RADICAL
HOPE ED. BY CAROLINA DE ROBERTIS
2017 • Virago Press • 272 pages
On 8th
November 2016, Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United
States. Since then many Americans have been overcome with fear, worrying about
what will become of American society during Trump’s administration. Carolina de
Robertis was no exception to this fear and in response to the newly elected
President and his policies she put out a call for action. Radical Hope is
the outcome to this call. De Robertis reached out to fellow writers and
activists asking for letters, predominantly letters of love, addressed to the
citizens of today and those of past and future generations in order to help
spread hope during times of uncertainty.
This is
powerful stuff. In the aftermath of Trump’s election, the fear felt by so many
across America was so strong it shook the U.K. and other countries throughout
the world. In this collection many different writers come together to share
their letters to loved ones, strangers, and children of the future. Each of
them is unique but they all share one thing in common: the hope for a better
future. Some of the contributors to this work include Celeste Ng, Meredith
Russo, Chip Livingston, Lisa See – some more well-known than others but as
writers they use their words to create a sense of solidarity, regardless of race
or religion or sexual orientation.
The
letters in this book provide a voice to numerous different stories from all
walks of life. The writers themselves come from countless countries including
Syria, Egypt, India, Mexico, Guatemala, Russia, as well as various places
throughout Europe and each of them identifies the United States as their home.
Each letter focuses on a different life and a new story waiting to be told.
They are intelligently written; each one branded with the author’s own unique
style. The definitive message that stands out from this collection is about
hope and how words help to spread that hope, but it is also about not being
silent and vocalises stories about courage and strength in order to fight
hatred and anger. In the current political climate Radical Hope is the perfect
commentary on how affairs of government affect the lives of ordinary people.
This is a
tricky one to review in some respects because despite the book’s overarching
themes and collective message, some of the letters spoke to me more than
others. Like any short story or essay collection, some are going to stand out
more depending on the reader and that very much applies here. But the purpose
behind all of these letters is a powerful one and the fact that they are all
written by a different contributor adds to the message of the book. It speaks
to so many on numerous levels that whoever picks it up will surely find a
letter within its pages that they identify with.
This is a
stunningly powerful book that I believe most readers will benefit from and I am
very pleased to have had the opportunity to read it.
Overall
rating: 4 stars
My copy of Radical Hope was
sent to me by The Bookbag and
my review originally appeared on their website.
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