A Book Review: A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit

I've been thinking about the future and specifically about what the world might be like if some of the current scenarios go down as they have been projected. One that keeps popping up is the Zombie Apocalypse. The idea that society has only a thin veneer of good covering over our evil. As a Christian I believe that we have an evil heart, but Jesus has given us a direction around that. I used to teach Lord of the Flies and subscribed to the idea of a society over time becoming less helpful to individuals as others in the society gain power. I've never really thought this would happen, but many do. I was reading one day and this book was recommended. It's being used in a college class and sounded interesting even with the title. The subtitle really caught my eye, The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster.

The book tells the stories of five disasters/catastrophes within recent history: the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the 1917 Halifax munitions explosion, the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. Along the way other disasters are mentioned and discussed.

The first part of the book celebrates the good things that ordinary people do in a disaster, but the last part of the book focuses on the problems created by government, mostly the Bush Administration. The book was published just after President Bush left office, so many of the current government issues addressed were under his watch. Overall, leaders from many different parties and beliefs did bad in the name of "helping" their citizens.

Solnit does a good job of explaining her premise that individuals on their own will help each other in a disaster. She defines our preconceived disaster paradigms, and gives sources for how we come to those ideas. She also uses past scholarship to show us how people have acted under the stress of these crises.

The book is worth the read, and I would have difficulty giving a  thoroughly good summary. I came away having a belief in the good of people and was reinforced in my suspicion in government. Solnit gives examples of people doing good and I needed that at this time.