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meecespieces's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Racism
hale7's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.0
Important information, but it could have been an essay. Black Americans in the United States who are the descendants of people who were enslaved have been given significantly less ability to rest than white Americans. The descendants of people who were treated as property are likely going to have complex relationships with owning property (i.e., a business), to say nothing of the difficulty under capitalism for Black people to acquire a business. That means they are disproportionately impacted by the work requirements that prohibit/restrict rest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Racism, Colonisation, Kidnapping, Slavery, and Misogyny
Moderate: Ableism, Classism, and Police brutality
mads_jpg's review
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
2.5
I really liked the message of the book and definitely took away some good tactics from it (I've already limited my screen time and social media usage) but the writing itself just didn't land with me. Which is surprising given that it came at the perfect time in my life, as I've been overworked for weeks staying up past midnight ever night. I even fell asleep reading this on the tram at one point.
I found it incredibly repetitive (if I have to see the word "bamboozled" or "portal" one more time) and it frequently referenced other books to the point where I felt like I was reading them instead (Octavia Butler especially). The writing read more like a mantra or wishy-washy meditation, and that might work for some people but I just didn't connect with it. Even though the book has distinct chapters I felt like I was just rereading the last one each time. I think this would've worked better if it was either edited heavily or written as more of a memoir. That being said, I still think people should read it or at least look into the Nap Ministry.
I found it incredibly repetitive (if I have to see the word "bamboozled" or "portal" one more time) and it frequently referenced other books to the point where I felt like I was reading them instead (Octavia Butler especially). The writing read more like a mantra or wishy-washy meditation, and that might work for some people but I just didn't connect with it. Even though the book has distinct chapters I felt like I was just rereading the last one each time. I think this would've worked better if it was either edited heavily or written as more of a memoir. That being said, I still think people should read it or at least look into the Nap Ministry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Grief, Classism, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Death, Racial slurs, Violence, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
butlerebecca's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Death of parent, and Slavery
softgalaxy's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This is one of the best books I’ve ever read in my life. Absolutely life-changing. “Rest is resistance” is a simple phrase that I’ll carry with me for all my days.
This book has confirmed what I’ve felt all my life - that life and people are going too fast. What has changed for me is that I shouldn’t feel ashamed at resting. As a disabled person, rest is how I manage my illnesses, but even medical professionals have told me that I need to “keep going and push forward”.
The answer to my queries is in fact: capitalism is the problem. Always has been.
To refuse capitalism and to rest is what our bodies need to do. We need to dream.
This book has confirmed what I’ve felt all my life - that life and people are going too fast. What has changed for me is that I shouldn’t feel ashamed at resting. As a disabled person, rest is how I manage my illnesses, but even medical professionals have told me that I need to “keep going and push forward”.
The answer to my queries is in fact: capitalism is the problem. Always has been.
To refuse capitalism and to rest is what our bodies need to do. We need to dream.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Classism, and Racism
Minor: Slavery and Death of parent
mirandyli's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
Great reminder to be anti-capitalist and rest. Repetitive at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
peachani's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
3.75
I was halfway through this book before I realized it was not and would not be a typical self help book with suggestions in every section—so I started over. It is indeed a manifesto. To that end, it is repetitive so the point gets across. Unfortunately, that meant I skimmed through the last pages. It's probably best to read 3-4 pages at a time and reflect.
Rest as resistance is revolutionary. It is counterculture. You will meet with resistance should you choose to embrace this philosophy (and you – we – should). The author successfully lays down the foundation and it's up to us to implement it.
Sticking points for me were religion and social media. I was exposed to Christianity through an extremely white, colonialist lens. Reading this made me wonder aloud what my relationship with God would be like had I experienced Christianity through the lens of Black liberation. As for social media, the author believes it is mostly negative. I don't necessarily disagree, but I strongly believe that it can also be a force for good, for truth-telling, for community. After all, I heard about The Nap Ministry on X, formerly known as Twitter. However, it is possible those opportunities dwindle as social media platforms become ever more entwined with capitalism. The "need" for dollars strongly interferes with our behavior, turning these opportunities for connection into a desperate chase for virality, which can translate into dollars (e.g., the worst people saying inflammatory things to get money from Twitter Blue).
Overall, I found this a difficult read, despite already being in the process of embracing rest as a method of decolonization and self care. This will challenge you and your beliefs, but it's for the best.
Rest as resistance is revolutionary. It is counterculture. You will meet with resistance should you choose to embrace this philosophy (and you – we – should). The author successfully lays down the foundation and it's up to us to implement it.
