Celebrating the release of Born Bad …
Imogen Kandel, Black Inc Books http://www.blackincbooks.com
A polite reminder email that the following events to celebrate the release of Born Bad: Original Sin and the Making of the Western World by James Boyce are taking place next week.
• Book Launch (Hobart) With Jo Flanagan, Thursday 7 August, 5:30pm, The Hobart Bookshop. No RSVP required.
Conversation Event (Launceston) With Nick Clements, Friday 8 August, 5:30pm, Fullers Bookshop. Please RSVP by Wednesday 6 August to enquiries@blackincbooks.com or (03) 9486 0288.
Download invitations below for more information. We look forward to seeing you there:
Born_Bad_launch_invite.pdf
Born_Bad_Fullers_event_invite.pdf
Born Bad
Original Sin and the Making of the Western World
James Boyce
A grand history of ideas in the tradition of Alain de Botton’s Religion for
Atheists and Simon Schama’s The Story of the Jews.
“The purpose of this book is not to defend or condemn the Western creation story,
but to challenge the assumption that its influence was ended by science and
secularism.” – James Boyce, Born Bad
How much of an influence does original sin have on our every-day lives?
Acclaimed author and historian James Boyce traces the origins and endurance
of original sin – from Adam and Eve, St Augustine and Martin Luther to Adam
Smith, Sigmund Freud and Richard Dawkins.
Original sin is based on the premise that humans are ‘born bad’ and only God’s
grace can bring salvation. Although Christianity is on the wane, Boyce explores
how these religious ideas of morality still underpin our modern society. Even in
these secular times, the creation story still grips our imaginations. If today the
specific doctrine has all but disappeared (even from the churches), what remains
is the distinctive discontent of Western people – the feelings of guilt and
inadequacy associated not with doing wrong, but with being wrong.
Not simply a book on religion, Born Bad is an analysis of western culture, the
modern human condition and our continuous search for the one thing that will
save us from ourselves.
James Boyce is the multi award-winning author of the
bestsellers 1835: The Founding of Melbourne and the
Conquest of Australia (2011) and Van Diemen’s Land: A
History (2008). He has a PhD from the University of
Tasmania, where he is an honorary research associate of the
School of Geography and Environmental Studies.
ISBN: 978-1-86395-676-5 • RRP $34.99
August 2014 Release • 256 pages