“‘Dystopia’ is my middle name. I was born in the Soviet Union, and then we moved to Reagan’s America. … Silence has been destroyed, but also the idea that it’s important to learn how another person thinks, to enter the mind of another person. … We are now part of this giant machine where every second we have to take out a device and contribute our thoughts and opinions. … When civilization takes a nose dive, how can you look away? You’ve got to be there. You’ve got to be at the bottom of the swimming pool taking notes.”