In a brilliant mobilization of small details, forgotten actors, and myriad stories, Kevin Grant masterfully reconstructs scenes of politico-ethical combat otherwise hidden behind prison walls. It is a beautiful book, demonstrating a rich command of theoretical and historical scholarship.--Seth Koven, author of The Match Girl and the Heiress A valuable, historically minded, and comparative exploration of a complex and painful subject.--Richard English, author of Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA A remarkable study of sacrifice in modern politics, Kevin Grant's book tells us how the hunger strike took on its contemporary form in the British Empire, contesting the empire's liberal justification in humanitarianism and the absolute value placed on life. By voluntarily disdaining it in slow motion, the hunger striker repudiated both life's foundational value for politics, and the spectacularly immediate form that other practices of sacrifice took in assassination or suicidal violence. A deeply humane meditation on the meaning of life in politics.--Faisal Devji, author of The Impossible Indian: Gandhi and the Temptation of Violence