A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster

Rebecca Solnit

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.

status	Copy #1 (6475): in
genre	Utopian Studies » Community
publisher	Penguin Books
publish date	Aug 31, 2010
popularity	checked out 4 time(s)