a book
A Paradise Built in Hell
Rebecca Solnit · 2009 · 368 pages
A New York Times Notable Book
Chosen as a Best Book of the Year by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New Yorker, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune
“A landmark book that gives impassioned challenge to the social meaning of disasters” —The New York Times Book Review
“Solnit argues that disasters are opportunities as well as oppressions, each one a summons to rediscover the powerful engagement and joy of genuine altruism, civic life, grassroots community, and meaningful work.” —San Francisco Chronicle
A stirring investigation into what happens in the aftermath of disaster, from the author of Orwell's Roses
The most startling thing about disasters, according to award-winning author Rebecca Solnit, is not merely that so many people rise to the occasion, but that they do so with joy. That joy reveals an ordinarily unmet yearning for community, purposefulness, and meaningful work that disaster often provides. A Paradise Built in Hell is an investigation of the moments of altruism, resourcefulness, and generosity that arise amid disaster's grief and disruption and considers their implications for everyday life. It points to a new vision of what society could become-one that is less authoritarian and fearful, more collaborative and local.
Chosen as a Best Book of the Year by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New Yorker, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, and Chicago Tribune
“A landmark book that gives impassioned challenge to the social meaning of disasters” —The New York Times Book Review
“Solnit argues that disasters are opportunities as well as oppressions, each one a summons to rediscover the powerful engagement and joy of genuine altruism, civic life, grassroots community, and meaningful work.” —San Francisco Chronicle
A stirring investigation into what happens in the aftermath of disaster, from the author of Orwell's Roses
The most startling thing about disasters, according to award-winning author Rebecca Solnit, is not merely that so many people rise to the occasion, but that they do so with joy. That joy reveals an ordinarily unmet yearning for community, purposefulness, and meaningful work that disaster often provides. A Paradise Built in Hell is an investigation of the moments of altruism, resourcefulness, and generosity that arise amid disaster's grief and disruption and considers their implications for everyday life. It points to a new vision of what society could become-one that is less authoritarian and fearful, more collaborative and local.
recommended by 3 people
sourced from public statements
Cory Doctorow
“The perfect book for this moment is Rebecca Solnit's "A Paradise Built in Hell," a meticulously researched history of disasters that uses primary sources to prove that in times of crisis, people help one another - rather than looting and pillaging. 1/”↗
Brianne Kimmel
“I've recommended this book 5 times today, which means it's time for a tweet If you're on the fence about starting something, especially a community for like-minded people There are practical examples following Katrina, Chernobyl & the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco”↗
