The encyclopedia of trouble and spaciousness

334 pages

English language

Published Nov. 8, 2014

ISBN:: 978-1-59534-198-3
OCLC Number:: 868038144

"The incomparable Rebecca Solnit, author of more than a dozen acclaimed books of nonfiction, brings the same dazzling writing to the twenty-nine essays in The Encyclopedia of Trouble and Spaciousness. As the title suggests, the territory of Solnit's concerns is vast, and in her signature alchemical style she combines commentary on history, justice, war and peace, and explorations of place, art, and community, all while writing with the lyricism of a poet to achieve incandescence and wisdom. Gathered here are celebrated iconic essays along with little-known pieces that create a powerful survey of the world we live in. In its encyclopedic reach and its generous compassion, Solnit's collection charts a way through the thickets of our complex social and political worlds. Like the women who've pioneered before her-Sontag, Didion, and Dillard-her essays are a beacon. "--

""In twenty-nine essays Solnit combines commentary on history, justice, war and peace, and …

"The incomparable Rebecca Solnit, author of more than a dozen acclaimed books of nonfiction, brings the same dazzling writing to the twenty-nine essays in The Encyclopedia of Trouble and Spaciousness. As the title suggests, the territory of Solnit's concerns is vast, and in her signature alchemical style she combines commentary on history, justice, war and peace, and explorations of place, art, and community, all while writing with the lyricism of a poet to achieve incandescence and wisdom. Gathered here are celebrated iconic essays along with little-known pieces that create a powerful survey of the world we live in. In its encyclopedic reach and its generous compassion, Solnit's collection charts a way through the thickets of our complex social and political worlds. Like the women who've pioneered before her-Sontag, Didion, and Dillard-her essays are a beacon. "--

""In twenty-nine essays Solnit combines commentary on history, justice, war and peace, and explorations of place, art, and community to create a powerful survey of the world. In its encyclopedic reach and its generous compassion, this collection charts a way through the thickets of our complex social and political structures"--Provided by publisher"--

3 editions

Bradley Bravard reviewed The encyclopedia of trouble and spaciousness by Rebecca Solnit

Brilliant Writing if Overly Optimistic

4 stars

I have enormous respect for Rebecca Solnit - her writing is powerful and she makes brilliant connections and patterns between historic and contemporary events. Many of the essays in this book were written in approximately the 2008 - 2013 timeframe, and that gets to my only issue with the collection: the author was a little overly optimistic about how certain events or movements were going to affect the mainstream. I appreciate Ms. Solnit's refusal to give in to total despair, and realistically who could have predicted how far off a cliff humanity (and especially the U.S.) would jump. As a result, in hindsight, a few of the essays end up feeling overly optimistic. This is still some great writing, however, and highly recommended.

Subjects

Communities
Social history
Justice
Peace
War
History