The Repeater Book of Heroism brings together essays from various figures on the left about the people that inspire them. Touchingly, it is dedicated to Dawn Foster, the journalist who tragically died last year. She was a hero to many, including me.

The essays are a mixture of personal stories and more theoretical ones, and as with all of these kinds of books, some will appeal more than others depending on the reader. Personally I loved Mat Osman's deconstruction of Wile E. Coyote as a working class hero, and was moved by the stories by Graham Harman (on his mentors Alphonso Lingis and Bruno Latour) and Marcus Barnett (on Josep Almudever Mateo, the last surviving International Brigader who fought in the Spanish Civil War).

The essays about family members are often engaging as well, particularly (for me) Joy White's tribute to her grandmother, Dora, and Grace Blakely's piece, ostensibly about her grandfather, which morphs into a meditation on the women in her family and the importance of socialism in society today. Carl Neville's tribute to his wife, Ayako, extends the idea of motherhood to "all those who stand at the thresholds of life", in hospitals, in care homes, in hospices, and find ways to mother us.

Finally, I'm grateful to the book for introducing me to such figures as the architect Bruno Taut and the astronomer Giordano Bruno.

This is well worth a read if you want something fairly digestible which reminds you of the importance of continuing to fight in the face of, well, everything we're faced with today.

"The Repeater Book of Heroism" is my introduction into the world of Repeater, a London-based publishing imprint founded in 2014 by Tariq Goddard and Mark Fisher.

"The Repeater Book of Heroism" is a collection of essays dedicated to recovering the idea of heroism from the fascists and the right-wing populists and laying down the idea that a hero can and should be something to be.

The essays here range from slightly humorous to provocative to quite personal to remarkably academic in nature. The authors are familiar Repeater writers (whom I intend to explore on a deeper level) and they're all united with the idea that, quite simply, we all need something to believe in.

The heroes written about here include familiar names like Wile E. Coyote and Jennifer Aniston along with names like Eric Cantona, Bruno Latour, Paula Rego, assorted family members, and others.

I'd imagine that "The Repeater Book of Heroism" will resonate most fully with those already familiar with the Repeater universe. As is true for nearly every essay collection, one's individual taste and life experience may well dictate which resonate most completely. However, I can also say that I myself had an appreciation for the entire collection and there's no doubt I'll be revisiting it to allow it all to soak in a bit more in the very near future.

I'd also imagine given the outspoken nature of these writers that those with a more conservative bent will be less likely to appreciate "The Repeater Book of Heroism." However, it's also abundantly clear that's really not the target reader for Repeater Books.

"The Repeater Book of Heroism" is an engaging and thoughtful essay collection nicely creating a literary tapestry that resonates emotionally and stimulates intellectually. This will, no doubt, be a collection deserving a discussion and maybe even a little debate.

I look forward to visiting additional titles in the Repeater world.

The Repeater Book of Heroism is not an essential book, but it is quite beguiling. With its title hinting at old school collections for children, the book contains 17 short portraits of heroes from Repeater writers. They range from Mark Fisher and Giordano Bruno to Jennifer Aniston and Wile E. Coyote, mixing the personal, the political and the influential. Many of the contributions are excellent - Owen Hatherley's on the architect, Bruno Taut. and Christina Spens' on Paula Rego, for example - and most leave you wanting more. The introduction positions the book in opposition to "the contemporary left's misgivings about heroism" and it's likely to appeal predominantly to readers of previous Repeater books, but it would be a shame if its readership were limited in this way, as there is much here which diverts, entertains and informs.