Courage is a quality this author holds dear. Rippling across the page in marvellously meditative style, the loosely connected chapters combine philosophy, memoir, history and anecdote to explore the concept of courage and the many forms it can take. Tumarkin’s vision of courage concerns the spontaneous actions of everyday people. She explores the courage we need to get by in our daily lives and to stand up to the bullies of this world, focusing on her own experiences as a migrant from the former Soviet Union and a wide-ranging palette of cultural and intellectual touchstones – from the Holocaust to Dave Eggers to Love Actually. Ultimately, she writes about the writers, experiences and events that interest her. Because of her intelligence, skill and passion, they interest us too. An impressive follow-up to Traumascapes (2006).