A Paradise Built in Hell : The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster

Author(s): Solnit, Rebecca,
Binding: Paperback,
Date of Publication: 22/05/2025,
Pagination: 368 pages,
Series: N/A,
Imprint: Granta Books,
Published By: GRANTA BOOKS ,
Book Classification: Social & cultural history,
Dimensions: 130 x 198 x 26
ISBN13/EAN/SKU: 9781803511696

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How do we respond to disaster? What expressions of care and solidarity might we find among the debris? A Paradise Built in Hell is a study of five major disasters - the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Halifax explosion of 1917, the Mexico City earthquake of 1985, the 9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina - and the expressions of altruism, generosity and resourcefulness that emerged in the wake of these tragedies. The result is a sweeping history of some of the foundational events in the modern history of North America, and a meditation on community: challenging us to look afresh at society, and what these models of local, collaborative politics might look like carried through into everyday life.