Wulf's Book Reviews

On 24 February 2022, Russian armed forces invaded neighbouring Ukraine on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin . The pretended reasons of the murderous dictator and war criminal Putin are alleged "numerous crimes committed against the civilian population, including citizens of the Russian Federation", the demilitarisation and "denazification" of Ukraine, and NATO's eastward expansion. None of this is true and there is no justification for the invasion by Putin, his government and his military. In my opinion, it is therefore only to be welcomed that large parts of the free world are supporting Ukraine with sanctions, military and humanitarian aid and many other measures. At the same time, Ukraine is constantly negotiating with the aggressor Russia in order to find a peaceful solution. I doubt this will work, because Putin clearly only understands the language of violence. For this reason, the West's support for Ukraine does not...

Persepolis: The Story of an Iranian Childhood by Marjane Satrapi My rating: 4 of 5 stars Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis is a powerful and moving graphic novel that tells the story of the author growing up in Iran. I was pleasantly surprised the graphic novel form succeeded at telling complex and nuanced stories in a highly accessible way. For readers like myself with limited prior knowledge of Iran, the book provides a valuable and accessible window into the complexities of life during this historical period in a country that I for one only associate with the "Axis of Evil" and the brutal oppression of any kind of opposition to the regime. One of the strengths of Persepolis is the way that it makes the experience of living through the revolution and the war tangible. It presented me with a sense of the everyday challenges and fears that people faced, as well as the more profound philosophical questions about identity and beliefs. The book feels so real, so true to lif...

The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith My rating: 5 of 5 stars Robert Galbraith ’s “ The Ink Black Heart ”, the sixth instalment of this fantastic series , consisted of 1644 pages based upon my Kindle’s settings. When I started reading it and saw that, I was somewhat awed. I liked where Galbraith went with this series and, thankfully, decided to go on this ride… And, wow, what a ride it was! Over the time it took me to read this, I felt drawn to this book almost non-stop. I had gotten caught in this ever-moving literary maelstrom… Robin and Strike investigate the identity of a toxic online persona, Anomie, and the brutal murder of a young cartoonist, Edie Ledwell, and her co-creator, Josh Blay, the latter barely surviving the same attack. Anomie who has in turn co-created a fan-made game to the eponymous cartoon “The Inkblack Heart” with his friend Morehouse - another pseudonym - is central to this mystery and eerily reminded me of some real people online… Strike and Robin feel ...