An important and original work. Aronson recognizes that there cannot be engaged political action without a reasonable hope that significant change is possible. And he worries that social, political, economic, and institutional changes, both at the national and international levels, have tended to undermine traditional Western values and beliefs about the possibilities of progress in human affairs. Taking stock of ... Read morethat loss of hope and questioning what has led to it, he ultimately provides a path toward a renewal of hope in human progressive social change.
David Sprintzen, founder of the Long Island Progressive Coalition The author draws on an impressive range of sources, from Yevgeny Zamyatin, author of his book's namesake, to Jean-Paul Sartre and, most persuasively, the writer and activist Rebecca Solnit. Aronson builds his case for an understanding of hope built on solidarity and mass action, citing the grassroots movements of Bernie Sanders, Jeremy Corbyn, Podemos and Occupy as exemplars.
New Internationalist We: Reviving Social Hope is not only a testament to Aronson's optimism, then, but an analysis of the re-emergence of what he sees as a collective, rather than an individualistic form, of political action.
spiked review By pointing out again and again that hope and social progress reside in collective action, Aronson calls on us to leave our lonely planets of hyper-individualism behind to join others in common struggles for a better world. Because only when we become active in concert with others, a sense of we and hope can materialize.
Tikkun A useful book to discuss, to meditate on, We is well-timed and helps us think more clearly about the next stage of the global transformation. And don't forget what Studs Terkel said: 'Hope dies last'.
John May The Generalist We is a tonic. At a time in our history when many are despairing about the turn in our nation's political life, Aronson has produced a sober yet exhilarating cri de Coeur about why we need not be. Anyone concerned about how 'we' might mount resistance to the forces of reaction should read We and take heart.
Steve Fraser, author of The Age of Acquiescence: The Life and Death of American Resistance to Organized Wealth and Power Timely, stimulating, and creative, We offers a fresh and very timely perspective on what Aronson correctly identifies as the general loss today of 'the hope of a better society and a better world.' In broad but firm strokes, drawing on leading thinkers from Smith to Condorcet to Marx to Sartre, it convincingly traces the historical formation of collective hope, which can today take shape as the capacity for meaningful action.
Leo V. Panitch, York University Show Less