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  • A Paradise Built in Hell

  • The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster
  • Written by: Rebecca Solnit
  • Narrated by: Emily Beresford
  • Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (20 ratings)

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A Paradise Built in Hell cover art

A Paradise Built in Hell

Written by: Rebecca Solnit
Narrated by: Emily Beresford
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Publisher's Summary

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.

©2009 Rebecca Solnit (P)2014 Audible Inc.

What the critics say

"The freshest, deepest, most optimistic account of human nature I've come across in years." (Bill McKibben)

What listeners say about A Paradise Built in Hell

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Terrible Narrator, Irritating Voices

Narrator more concerned with showing her acting chops than delivering content, annoying and distracting

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1 person found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Horrible narration

I couldn’t even finish this book, despite a high degree of interest in the topic, because the narration was so bad.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

cool concept but failed to deliver

it's a cool concept for a book but it drones on and on and has way too much religious content which makes me not want to read it.... too bad because it was recommended by Cory Doctorow who is an amazing science fiction author who had previously written about similar ideas that this book has talked about.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
  • Tom
  • 2020-03-15

awful

the accents attempted are just plain garbage. I fast forwarded to a later part where she attempts a Brooklyn accent. it's laughable how bad it is.

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2 people found this helpful