Rest Is Resistance

This book completely shifted my perspective on rest and its importance in my life. I am a recovering hustle-and-grind girl. I learned that great ideas and true creativity flourish when we are well-rested and when we give ourselves the space to make new connections.

Hersey’s book showed me that rest is not just about sleep—it’s a form of resistance against capitalism and white supremacy. I loved how she emphasized rest as a foundation for healing and justice, reminding us that we are enough just as we are. This book made me rethink my relationship with productivity and why it’s essential… show more.

As a Black woman in the pursuit of success and in the throes of grind culture, this book has transformed the way I work and treat my body.

It inspired me to rest more so I can be well, more productive, and proud of being Black without having to show for it. 

This book completely arrested me.

I remember first listening to a podcast, We Can Do Hard Things, where the author was being interviewed. The way Hersey talked about our need for rest was radical and revolutionary.

As a mom of three, I actively have to work at not being depleted. I take her lessons to heart every time I open my email or respond to a text. I will not be ruled by the tyranny of grind culture.

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!