Ula’s Year in Books

What did you read this year?

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2023

6,175

pages read

books read

Ula Tardigrade

Via degli Dei la Guida Completa by Walking Nose

Shortest Book

162

pages

Longest Book

624

pages

Average book length in 2023

385

pages

Most Shelved

71,162

people also shelved

Least Shelved

people also shelved

Ula’s average rating for 2023

4.5

Highest Rated on Goodreads

4.33 average

Ula’s first review of the year

it was amazing

The Pegasus project led to one of the most important breaking stories of 2021. The whole world learned about this malicious surveillance tool and how it was exploited by many supposedly democratic governments. Nobody could feel safe anymore, as the following publications vividly have shown - among the victims were journalists, opposition politicians, activists and business people.

From this book you will find out how journalists learned about thi ...more

ULA’S 2023 BOOKS

it was amazing

When the Heavens Went on Sale by Ashlee Vance

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and Their Race to Save the... by Joshua Hammer

Running Out of Time by David L. Auchterlonie

The Heat Will Kill You First by Jeff Goodell

it was amazing

The Secret History of Bigfoot by John O’Connor

The Dragon Behind the Glass by Emily Voigt

Ula’s last review of the year

it was amazing

It is not often that you stumble upon a story that is so big, so important, and yet you have never heard of it before. And a story so well told!

I've read a lot of books about drug trafficking, and quite a few about Burma, but I had no idea about Wa State, a mysterious narco-land hidden in the mountains that is the subject of this fascinating volume. And as the author points out, in 1990 it supplied 60 percent of America's heroin needs, while a mu It is not often that you stumble upon a story that is so big, so important, and yet you have never heard of it before. And a story so well told!

I've read a lot of books about drug trafficking, and quite a few about Burma, but I had no idea about Wa State, a mysterious narco-land hidden in the mountains that is the subject of this fascinating volume. And as the author points out, in 1990 it supplied 60 percent of America's heroin needs, while a much better-known area on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan supplied only 30 percent. So in terms of new knowledge alone, this book was illuminating. But that is only one of its qualities.

The story of how it all happened is written like a thriller and absolutely worth another Netflix "Narcos" series: there are headhunters and sorcerers, warlords and mercenaries, proxy wars fought by global empires, infighting between different branches of the U.S. government, covert CIA missions, and so many larger-than-life characters. But there is more. Patrick Winn doesn't take anything at face value, he digs deeper and uncovers an even more interesting story, the story of a forgotten and maligned nation fighting for a right to exist.

As he writes, “Wa people are indigenous to China’s frontier, just like Tibetans and Uyghurs, minorities who’ve suffered deeply under a Chinese government that micromanages their every move. The Wa have faced the same threat. So why is there a “Free Tibet” movement but none to free the Wa? Because they freed themselves. Yet, through Western eyes, they did it the wrong way: by producing illegal drugs, spending the profits on weapons, and daring outsiders to come take their land.”

Winn, an American who has lived in Southeast Asia for many years, paints a harsh portrait of U.S. international involvement. He shows how well-meaning people have been prevented from making a difference by the politics of the moment. He describes feuds between the DEA and the CIA that led local traffickers to view “the Americans as a confounding people, so warlike they’d fly across the world just to tussle with their own kind”.

It is also a prime example of excellent investigative journalism - the author managed to talk directly to most of the key players and get access to many classified documents, revealing covert actions and strategies. At the same time, he manages to keep his narrative engaging and witty. It is truly a rare achievement, comparable to books by such great writers as Patrick Radeen Keefe.

You have to read this book!

Thanks to the publisher, PublicAffairs, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. ...more

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