Possess the Air, set against the backdrop of Rome in the 1920s, is a work of narrative non-fiction that looks at how people of conscience reacted to the rise of Fascism in Italy. After reading the book’s opening scene, Grescoe will discuss its plot and theme, centred on the life of Italian-American poet and self-taught aviator Lauro de Bosis, who subsequently bombarded Mussolini’s palazzo and then flew off into the night.