A review by niknakpattywhack
Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit

4.0

This is a very hard book for me to review because the writing is good, it seems well researched, and poignant points are made! BUT I'm just not sure I can get on board with the thesis of the book. The idea that there are wins in this modern world don't make me think that those wins aren't overshadowed by significant and heartbreaking losses. Often where terrible regimes and leaders are overthrown the same monster with a different face pops up. Maybe it's the 2020 (and 2021 so far) that is getting to me, but I'm not sure there is hope in the dark. I think there is hope in the small and that's about all we can count on at the moment. Anyway, this book definitely made me think critically about what it means to hope for a better world and how important the concept of hope is, I'm not sure I'm there at the moment. Very curious to see if Solnit will do a 2020 update to the book as there are 2009 and 2014 updates. It's a whole new world and I'd love to see Solnit's thoughts on hope in the current era.