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Explore →The Beginning Comes After the End by Rebecca Solnit review – a manual for coping with change
<p>In the midst of violent upheaval, the author and activist reminds us of the power and promise of transformation</p><p>In 2004, Rebecca Solnit released Hope in the Dark, a series of extended essays in response to the war in Iraq. Drawing on the resilience she saw after Hurricane Katrina, she offered a vision of solidarity and tenacity. The book experienced a sharp surge in popularity after the 2016 election of Donald Trump, selling&nbsp;out in short order. Returning to&nbsp;Hope in the Dark<em> </em>10 years later, I&nbsp;remembered why it was so lauded<em>. </em>It&nbsp;is a slim, steady book full of sensible reminders about the limits of the intellect and the dangers of becoming poisoned by pessimism. “Hope is not a&nbsp;door, but a sense that there might be a door at some point, some way out of the problems of the present moment even before that way is found or followed,” Solnit wrote. Humility requires us to acknowledge that no matter how damningly certain the future may seem, it remains fundamentally unknowable. That’s where hope begins.</p><p>Her timely new book picks up this thread: “You do not have to picture the destination to reach it or at least draw closer to it, you just need to choose a direction and keep on walking,” she tells us. Solnit has written more than a dozen books since 2004, but in format, design, and theme, The Beginning Comes After the End feels like the direct successor to Hope in the Dark: a novella-length essay broken into short but wide-ranging chapters that cite history, philosophy and contemporary writing, paying special note to moments of reparation and progress.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/apr/09/the-beginning-comes-after-the-end-by-rebecca-solnit-review-a-manual-for-coping-with-change">Continue reading...</a>
<p>In the midst of violent upheaval, the author and activist reminds us of the power and promise of transformation</p><p>In 2004, Rebecca Solnit released Hope in the Dark, a series of extended essays in response to the war in Iraq. Drawing on the resilience she saw after Hurricane Katrina, she offered a vision of solidarity and tenacity. The book experienced a sharp surge in popularity after the 2016 election of Donald Trump, selling&nbsp;out in short order. Returning to&nbsp;Hope in the Dark<em> </em>10 years later, I&nbsp;remembered why it was so lauded<em>. </em>It&nbsp;is a slim, steady book full of sensible reminders about the limits of the intellect and the dangers of becoming poisoned by pessimism. “Hope is not a&nbsp;door, but a sense that there might be a door at some point, some way out of the problems of the present moment even before that way is found or followed,” Solnit wrote. Humility requires us to acknowledge that no matter how damningly certain the future may seem, it remains fundamentally unknowable. That’s where hope begins.</p><p>Her timely new book picks up this thread: “You do not have to picture the destination to reach it or at least draw closer to it, you just need to choose a direction and keep on walking,” she tells us. Solnit has written more than a dozen books since 2004, but in format, design, and theme, The Beginning Comes After the End feels like the direct successor to Hope in the Dark: a novella-length essay broken into short but wide-ranging chapters that cite history, philosophy and contemporary writing, paying special note to moments of reparation and progress.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/apr/09/the-beginning-comes-after-the-end-by-rebecca-solnit-review-a-manual-for-coping-with-change">Continue reading...</a>