Why am I passionate about this?
My family was divided by religion, leaving me skeptical about belief systems. After a background in science, I studied philosophy and became intrigued by Heidegger's āpitiless atheism.ā The power of his thought but his personal failings have long been an issue for academics. I have since been fascinated partly by powerful personalities but more by the struggle of their followers as they suspend critical thinking and make huge sacrifices to offer their support. This struggle and difficulty of turning back, particularly as the systems begin to collapse, are a feature of many of the works of fiction that intrigue me most, particularly in the books I have chosen.
Martin's book list on people in dangerous systems of belief
Why did Martin love this book?
The book offers a powerful evocation through snapshots of lives in South London through recent post-war history. Something that emerges almost without you noticing is how much they were all affected by the political and economic changes of the eighties and early nineties. There is no political polemic here, but even those who prosper from these changes suffer from them, possibly more than the others.
It presents recent history in which a way of life was changed forever without us realizing it, and we are still living with the consequences.
3 authors picked Light Perpetual as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Named a Best Book of the Year by TheNew York Times, NPR, Slate, Lit Hub, Fresh Air, and more
From the critically acclaimed and awardāwinning author of Golden Hill, an āextraordinaryā¦symphonicā¦casually stunningā (The Wall Street Journal) novel tracing the infinite possibilities of five lives in the bustling neighborhoods of 20th-century London.
Lunchtime on a Saturday, 1944: the Woolworths on Bexford High Street in South London receives a delivery of aluminum saucepans. A crowd gathers to see the first new metal in agesāafter all, everythingās been melted down for the war effort. An instant later, the crowd is gone; incinerated. Amongā¦