You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Rebecca Solnit's writing is exquisite, she is pithy and fierce. Recollections is her memoir in the new style, where rather than a chronological narrative, the author presents a series of essays about key moments in their lives. Solnit uses this to great effect here as chapters cover the gentrification of San Francisco, the impact of AIDS on the communities there especially gay men, the art scene and who says what is and isn't art, ecology and her own environmentalism. The book also starts and ends powerfully, with her thoughts on sexual violence, it was something she noticed from the way women were not safe in the streets to where the book ends where sexual harassment and assault within industries are getting called out. She makes the important observation as she started outlining in "Men explain things to me" that who gets to participate in the narrative gets to control the story and how the emergence of women's voices has changed which, what and how stories get reported.
The thing I enjoy most about her writing is the highlighting of the importance of hope as an act of power, 'that the long view especially if you were non male, or non straight and non white showed some remarkable improvements in our rights and wrongs'.
One small note about the audio book, she has quite a particular lilt to her voice which I found took me a little time to adjust too, before being so absorbed by her words, you might wanna check out a sample first because I wouldn't want you to miss out on her wisdom. I am definitely going to read more of her work.
The thing I enjoy most about her writing is the highlighting of the importance of hope as an act of power, 'that the long view especially if you were non male, or non straight and non white showed some remarkable improvements in our rights and wrongs'.
One small note about the audio book, she has quite a particular lilt to her voice which I found took me a little time to adjust too, before being so absorbed by her words, you might wanna check out a sample first because I wouldn't want you to miss out on her wisdom. I am definitely going to read more of her work.
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Thought provoking and insightful. I picked this book up because I loved a couple of Solnit's other books. I enjoyed learning more about her background and discovered someone who mirrors the world back to me, giving a voice to thoughts and feelings I have been putting aside for a long time. One of my favorite listens of 2023 so far, especially since her narration is as soft and gentle as her writing.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
Solnit is essential reading for any human identifying as "feminist". She writes with raw honesty that angers and moves.
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Every now and then, you come across a writer who speaks to something in you—an instinctual, clarifying realisation that the writer has something to teach you, if you’ll have the patience to listen to the message and learn it by heart. Rebecca Solnit is such a writer for me. What the message is, I’m still learning, but reading her memoir has unlocked a little more of it for me.
Recollections of My Non-Existence isn’t a conventional memoir, it’s more of an essayistic exploration of how she found her voice as the writer she is today. She muses on the forces around her that shaped her—her experiences facing gendered violence and oppression, the different communities she has been involved in and drawn to, and her love of books and writing.
Solnit has a really engaging writing style: she’s funny, insightful, lyrical and impactful. She effortlessly weaves together narratives exploring the personal, the philosophical, the political and the historic, and she is so good at invoking a sense of time and place you really come away feeling like you’ve experienced a small slice of it.
I think the best non-fiction is that which leaves you with the world making a little more sense in a new way—a small piece of the puzzle that is the human experience clicks into place, and this book was definitely achieved that for me.
Though this is only my third book of hers in my reading journey through her ouevre, it has definitely cemented Solnit as a guiding light in my own journey to find my way as a person and as an aspiring writer.
Recollections of My Non-Existence isn’t a conventional memoir, it’s more of an essayistic exploration of how she found her voice as the writer she is today. She muses on the forces around her that shaped her—her experiences facing gendered violence and oppression, the different communities she has been involved in and drawn to, and her love of books and writing.
Solnit has a really engaging writing style: she’s funny, insightful, lyrical and impactful. She effortlessly weaves together narratives exploring the personal, the philosophical, the political and the historic, and she is so good at invoking a sense of time and place you really come away feeling like you’ve experienced a small slice of it.
I think the best non-fiction is that which leaves you with the world making a little more sense in a new way—a small piece of the puzzle that is the human experience clicks into place, and this book was definitely achieved that for me.
Though this is only my third book of hers in my reading journey through her ouevre, it has definitely cemented Solnit as a guiding light in my own journey to find my way as a person and as an aspiring writer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
Minor: Physical abuse, Stalking, Death of parent
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced