A venerable critic called it "the best story in the world." It is also these days among the most forgotten. Join cohosts Theo Lipsky and John Amble as they break down the storyt, the meaning, and the lessons of Leo Tolstoy's late-in-life masterpiece about counterinsurgency, Hadji Murat.

• (00:00:06) - Introduction to the MWI Book Club
• (00:00:37) - Introducing Hadji Murad and Tolstoy
• (00:04:38) - Tolstoy's Life and Military Background
• (00:10:05) - Tolstoy's Writing Career and Spiritual Journey
• (00:14:05) - Plot Summary of Hadji Murad
• (00:18:18) - Part One: Hadji Murad Comes In From the Cold
• (00:22:31) - Russian Soldiers and the Fortress Dynamics
• (00:26:15) - Prince Vorontsov and the News of Hadji Murad
• (00:29:32) - The Wood Felling Incident and Officer Vanity
• (00:34:29) - The Cost of Fictional War Reports
• (00:39:49) - Part Two: Vorontsov and Counterinsurgency Optimism
• (00:49:11) - Meeting of Vorontsov and Hadji Murad
• (00:53:50) - Loris-Melikov's Interview with Hadji Murad
• (00:58:30) - The Tsar, Vanity, and Bureaucratic Distortion
• (01:03:21) - Part Three: The Raids and Their Human Cost
• (01:06:55) - Major Petrov, Butler, and Shamil's Self-Deception
• (01:13:39) - Hadji Murad's Final Decision and Death
• (01:20:59) - Aftermath and Literary Reflection
• (01:24:46) - Back Matter: Margin Notes
• (01:29:33) - Fun Facts and Personal Reflections
• (01:34:27) - Bonus Reads and Episode Closing