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zoereads88's review against another edition
4.0
Without fail, when I do presentations about the environmental crisis, I am asked the question, "Where do I find hope?" As a Christian, I naturally go to the bible, and theological works to answer this question. But recently I've become more curious about hope as a philosophical/political concept. I turned to Solnit's book to see what she might have to say, and I was not disappointed. While it was originally written in 2004, and focuses mainly on the US context, Solnit's main ideas about hope, despair, and movement building remain relevant. (My only complaint is that the book is a bit repetitive. You could probably pick out a couple main chapters and get her main concepts.)
Here are a few of my favourite quotes from the book:
"Hope locates itself in the premises that we don’t know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act.”
“Hope is the embrace of the unknown and the unknowable, an alternative to the certainty of both optimists and pessimists. Optimists think it will all be fine without our involvement; pessimists take the opposite position; both excuse themselves from acting.”
“I have noticed: wars will break out, the planet will heat up, species will die out, but how many, how hot, and what survives depends on whether we act. The future is dark, with a darkness as much of the womb as the grave.”
“An extraordinary imaginative power to reinvent ourselves is at large in the world, though it is hard to say how it will counteract the dead weight of neoliberalism, fundamentalisms, environmental destructions, and well-marketed mindlessness. But hope is not about what we expect. It is an embrace of the essential unknowability of the world, of the breaks with the present, the surprises. Or perhaps studying the record more carefully leads us to expect miracles–not when and where we expect them, but to expect to be astonished, to expect that we don’t know. And this is grounds to act. I believe in hope as an act of defiance, or rather as the foundation for an ongoing series of acts of defiance, those acts necessary to bring about some of what we hope for while we live by principle, in the meantime. There is no alternative, except surrender. And surrender not only abandons the future, it abandons the soul.”
Here are a few of my favourite quotes from the book:
"Hope locates itself in the premises that we don’t know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act.”
“Hope is the embrace of the unknown and the unknowable, an alternative to the certainty of both optimists and pessimists. Optimists think it will all be fine without our involvement; pessimists take the opposite position; both excuse themselves from acting.”
“I have noticed: wars will break out, the planet will heat up, species will die out, but how many, how hot, and what survives depends on whether we act. The future is dark, with a darkness as much of the womb as the grave.”
“An extraordinary imaginative power to reinvent ourselves is at large in the world, though it is hard to say how it will counteract the dead weight of neoliberalism, fundamentalisms, environmental destructions, and well-marketed mindlessness. But hope is not about what we expect. It is an embrace of the essential unknowability of the world, of the breaks with the present, the surprises. Or perhaps studying the record more carefully leads us to expect miracles–not when and where we expect them, but to expect to be astonished, to expect that we don’t know. And this is grounds to act. I believe in hope as an act of defiance, or rather as the foundation for an ongoing series of acts of defiance, those acts necessary to bring about some of what we hope for while we live by principle, in the meantime. There is no alternative, except surrender. And surrender not only abandons the future, it abandons the soul.”
therealkathryn's review against another edition
4.0
A good reminder that small changes can be catalysts, real change takes time, falling into despair because it's hard to hold on to hope is an ugly trap. Much thought provoking writing, as Solnit's books always are.
areadingstan's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
This was a great book in lots of ways, and one I’d been looking forward to reading for a while. Solnit gives us her doctrine of hope by telling us the story of the historic movements that have changed the world into what we live in today. She talks about the activists who took action and didn’t fall into despair, who believed they could disrupt the pillars of power, and highlights that activism is a long game, never a short burst of action.
I liked learning about the different movements she discussed, and enjoyed many of the beautiful quotes she included from other writers, and there were a few gems from herself too. It definitely helped me recover some of the energy I’ve lost recently when it comes to taking action.
However, my qualms with the book come from the fact I think the work lacks some depth sometimes, with some surface level ideas, and often a lot of ideas repeated throughout which made it harder to get through. Perhaps it is better read slowly over time to prevent this feeling of repetition. The added chapters at the end of the book really brought it all together though, and I liked seeing Solnit’s perspective after time passing.
I’d recommend this to anyone looking to learn a bit more about activism and anyone in need of hope that things can change in our world.
I liked learning about the different movements she discussed, and enjoyed many of the beautiful quotes she included from other writers, and there were a few gems from herself too. It definitely helped me recover some of the energy I’ve lost recently when it comes to taking action.
However, my qualms with the book come from the fact I think the work lacks some depth sometimes, with some surface level ideas, and often a lot of ideas repeated throughout which made it harder to get through. Perhaps it is better read slowly over time to prevent this feeling of repetition. The added chapters at the end of the book really brought it all together though, and I liked seeing Solnit’s perspective after time passing.
I’d recommend this to anyone looking to learn a bit more about activism and anyone in need of hope that things can change in our world.
dimitraspa's review against another edition
hopeful
slow-paced
5.0
Rebeca Solnit's understanding of hope is political, collective, embodied and practiced. Even if I don't always agree with her political positioning on various individual topics, the book and her overall vision are inspiring.
emoric's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
girlglitch's review against another edition
5.0
An inspiring, essential read that has perhaps never been more relevant.
bowierowie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
painalangoisse's review against another edition
5.0
This is a refreshing book, and particularly refreshing at this moment. I always appreciate Solnit's commitment both to nuance and to optimism, and this mix is both appropriate and unexpected in political writing.
stellahadz's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
This was a slow read for me - that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I think this book might be better enjoyed as something to pick up occasionally, read a chapter or two, and reflect upon. Given that it's a collection of essays about a central topic, reading it all at once can make it feel repetitive. That being said, I think the message that Solnit gets across in this book is one that bears repeating. Hope in the Dark isn't a "feel good" book, it's a "here's how we can be and do good" book. Solnit writes intelligently and beautifully about what it feels like to practice hope (she is very clear that hope is only productive when it is lived and not merely felt) in times when it appears futile. She draws on examples of social and environmental movements from across the world to encourage us to see dark times as "dark as in inscrutable, not as in terrible." As someone with a sometimes all-consuming fear of the unknown, this was an important message for me.