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So there is bibliotherapy of the kind which is supposed to fix your problems and then there is bibliotherapy of the sort that gives you comfort and makes you think hard about things.
Last week Jenny at Reading the End posted about Nonfiction November and I commented that I wanted to read Rebecca Solnit’s Hope in the Dark but it was checked out at the library and there was the start of a holds queue for it. Then, in a wonderful turn of events, Jenny later tweeted me that Haymarket Books had made digital copies of Solnit’s book available for free for a limited time.
Oh Jenny and Haymarket, I love you both!
I downloaded the book and started reading it today and promptly got all teary-eyed on the train as I read because so many feelings. I want to quote things at you but I will just give you this one passage to tease you and encourage you and get you thinking and maybe read the book too:
Hope locates itself in the premises that we don’t know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act. When you recognize uncertainty, you recognize that you may be able to influence outcomes — you alone or you in concert with a few dozen or several million others. Hope is an embrace of the unknown and the unknowable, an alternative to the certainty of both optimists and pessimists. Optimists think it will all be fine without our involvement; pessimists take the opposite position; both excuse themselves from acting.
And as if to prove her point, someone I know who has never been especially interested in climate change was suddenly despairing about global warming and the future of the planet for her young children. She asked me what she could do and we had a fantastic conversation about it. We also talked about hope. Just yesterday I never would have imagined this. It made my little flame of hope burn just a bit brighter.
Hope in the Dark is no longer free, but if you need some bibliotherapy, I highly recommend Solint’s book. You’ll hear more about it when I am finished unless I can’t help myself and throw another quote at you. Or two or three or…
Valorie Grace Hallinan said:
Love Solnit and haven’t read this one of hers. Great post. I do keep telling myself we don’t really know what is going to happen ahead….so it could be good things. Of course, at my age I’ve seen things work out in ways that are so unexpected.
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Stefanie said:
Valorie, Solnit is such a wonderful voice. We really don’t know what lies ahead and there might be good things as you say. Most likely it will be a mix, but we will hope for and work the best outcome we can!
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cirtnecce said:
Wonderful post! I love such absolute moments of sheer serendipity! She touches me with this line “ope is an embrace of the unknown and the unknowable, an alternative to the certainty of both optimists and pessimists”. I am reading Wanderlust after your recommendation and seems like I will pick this one up as well when I am done!
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Stefanie said:
cirtnecce, isn’t that a great line? It got me too especially since last month Marilynne Robinson and Claudia Rankine had talked about optimism/pessimism and Rankine commented that she isn’t an optimist because that implies everything will be fine without any kind of action. So much serendipity lately it’s crazy!
Oh, Wanderlust! I hope you are enjoying it!
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vicky blake said:
I love Solnit but I’ve not read this one. She is so quotable I agree. Must look this one up.
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Stefanie said:
Vicky, Solnit is one of those thoughtful people who always seems to have something interesting to say on so many topics. This is a good one and if you read it, I hope you find it inspiring!
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vicky blake said:
Thank you. I’ve just finished reading a very good piece by her in The Guardian today!
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cath said:
Don’t hesitate to throw another quote at us, or two, or three… it helps confronting the dark.
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Stefanie said:
Cath, I might take you up on that! 🙂
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maggie said:
I just downloaded the book for free! Might be a UK thing? But it was there. Thank you for pointing me to this publisher. Their list is so inspiring. And hope starts with inspiration, right?
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Stefanie said:
Maggie, cool! It is no longer free to the US so I am glad you were lucky to get it for free too! The publisher does have a great list of titles I might have to comb through. Hope does start with inspiration, you are right 🙂
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Ana @ things mean a lot said:
I adore this book. I read it at the start of last year and it honestly changed everything for me. I’m so glad it was made available to more people at this time ❤
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Stefanie said:
Ana, I remember you had read it and how much it meant to you which is actually what made me think of reading it now. So thank you 🙂
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Brian Joseph said:
I really like that quote.
We all could use some hope this week.
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Stefanie said:
Brian Joseph, we sure can use some hope and I am so glad Solnit has this book to help with it!
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ravingreader said:
Gosh, this title sounds so very a propo right now. I rather need some hope after last week’s election, so will see if the library has this. Thanks for bringing up the title as I would never have found it otherwise. All best,
Liz
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Stefanie said:
Liz, it is turning out to be a perfect book, comforting, encouraging, and hopeful. I hope you find it likewise!
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Danielle said:
I always mean to read Rebecca Solnit and this looks like a good one! It seems especially well timed all things considered. I will have to add it to my reading list….
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Stefanie said:
Danielle, Solnit is so good. She is one of the best writers and thinkers working right now in my opinion.
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Laila@BigReadingLife said:
Wonderful quotation you shared, Stefanie. I need all the hopeful things I can get right now! Thanks.
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Stefanie said:
I think we all do Laila!
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whisperinggums said:
Haha, Stefanie, love your (slight) about-face on bibliotherapy. But, really, isn’t it fascinating the different way people can see things. I love that idea re hope that “in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act”. Makes perfect sense to me.
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Stefanie said:
ha! Whisperinggums you caught that did you? I was laughing at myself just a bit as I wrote that. Solnit’s perspective on hope really is an interesting one and I like that. The spaciousness of uncertainty is a beautiful thought and phrase 🙂
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whisperinggums said:
Oh yes, Stefanie, I did. I didn’t come down in the last shower, you know!
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Stefanie said:
Oh you made me laugh! Can’t slip anything by you 😀
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Arti said:
Sounds like an inspiring book. In this precarious age hope definitely is a valuable commodity. Bibliotherapy, think of it as reading self-help books or insights from others. No harm, and just might help with one’s situation. And if it’s a work of fiction which one can enjoy, so much the better. That excitement of finding a good book to read is in itself a healing effect. 😉
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Stefanie said:
Arti, it is definitely inspiring. I like your moderate approach to bibliotherapy 🙂
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Jenny @ Reading the End said:
Very late to this but I love you tooooooo! <3<3<3
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Stefanie said:
Jenny, never too late! 🙂
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