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A review by allusory
Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit
3.0
If I had read this when it was originally published in 2004, I might find it more impactful than I do in 2018. Many of the examples in the book haven't aged well, though that is less of an issue than that important conversations about hope and social movements have moved out of the realms of middle class white women in the last 14 years. At a time when our country is struggling still to recognize the voices, work, and sometimes the basic humanity, of so many marginalized people, it's difficult to read a work calling for hope and change from someone who fails to give them a voice.
While much of this book mentions movements led by groups outside the US, by indigenous peoples, and by other non-white people in the US, it rarely gives them names. There are definitely exceptions, but overall it left me feeling like important voices were being left out of a work purportedly giving them praise. This was especially jarring because Solnit often hyper focuses on minutia and facts. That fixation was often at the expense of both readability and relatability.
While much of this book mentions movements led by groups outside the US, by indigenous peoples, and by other non-white people in the US, it rarely gives them names. There are definitely exceptions, but overall it left me feeling like important voices were being left out of a work purportedly giving them praise. This was especially jarring because Solnit often hyper focuses on minutia and facts. That fixation was often at the expense of both readability and relatability.