Solidarity

The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea

By: Leah Hunt-Hendrix, Astra Taylor

Narrated by: Veronica Giguere

Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK • From renowned organizers and activists Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor, comes the first in-depth examination of Solidarity—not just as a rallying cry, but as potent political movement with potential to effect lasting change.

“A window into what is possible when we reject the politics of division, trade individualism for interconnectedness and prioritize coming together for the greater good.”—Heather McGhee, author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone

Solidarity is often invoked, but it is rarely analyzed and poorly understood. Here, two leading activists and thinkers survey the past, present, and future of the concept across borders of nation, identity, and class to ask: how can we build solidarity in an era of staggering inequality, polarization, violence, and ecological catastrophe? Offering a lively and lucid history of the idea—from Ancient Rome through the first European and American socialists and labor organizers, to twenty-first century social movements like Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter—Hunt-Hendrix and Taylor trace the philosophical debates and political struggles that have shaped the modern world.

Looking forward, they argue that a clear understanding of how solidarity is built and sustained, and an awareness of how it has been suppressed, is essential to warding off the many crises of our present: right-wing backlash, irreversible climate damage, widespread alienation, loneliness, and despair. Hunt-Hendrix and Taylor insist that solidarity is both a principle and a practice, one that must be cultivated and institutionalized, so that care for the common good becomes the central aim of politics and social life.

©2024 Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

One of Foreign Policy’s Most Anticipated Books of The Year

One of The Millions’ Most Anticipated Books of Winter 2024

“Solidarity is the single most important idea right now—the only route toward shared joy and justice; the largest threat to concentrated power and profit. And Solidarity is the single most important book today: brilliant, fun, radical, practical, and dangerous—oh so dangerous—to the status quo. Read it, live it, pass it on.”—Ian Haney Lopez, author of Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class

“A principle, a discussion, and a book we are in dire need of: Solidarity is a timely corrective in an era that will require all of us to get back to basics and a helpful guide to confronting the politics of division that stand between us and a just world.”—Olúfémi O. Táíwò, author of Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else)

“Solidarity is a rich and deep examination of the way everyday people can come together to save ourselves. Through academic research and real-world experience, the authors have built a lesson plan and a call to action for anyone who wishes to build a future where we all thrive.” —Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA

We all owe a debt to one another as human beings.

This book puts together such a fragmented idea on the Political Left into a nice package. It will inform activists for years to come and the lessons, people, philosophies, and examples used are incredible. Give it a read or a listen and start organizing for a better world!

A hopeful but serious discussion 0

The authors laid out a hopeful vision of the work required and the risks we must take along with what the world could look like. it's worth the read