Sticking points for me were religion and social media. I was exposed to Christianity through an extremely white, colonialist lens. Reading this made me wonder aloud what my relationship with God would be like had I experienced Christianity through the lens of Black liberation. As for social media, the author believes it is mostly negative. I don't necessarily disagree, but I strongly believe that it can also be a force for good, for truth-telling, for community. After all, I heard about The Nap Ministry on X, formerly known as Twitter. However, it is possible those opportunities dwindle as social media platforms become ever more entwined with capitalism. The "need" for dollars strongly interferes with our behavior, turning these opportunities for connection into a desperate chase for virality, which can translate into dollars (e.g., the worst people saying inflammatory things to get money from Twitter Blue).
Overall, I found this a difficult read, despite already being in the process of embracing rest as a method of decolonization and self care. This will challenge you and your beliefs, but it's for the best.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy, Slavery, Death of parent, and Racism
Minor: Medical content and Racial slurs
savvylit's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
"You were not just born to center your entire existence on work and labor. You were born to heal, to grow, to be of service to yourself and community, to practice, to experiment, to create, to have space, to dream, and to connect."
Rest is Resistance is an enlightening manifesto that reveals the myriad ways in which modern capitalist society keeps us all from resting. And why, as a result, we all absolutely must carve space for rest in our lives. Throughout each section of this work, Hersey demonstrates to readers each of the healing benefits of rest. Rest, she says, allows us to dream and connect with ourselves and each other in ways we can just barely imagine. As I read, I felt empowered and delighted by the possibilities that Hersey lays out.
The reason that I'm ultimately rating Rest is Resistance at three and a half stars comes down to my personal preference. Again, I loved this book's primary call to (in)action! I firmly believe that our work is not our worth and that we should all resist by resting. That being said, I am uncomfortable with a lot of discussion of spirituality through the lens of Christianity. Hersey has a theological graduate degree and it is evident. There's nothing wrong with that - I just don't like it much myself.
Additionally, I found the repetitive nature of some of the topics in this manifesto to be grating. I understand that Rest is Resistance was written to be intentionally repetitive, as Hersey herself writes herself: "Repetition is a powerful concept for deprogramming..." However, instead of feeling like a meditative or prayer-like series of repetitions, some of the repeat info gave me deja vu. Hadn't I read that part already? I also found myself increasingly irritated by the constant use of the phrase "grind culture."
I would definitely still recommend Rest is Resistance - particularly to people who are too invested in their work. I also think that this book would really serve well as a reference. Perhaps if it weren't read all in one go, the repetition would be easier to digest.
Rest is Resistance is an enlightening manifesto that reveals the myriad ways in which modern capitalist society keeps us all from resting. And why, as a result, we all absolutely must carve space for rest in our lives. Throughout each section of this work, Hersey demonstrates to readers each of the healing benefits of rest. Rest, she says, allows us to dream and connect with ourselves and each other in ways we can just barely imagine. As I read, I felt empowered and delighted by the possibilities that Hersey lays out.
The reason that I'm ultimately rating Rest is Resistance at three and a half stars comes down to my personal preference. Again, I loved this book's primary call to (in)action! I firmly believe that our work is not our worth and that we should all resist by resting. That being said, I am uncomfortable with a lot of discussion of spirituality through the lens of Christianity. Hersey has a theological graduate degree and it is evident. There's nothing wrong with that - I just don't like it much myself.
Additionally, I found the repetitive nature of some of the topics in this manifesto to be grating. I understand that Rest is Resistance was written to be intentionally repetitive, as Hersey herself writes herself: "Repetition is a powerful concept for deprogramming..." However, instead of feeling like a meditative or prayer-like series of repetitions, some of the repeat info gave me deja vu. Hadn't I read that part already? I also found myself increasingly irritated by the constant use of the phrase "grind culture."
I would definitely still recommend Rest is Resistance - particularly to people who are too invested in their work. I also think that this book would really serve well as a reference. Perhaps if it weren't read all in one go, the repetition would be easier to digest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
jayisreading's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
I think Hersey could have written an essay for the point she wanted to make and come out of it with a stronger case than writing a book/manifesto. At its core, the concept of rest being a form of resistance is a great one. I really enjoyed how Hersey broke down the importance of rest in the introduction, especially to show that this is more than a matter of physical health.
After the introduction, though, Hersey started to lose me, and I felt that she was just repeating her points. I also feel that there are words that she used such as capitalism that required a little more contextualizing. She threw a lot of these words around to the point that they started to lose meaning. In addition, I felt that Hersey made some claims that weren't supported by evidence.
The book also ended up being far more spiritual than I expected. I didn't particularly enjoy the spiritual aspects, though this is absolutely a matter of personal taste. It didn't negatively impact the overall points Hersey was making.
Again, I think this manifesto could have been an essay and would have been far more compelling to read. I felt that the book started dragging a lot because it was so repetitive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Colonisation and Violence
ashleybeereads's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery, Racism, and Misogyny