The book that changed me: how Priya Satia's Time’s Monster landed like a bomb in my historian's brain

The university, and its pursuit of knowledge, was part of the colonial project. And historians, writes Satia, were key architects of empire. Dave Hunt/AAP

In this series, writers nominate a book that changed their life – or at least their thinking.

I’ve always wanted to be a historian. From childhood, I was captivated by the idea of spending my days bringing the past to life. At first, I aspired to be a historical consultant on BBC period dramas. Later, I set my sights on becoming a professor.