Rebecca Solnit’s A Paradise Built in Hell is a book about disaster that will make you hopeful. Studying five calamities across a century, Solnit uncovers an untold narrative—that people are generally great in a crisis, keen to help one another. Out of these moments, society can be reborn. Such a faith seems particularly relevant in a time of COVID-19 isolation. Recently, she and I corresponded via email to discuss these ideas.
Reading , I was struck
