The Properties of Perpetual Light is an homage to the work of
the activist-writer, which author Julian Aguon describes as “the
work of bearing witness, wrestling with the questions of one’s day,
telling children the truth.” With prose and poetry both bracing and
quiet, Aguon weaves together stories from his childhood in the
villages of Guam with searing political commentary. Throughout the
book, Aguon grapples with one heart-breaking loss after another by
immersing himself in the beauty of his island, the magic of
Micronesia, and the wisdom of his favorite books and elders.
Julian Aguon is an
indigenous human rights lawyer and writer from Guam. He is the
founder of Blue Ocean Law, a progressive firm that works at the
intersection of indigenous rights and environmental justice. He is
brilliant, soulful, and deeply engaged in the struggles of peoples
across Oceania to liberate themselves from colonial rule, defend
their sacred sites, and obtain justice for a range of harms inflicted
upon them by outside forces—from nuclear weapons testing and
nonconsensual medical experimentation to extractive industries and
climate change. He serves on the Global Advisory Council of
Progressive International—a global collective that launched in May
2020 with the mission of mobilizing progressive forces around the
world behind a shared vision of social justice.
