Rest Is Resistance

I devoured this book in one night–yes, one night–because I couldn’t put it down. The idea that we are worthy even when we’re not productive and don’t need to “earn” rest? Mind blown!

I’ve never actively thought about how my worth has been defined by society based on my outward accolades and achievements, but when I read this book, I was 100% changed. I learned how systems of oppression make rest so much harder, even impossible, for marginalized communities, and only when we rest do we have the ability to fully show up as our true selves and for our… show more.

Rest? I don’t have time for that! Or so I thought, before I started reading books like Rest Is Resistance. Resting isn’t a luxury only necessary to those who can afford it, it is essential for reclaiming our humanity.

When “grind culture,” with its long and deep history of overvaluing work productivity, took its inevitable toll on me, I had to learn to stand up against the systems of power that try to keep us working and productive at all times. Hersey is a leading voice on the importance of rest, and this book inspires me – to do nothing!