A review by aashuste
A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster by Rebecca Solnit

3.0

I picked up this book because a friend said it would renew my faith in humanity, and while there are many inspiring and heartening tales within, the tone is a bit too academic and the analysis a bit too exhaustive for my taste. The author’s critique of slow-moving centralized systems of disaster response is warranted, but I am personally concerned that getting rid of such systems would place too much responsibility on individuals. Perhaps this is a false choice. In any case, there were lots of new stories to learn, even about recent domestic disasters like 9/11 and Katrina (especially for a history-phobe like myself).