Structure

This book is a collection of essays that Solnit wrote for several publications over a few years. The pieces vary considerably in term of length, topic, and authorial approach, but are all bound together by the feminist cause that Solnit writes for, the pattern of arguments she uses, and her witty and generous voice. Some of the pieces such as “The Mother of All Questions” and “A Short History of Silence,” for example, see Solnit laying out a theory and a comprehensively developed argument, whereas certain shorter pieces like “80 Books No Woman Should Read” and “Giantess” make very pointed, polemical points, that often rely upon the former essays as foundations and further explanations.

For her arguments themselves, Solnit works with a variety of sources, from her own experience to literary and artistic works to current events. She is always working in the interstices and intersections among private...