Fools, Martyrs, Traitors: The Story of Martyrdom in the Western World

Lacey Baldwin Smith takes us on a riveting journey through history as he examines one of the most baffling characteristics of the human experience: the willingness to die to sanctify a deity, defend a cause, or simply to prove a point. By delving into the psyches, politics, and personalities of martyrs like Thomas Becket, John Brown, and Gandhi, he illuminates the complex and elusive subject of martyrdom as it has evolved over 2,500 years.

"Anyone who would like to try to understand what justifies human beings in the possibly suicidal impulse that drives them to accept no compromise; to assert high moral principle in the face of accusations of idiocy, barbarism, ingratitude and mere treason; and finally to die for a cause can begin at no better place than Fools, Martyrs, Traitors." --Washington Post