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A review by drillvoice
A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster by Rebecca Solnit
4.0
I've read so many authors who reference this book, so it was finally time to read it myself. I'm a big fan of Solnit's writing, which maintains such a clarity of expression over so many thematic areas. I was looking forward to what this book would offer.
Basically, Solnit argues that — contrary to dominant media narratives — in disaster situations, people generally become their best selves and behave altruistically. People come to the aid of their neighbours but also strangers, living in the moment and meeting their immediate collective needs through shared resources. Not only this, they are often *better* at this than top-down, centralised authorities, which are slow to react and ungainly. This positive reality belies the myth of ordinary people behaving as wolves in a disaster situation, looting etc.
In contrast, Solnit explores the idea of "elite panic", that often the harm wrought in a disaster comes from institutions and elites (eg the military) who assume that everyone is being dangerous, and become a danger in turn. This can range from arbitrary imposition of authority, like preventing people from fighting fires or evacuating, to downright violence and brutality, like shooting people who are requisitioning basic supplies.
Ultimately, Solnit argues that these 'disasters' disrupt the rules and conventions of normality that leave so many of us alienated and disconnected from each other. While not desiring disaster, Solnit points out that they reveal what is possible, and that the experience of disaster for people is often transformative and life-changing in a positive way.
Basically, Solnit argues that — contrary to dominant media narratives — in disaster situations, people generally become their best selves and behave altruistically. People come to the aid of their neighbours but also strangers, living in the moment and meeting their immediate collective needs through shared resources. Not only this, they are often *better* at this than top-down, centralised authorities, which are slow to react and ungainly. This positive reality belies the myth of ordinary people behaving as wolves in a disaster situation, looting etc.
In contrast, Solnit explores the idea of "elite panic", that often the harm wrought in a disaster comes from institutions and elites (eg the military) who assume that everyone is being dangerous, and become a danger in turn. This can range from arbitrary imposition of authority, like preventing people from fighting fires or evacuating, to downright violence and brutality, like shooting people who are requisitioning basic supplies.
Ultimately, Solnit argues that these 'disasters' disrupt the rules and conventions of normality that leave so many of us alienated and disconnected from each other. While not desiring disaster, Solnit points out that they reveal what is possible, and that the experience of disaster for people is often transformative and life-changing in a positive way.