A review by arielamandah
Recollections of My Non-Existence by Rebecca Solnit

4.0

Recollections of My Non-Existence was a masterful memoir, threading many of the themes from her many other books throughout its pages. I find so much of what Solnit writes here deeply relatable. Her stories of being a young woman, on her own, living in the world, battling back fear. Of the physical threat’s immediacy fading, only to be replaced by disrespect and disregard. Of the beauty and the frustration of “nonexistence.” Yes, yes, yes. She poses so many buried questions, deeply-felt aggravations, and brushed-off sleights making them feel stingingly new. As she says about the tale-tellers of certain crimes and traumas: they will keep telling their story again and again until they feel heard... hearing Solnit describe these anxieties and fears and angers makes ME feel seen and heard - even though I’m not the one telling the story.