Hope

Solnit spends the majority of Hope in the Dark trying to define and redefine “hope” in order to explain why it is an indispensable aspect of activism in the twenty-first century. She begins the collection from a position of empathy and solidarity, acknowledging the feelings of defeat many activists may be experiencing in the present moment (2004, following the reelection of George W. Bush). “The pain was very real,” Solnit remarks of the surprising election results. “And it was generous-hearted, felt by many people who would not suffer directly but would see that which they loved – truth, their fellow human beings, as the shut-out in the United States or the starving and shot-at in Iraq, the fish in the sea and the trees in the forest – assaulted further” (6-7). By appealing to the emotions that many were likely experiencing at the time the book was first published, Solnit is...