{"title":"Ben Judah","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBen Judah's\u003c\/strong\u003e works delve into the complex intersections of history, politics, and culture, offering nuanced perspectives on contemporary Europe and beyond. His writing combines rigorous reportage with rich narrative, exploring the fragile socio-political landscapes that define our times.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect thought-provoking explorations that illuminate the shifting power dynamics and cultural transformations shaping modern society, making his books essential for those interested in history, current affairs, and the arts.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"fragile-empire-by-ben-judah-9780300205220","title":"Fragile Empire","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA lively, inside account of Putin’s years of rule and the impending crisis that threatens his tsar-like regime\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e“A beautifully written and very lively study of Russia that argues that the political order created by Vladimir Putin is stagnating—undermined by corruption and a failure to modernise economically.”\u003c\/em\u003e—Gideon Rachman, \u003cem\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Ben Judah, a young freelance writer, paints a more journalistic—and more passionate—picture in \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eFragile Empire\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e. He shuttles to and fro across Russia’s vast terrain, finding criminals, liars, fascists and crooked politicians, as well as the occasional saintly figure.\"\u003c\/em\u003e—\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Kaliningrad on the Baltic to the Russian Far East, journalist Ben Judah has travelled throughout Russia and the former Soviet republics, conducting extensive interviews with President Vladimir Putin’s friends, foes, and colleagues, government officials, business tycoons, mobsters, and ordinary Russian citizens. \u003cem\u003eFragile Empire\u003c\/em\u003e is the fruit of Judah’s thorough research: a probing assessment of Putin’s rise to power and what it has meant for Russia and her people.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDespite a propaganda programme intent on maintaining the cliché of stability, Putin’s regime was suddenly confronted in December 2011 by a highly public protest movement that told a different side of the story. Judah argues that Putinism has brought economic growth to Russia but also weaker institutions, and this contradiction leads to instability.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe author explores both Putin’s successes and his failed promises, taking into account the impact of a new middle class and a new generation, the Internet, social activism, and globalisation on the president’s impending leadership crisis. Can Russia avoid the crisis of Putinism? Judah offers original and up-to-the-minute answers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47000623907052,"sku":"9780300205220","price":23.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/24049943482294.jpg?v=1763290484"},{"product_id":"this-is-europe-by-ben-judah-9781447276289","title":"This is Europe","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat does it now mean to call yourself European? Who makes up this population of 750 million, sprawled from Ireland to Ukraine, from Sweden to Turkey? Who has always called it home, and who has newly arrived from elsewhere? Who are the people who drive our long-distance lorries, steward our criss-crossing planes, lovingly craft our legacy wines, fish our depleted waters, and risk life itself in search of safety and a new start?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn a series of vivid, ambitious, darkly visceral but always empathetic portraits of other people's lives, Ben Judah invites us to meet them. Drawn from hours of painstaking interviews, these vital stories reveal a frenetic and vibrant continent which has been transformed by diversity, migration, the internet, climate change, Covid, war and the quest for freedom.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLaid dramatically bare, it may not always be a Europe we recognize - but \u003cem\u003ethis is Europe\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePraise for Ben Judah's \u003cem\u003eThis Is London\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'An epic work of reportage'\u003c\/em\u003e - Guardian\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Eye-opening'\u003c\/em\u003e - Sunday Times\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Opens readers' eyes to the hardships experienced by many and ignored by most'\u003c\/em\u003e - Independent\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Shares Orwell's appetite for documenting parts of society that are easily overlooked'\u003c\/em\u003e - Spectator\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'Full of nuggets of unexpected information about the lives of others'\u003c\/em\u003e - Financial Times\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Macmillan Publishers New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48244782006508,"sku":"9781447276289","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781447276289-this-is-europe-1.jpg?v=1788013523"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/ben-judah.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}