Just Finished Reading: Hope in the Dark – The Untold History of People Power by Rebecca Solnit (FP: 2004)

Despite the fact that this book was only 170 pages long I didn’t really intend to finish it in a single day. But without much effort and with a deal of enjoyment I did just that last Sunday. I’d picked up on the author whilst visiting another Blog mostly dedicated to books with a Left-Wing slant. Another of her works had been reviewed but for some reason I picked this one instead (I don’t remember my reasoning at the time. It might have simply been that as this was an experiment in new authorship I picked the cheaper or thinner book).

Anyway, I thought that the sub-title was a bit of a misnomer. This wasn’t the history of people power. If it had been I’m guessing it would have been a much chunkier volume. No, this was some examples of people power over the last 30 odd years and some of those the author had been involved in, interviewed people who were there or had admired. This was not a bad thing. The author, who writes exceedingly well, concentrated on what she knew – often personally – to get across exactly what people power could do when applied with passion, commitment, knowledge and not a little humour. Citing examples mostly in the US (with a few in the UK and the rest of Europe) she shows not only that people power can achieve its objectives but that sometimes only people power can do so. She is also very clear that activists who expect fast, predictable or even easily apparent changes should get used to being disappointed. Sometimes change can take years or decades before it becomes apparent – when something is accepted as normal today was vilified in the past but (as if by magic) imperceptibly changes year on year without any apparent engine of change (those people actively changing the minds of others) it can be disheartening. Likewise protests can seem to have little effect at the time but resonate down the years to produce results, although not always the results intended or hoped for, much later or far away. People can gain hope from others simply trying to achieve something which allows them to engage with their problem in a different or more effective way.

One story of unintended consequences (a theme running throughout the book) which made me laugh was about Viagra. Not only was the original drug developed to address heart problems – not other problems – but its availability has apparently saved several endangered species from becoming extinct as the demand for certain exotic substances (and body parts) in China has dropped dramatically thereby lowering their price sufficiently that poaching for some animals is no longer economically viable! As unintended consequences goes it’s a pretty good one.

The main message the book tries to get across (and I’m making rather a hash of in this garbled review) is that there is always hope no matter how hopeless a situation seems to be. Humans have a great capacity for reasonably deciding that nothing can be done and then going ahead to at least try to fix things. More often than people realise the nothing can be done turns into something can actually be done. The future is dark. Not, the author maintains, in a bleak way but in a hidden, unknown way. Within that darkness is the possibility of change and the possibility of hope no matter the odds stacked against you. The people do have power no matter what ‘they’ tell you. It’s a matter of finding that power within yourself and within others. Hope does indeed spring eternal and hope lives in the dark places, off centre stage, in the corners and in the shadows. Fascinating, well written, full of delightful ideas, interesting people and intriguing metaphors. A must read for anyone itching to get something done, large or small, local, national or global. Highly recommended.  

[2015 Reading Challenge: A book you can finish in a day – COMPLETE (15/50)]