All That Matters

How do you approach the life of James Martin, a man who has given $150 million to Oxford University in what is the largest donation by a single donor for any British universities. Who has written 103 best-selling textbooks mainly in the computer sciences, who for decades has advised business and political leaders first on information technology and now on the broader challenges for humanity. The $150 million he donated to Oxford University (and $50 million more in matching funds from others) are used to support the Oxford Martin School, whose research aims to tackle these challenges of the 21st century though interdisciplinary collaboration.

In his book, ‘The Change Agent‘, Andrew Crofts, a prolific ghostwriter and author, uses two narrative streams to approach his subject from different angles. The first section of each chapter describes Crofts’ visit to Martin’s own island in the Bahamas. The second part provides biographic sketches of Martin’s life.

Chapter by chapter, both narrative streams merge into a unified description of how Martin became such a successful entrepreneur and influential thinker. We gradually understand Martin’s concerns for the challenges that await humanity, and the steps he considers necessary to the survival of our society.

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