What Are We Really Teaching Our Kids?

What Are We Really Teaching Our Kids? by @andrewdkaufman #teaching #learning #COVID

I published this article in Inside Higher Ed in September 2020. Even though it addresses the crisis in education brought about by both COVID and the George Floyd tragedy, its message seems highly relevant to our current climate, as well: What or why to teach are more important considerations than how to teach if we are to…

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How to Have Radical Hope in Troubled Times

How to Have Radical Hope in Troubled Times by @andrewdkaufman #hope #trouble #life

  Hope In The Sadness A few weeks ago it was a beautiful Monday in Northern Virginia, where I celebrated the Fourth of July with my family. I felt good about life and at peace with the world, a rarity for me these days. Late in the afternoon, a headline popped up on my phone…

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Why Most Russians Still Love Putin

How Dostoyevsky Helps Explain Why Russians Still Love Putin by @andrewdkaufman #Putin #Ukraine #war

I’m often asked how Russian literature of the past can help illuminate Russian politics today. I recently wrote an article on this very subject and received a number of follow-up questions. One of the most interesting of them was: Why is Putin still so popular in Russia despite the world’s response to his war and…

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Why I Choose Love

Why I Choose Love by @andrewdkaufman #love #schools #parenting

A few months ago, I watched my 9-year-old son conquer his fears and climb to the top of an indoor rock wall, a big accomplishment for him. As I lingered over the photos a day later, I thought of the parents of those children massacred in Uvalde who will never again get to watch their…

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5 Dostoyevsky Works You Want To Learn More About

5 Dostoyevsky Works You Want To Learn More About by @andrewdkaufman #RussianLiterature #books #novels

In my latest book, The Gambler Wife: A True Story of Love, Risk, and the Woman Who Saved Dostoyevsky, I tell the story of Dostoyevsky’s second wife, Anna, who was indispensable in helping the great author overcome a long list of personal, business, and literary struggles. It was with her help that he was able…

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6 Short, Accessible Books to Get You Started in Russian Literature

6 Short, Accessible Books to Get You Started in Russian Literature by @andrewdkaufman #RussianLiterature #novellas #books

An Introduction to Russian Literature People who haven’t read much Russian literature probably have at least one preconceived notion of the genre — that they can expect a long book. And that’s understandable, considering that the works most often referenced as masterpieces in the field are indeed intimidatingly long. Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov and Tolstoy’s…

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