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"Adolf Hitler. Joseph Stalin. Benito Mussolini. Mao Zedong. Kim Il Sung. Vladimir Lenin. These cruel dictators wrote their names on the pages of history in the blood of countless innocent victims. Yet they themselves were once young people searching for their place in the world, dealing with challenges many of us face—parental authority, education, romance, loss—and doing so in ways that might be uncomfortably familiar.
Historian Brandon K. Gauthier has created a fascinating work—epic yet intimate, well-researched but immensely readable, clear-eyed and empathetic—looking at the lives of these six dictators, with a focus on their youths. We watch Lenin’s older brother executed at the hands of the Tsar’s police—an event that helped radicalize this overachieving high-schooler. We observe Stalin grappling with the death of his young, beautiful wife. We see Hitler’s mother mourning the loss of three young children—and determined that her first son to survive infancy would find his place in the world.
The purpose isn’t to excuse or simply explain these horrible men, but rather to treat them with the empathy they themselves too often lacked. We may prefer to hold such lives at arm’s length so as to demonize them at will, but this book reminds us that these monstrous rulers were also human beings—and perhaps more relatable than we’d like."
Mar 4, 2024
Related Recs
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A Manson book in which Manson is not even the most evil guy, but someone named DR. JOLLY is. Good example of how Pynchon was not exaggerating at all. I could not put this book down
Sep 14, 2024
The Book Thief is narrated by Death, but don’t worry— it’s not as grim as it sounds (okay... maybe it is). Set in Nazi Germany, it follows a girl named Liesel who steals books, befriends a Jewish man hiding in her basement, and learns that words can be both weapons and lifesavers. It’s like a tragic book club hosted by Death himself, with a side of dark humor and emotional devastation.
Bonus: it’ll make you feel less bad about hoarding books.
Dec 2, 2024
Oct 8, 2024
Top Recs from @neopsychfuzz
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- Audio Technica turntables, I think, are some of the best entry-level record players for $200 or under. The crucial thing--as you have already done--is to avoid trash record players like most Crosley products. Cheap record players like those will have a poor stylus (the needle) and have a heavy "tracking weight" (the weight of the needle/tone arm on the groove of the record player, which will wear out the grooves and degrade your records.) Used records that sound beat up are the product of old school record players with heavy tone arms and poor styluses. However, a solid Audio Technica turntable with a new stylus isn't going to hurt or degrade your records--especially if you have a good sized collection and aren't listening to only the same record over and over and over. You are off to a good start.
- If you are happy with your current turntable but want more out of it in the coming months/years, you might consider buying a new cartridge/stylus. That can really improve the sound quality of records. I really like Ortofon; they make high quality products for a good price.
- Make sure to buy a stylus brush and record brush to clean your records and needle before playing
- With regard to BlueTooth, it's a better idea for sure to use hard cables, but keep in mind that it doesn't really matter in the end; it's really only about what sounds "good enough" to your ears. I like high quality systems, but I think it's a bit foolish to go crazy trying to achieve perfection as some do (that is, unless you're rich). Vinyl has a particular sound (not necessarily better to all ears, mind you), and I really like that sound on a solid turntable and a good pair of speakers--that's good enough for me to really enjoy music in a tangible manner with vinyl and everything that comes along with it. In other words: don't care about what anyone thinks of your system.
- With regard to speakers, what are you using? Are you using a receiver and passive speakers or powered speakers? Concerning the latter, I have cut out the use of a receiver by using audioengine's powered speakers. (A move audiophiles would boo). I really can't say enough nice things about this brand; I used four of their larger speakers and their subwoofer for my system. They sound outstanding (from my perspective).
- in the future, you might look to purchase a turntable from Pro-Ject Audio. They make really high quality audio-phile products for a more reasonable price. ($400 and up roughly). I believe your turntable has a built in pre-amp, but as you go higher up the chain of turntables, you will have to buy an independent pre-amp (the quality of which can really boost your sound.) I use a Soundsmith preamplifier.
- Concerning purchasing records, there are a few ways to go. Some people will not purchase a used record if it has any blemish or scratch or is anything but mint. That's certainly a way to go towards building an immaculate collection; but perhaps less fun. I am, in that regard, less discerning and more open to used vinyl for good prices. Make sure to inspect records and avoid anything that has significant scratches (especially one that will make the needle jump); also watch for warped records by turning the record around at eye level. This being said, if a record only has a few very light scratches or blemishes and no apparent warps; it will probably sound just fine after cleaning. Indeed, taking this further, I have some pretty beat up records that are noisy, and I still really enjoy listening to them; I hear the years of others' listening and enjoying them in their noise. (Is it good enough?) Keep in mind that the quality of the record may still also remain a mystery till you get home and put it on the turntable; you can't always tell whether the grooves are degraded by looking with the naked eye. This is part of the fun, perhaps in a masochistic sense. (Also, who will love beat up copies of Johnny Mathis LPs if we don't? Probably no one. Maybe just me.)
Feb 29, 2024
Feb 24, 2024