The Impossible Will Take A Little While: Perseverance And Hope In Troubled Times (2014) - Plot & Excerpts
A beautiful book! It will hold a prominent place on my shelf, so I will remember to pull it down and read a chapter or two for inspiration whenever I need it.The book is a collection of 49 essays and poems, curated by Loeb into 9 subthemes. The pervading message (as you might guess from the subtext of the title) is the continued relevance of, and necessity for, hope. Sounds cheesy, no? Like a bunch of mush?What makes it not so is that each of the contributing writers are people who have every reason to have lost hope. These are not folks who are holed up in their study, writing platitudes from the cosy comfort of their armchairs. They might be facing bodily terrors like death and torture, the ongoing oppression of decades of war, the slow poison of nuclear-induced cancer in generations upon generations of their family, or even just the crushing obscurity of feeling small and hapless in a world spinning out of control. In spite of ever-mounting opposition, the authors hold on to compassion, humor, and the nugget of a belief that there could be something better for us all.Every day, we see the wrongs that must be righted, and our hearts ache for others' pain. But most of us step gingerly aside and think, "It can't be helped" and "I can't do anything." But the writers here have dared to shoulder the burden. They've chosen to every day, with every breath, take a fighting step (however small) toward that better future. That's what I admire. I admire the immense willpower and persistence it takes to do countless small, unglamorous things, just to make possible an uncertainty. They're just human like me. They are faulty and flawed, like me. They are just one small voice in a throng of a few billion, but they've chosen action rather than resignation, and as a result, have touched all of our lives. ...read this book! This is a book of essays written on various topics related to social justice, activism and a little bit of philosophical motivation behind that. I did not read the whole thing in its entirety, but really enjoyed the selection of essays I did read. I think it does succeed in responding to feelings of apathy people might have about aspiring to change the world for the better, when it seems like such an uphill battle.
What do You think about The Impossible Will Take A Little While: Perseverance And Hope In Troubled Times (2014)?
This is a peace activists anthology. I find solace in it repeatedly.
—Hanin
like Chicken Soup for the Soul - but with teeth and claws.
—akshita
an important anthology and antidote to apathy
—bpeng
