explains how DEI enforcers forced him to choose between keeping his job and honouring his values.' by Nick Osmond-Jones. Read by Iona Italia