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A review by areadingstan
Hope In The Dark by Rebecca Solnit
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.