Possess the Air

Description

AGlobe and MailFall 2019 Book to WatchWhoever you are, you are sure to be a severe critic of Fascism, and you must feel the servile shame. But even you are responsible for your inaction. Do not seek to justify yourself with the illusion that there is nothing to be done. That is not true. Every person of courage and honour is quietly working for a free Italy. Even if you do not want to join us, there are still TEN THINGS which you can do. You can, and therefore you must.These unsayable words, printed on leaflets that rained down on Mussolinis headquarters in the heart of Rome at the height of the dictators power, drive the central drama ofPossess the Air. This is the story of freedom fighters who defied Italys despot by opposing the rising tide of populism and xenophobia. Chief among them: poet and aviator Lauro de Bosis, firstborn of an Italian aristocrat and a New Englander, who transformed himself into a modern Icarus and amazed the world as he risked his life in the skies to bring Il Duce down. Taras Grescoes inspiring story of resistance, risk, and sacrifice paints a portrait of heroes in the fight against authoritarianism. This is an essential biography for our time.Praise forPossess the AirCompellingSet during Fascisms glory years,Possess the Airis about resisting tyranny. Its about the courage required to defy an autocrat even when the gains will be small.Literary Review of CanadaPossess the Airis a beautiful read, and the focus on Rome should open our eyes to how threats to civic liberty can often evolve into concrete form.Quill & QuirePossess the Airis a massive project, combining research thats deep yet deployed with a light touch, the smooth stag-managing of dozens of historical figures of varying fame and notoriety, a blend of the macro (sweeping social changes) and the micro (love stories, individual crises of conscience.) Yet Grescoe makes it look easy Taras Grescoe has performed an act of resurrection, and done it with flair. Montreal Review of BooksSuperban object lesson is what befalls a country that embraces an autocratic strongman as its would-be saviour.Winnipeg Free PressArtful and detailed Set in Mussolinis Rome, which lives and breathes thanks to Grescoes storytelling Alarming parallels emerge to the contemporary rise of populism, autocracy, and racial and religious intolerance. In this regard, Possess the Air is, just like de Bosiss leaflets were as they drifted down on the streets of Rome, an inspirational message for all of those who love democracy.Foreword Reviews(starred review)Grescoe effectively breaks through our illusions of true historical objectivity, and in the process reminds us that in times of change turmoil, chaos, populism, and polarity, any essence of objectivity is quickly dispensed with, even in the institutions of academia, where we expect of find it the most. While the message of Possess the Air is universal and pertinent, discerning readers will find in it a mimic of our times.The Ormsby ReviewPossess the Air, which would be a great read in good times, is especially engrossing now as a study of howgiven a combination of motive, opportunity, pathology and resourcesFascism, incrementally and systematically, can transform a society.Policy MagazineMasterfully constructed, elegantly composed, this is a books to be savored by anyone with an appetite for what Henry James called the luxury of loving Italy. Its an important books, offering a way through the present by way of connection with a complicate past.ACCENTiIn the age of Trump, Mussolinihalf-clown, half-tyrantreturns to our minds more readily that does that fanatic of fanatics, Adolf Hitler. Readers of Taras Grescoes racy study will learn much about what happened to those, both foreign and Italian, who rejected the Duces fake truths even at the sacrifice of their own lives. Their story can help us today resist the populist nationalists who crowd our screens with their lies and superificialities.R.J.B. Bosworth, author ofMussoliniandThe Oxford Handbook of FascismWow! This book is an absolute tour de forcea fact-driven work of historical imagination at once fresh, relevant, and irresistible. While tracking the rise of Italian fascism through the 1920s and 30s, Taras Grescoe conducts a master class in applying novelistic techniques to a research-based narrative. By telling this story through individuals who lived it, Grescoe has created a literary experience that revives the idea of the nonfiction novel.Ken McGoogan, author ofFlight of the Highlanders: The Making of CanadaInPossess the Air, Grescoe merges impressive scholarship with deft storytelling to bring readers to a Rome weve never knowneven though Mussolinis Make-Italy-Great-Again bombast will feel uncomfortably familiar. As much a biography of a city as the characters who dwell there, Grescoes book hums and shines.Marcello Di Cintio, author ofPay No Heed to the Rockets: Palestine in the Present TensePraise for Taras GrescoeTaras Grescoe has fallen hard for the the wicked old Paris of the Orient, its barrooms thick with gangsters and newsmen, its alleys scented with sweet almond broth, opium smoke and the chemical bite of Flit insecticide . . .Shanghai Grandis a headlong swoon for old Shanghai. The feeling is easy to catch.New York Times Book ReviewFilled with excellent short character sketches and keeps the reader turning the pages to find out what will happen next . . . Brings to life a special time and a special place.Wall Street JournalA keenly observant, sometimes soulful portrait . . . of Chinas political and social realities during that tumultuous period in its history. . . . A wonderful book.Publishers WeeklyGrescoe exuberantly captures the glamour and intrigue of a lost world.Kirkus Reviews