Penn Yan Public Library invites you to join critical explorations of critical books, a few chapters at a time. This year’s pick is A PARADISE BUILD IN HELL: THE EXTRAORDINARY COMMUNITIES THAT ARISE IN DISASTER by Rebecca Solnit.

“The most startling thing about disasters, according to award-winning author Rebecca Solnit, is not merely that so many people rise to the occasion, but that they do so with joy. That joy reveals an ordinarily unmet yearning for community, purposefulness, and meaningful work that disaster often provides. A PARADISE BUILT IN HELL is an investigation of the moments of altruism, resourcefulness, and generosity that arise amid disaster’s grief and disruption and considers their implications for everyday life. It points to a new vision of what society could become – one that is less authoritarian and fearful, more collaborative and local” (publisher).

We will read this book in small parts starting April 6, meeting on the first and third Mondays of each month to discuss what we’ve learned and what the text has raised in us.  For this session, please read the prelude and all of part 1, “A Millennial Good Fellowship: The San Francisco Earthquake.”  Copies of the book are currently available for purchase at Long’s Cards & Books, as well as by request through the Southern Tier Library System.  To register for this virtual series, please visit https://tinyurl.com/4d8dtsnz.