Hope in the Dark

Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities

By: Rebecca Solnit

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

With Hope in the Dark, Rebecca Solnit makes a radical case for hope as a commitment to act in a world whose future remains uncertain and unknowable. Drawing on her decades of activism and a wide knowledge of environmental, cultural, and political history, Solnit argues that radicals have a long, neglected history of transformative victories, that the positive consequences of our acts are not always immediately seen, directly knowable, or even measurable, and that pessimism and despair rest on an unwarranted confidence about what is going to happen next. Originally published in 2004, now with a new foreword and afterword, Solnit's influential book shines a light into the darkness of our time in an unforgettable new edition.

©2016 Rebecca Solnit (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"An inspired observer and passionate historian, Solnit, whose River of Shadows (2003) won a National Book Critics Circle Award, is one of the most creative, penetrating, and eloquent cultural critics writing today." ( Booklist)

Truly awful narrator

The book is informative and engaging. I have purchased it in print to finish. The narration is absolutely terrible- like turning on an automated text reader on your computer. Really really bad.

Helpful

In a time that often feels hopeless to me, Rebecca’s work helped me see other options.

"Perfection is a stick used to beat the possible."

This a thoughtful and inspiring read I plan to share with others. The author observes that, "Critical thinking without hope is cynicism. Hope without critical thinking is naivity."  Every conflict is in part a struggle over the story being told. Too often the story being told is one of despair even when examples of success and possibilities exist all around us and throughout history. She wrote this book to share many inspiring examples of change and progress since, "Memory produces hope, (while) amnesia produces despair." She also wrote it to encourage action. Afterall, hope can serve as a basis for action, but it can't be a substitute for it. She summed her thoughts up succinctly, "You can't begin without hope but without action it dissipates."

This Helped Me

This books is helpful as long as you have a realistic view of what hope is. Good thoughts and perspective for people who care and are trying not to give up.

Hope in a difficult age

The book focuses on maintaining a hopeful disposition while engaging in activism. The book uses specific examples to help reframe the purpose of activism from impossible end goals to achievable progress through dedication and celebration of the process.