The Encyclopedia of Trouble and Spaciousness

Keen eye for description in places I will never get to go personally. Quite a journey through our world's traumatic natural and man-made events, but always keeping it human. Thank you.

It's Rebecca Solnit. That's all you have to tell me, and I'm in. She's my new passion -- I can't get over how brilliant this writer is. I love the way her mind works, and the way she creates the movement of that mind on the page. It's so clear that it's luminous. She allows the reader to see how ideas emerge, develop, deepen, connect to other ideas, grow, change, and disappear. I am utterly fascinated with everything she writes. The only problem I can see with her is that I'm a writer trying to work in a similar vein, and she has already done the "new personal essay" genre so brilliantly that no one will ever do better. I can only hope to do different, and to learn from her. If you love ideas, and the English language, read all of her books.

A truly poetic and perceptive essayist, Solnit will forever be a favorite of mine. She weaves not only words, but worlds. I learned so much about place and people, economics and politics, environmentalism and capitalism. I don't think I'll ever look at America the same way. Solnit's book jumps around the continents, and she holds nothing back--no topic is off limits, no opinion tempered. I love her honesty, her mix of realism, criticism, and optimism. While she doesn't offer outright solutions to the problems in this world, she nudges the reader in the direction of progress, both in ideology and action. If you read anything this year, make it this.

Unfortunately, I purchased this book because I liked one chapter reviewed on a blog, but I should have been more skeptical. While insightful on many points, Solnit politicizes her issues to such an extent that it blinds her to facts, for example, the whole Scott Walker situation. She makes it seem like Wisconsinites HATE him... but they re-elected him. Her leftism is just too glaring... I didn't finish it. Too irritating.

The first ever I read of her. I am impressed.Love the insights and the use of language. Shall definitely read many more of her books

Well written.

A mixed bag: incisive and insightful on some subjects, glaringly superficial on others. But overall still worth the time and effort to read.

Well written, hooked me on her writings.

So much important information

Langweilig!!!!!! Ich kann nichts verstehen........Meines Gottes. Warum die Leherin fordert uns, es zu kaufen? Ich liebe es gar nicht !

However well written the dreadful cover and the earnest tone is just so off-putting. Just describe what you see and don't be so grandiose. Apologising to a nation - how pathetic is that. I have been to Mexico and nobody cares what Rebecca thinks.