Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto

I am 100% on board with Hersey ‘s thesis: “Rest is a form of resistance because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy.” I agree with her that, “Grind culture has made us all human machines, willing and ready to donate our lives to a capitalist system that thrives by placing profits over people. The Rest Is Resistance movement is a connection and a path back to our true nature.”

I love several quotes throughout the book like this:
“We see care as unnecessary and unimportant. We believe we don't really have to rest. We falsely believe hard work guarantees success in a capitalist system. I have been told this constantly for as long as I can remember. On nights when I worked two jobs, still unable to pay my bills on time or save, I continued to tell myself, “Burn the midnight oil, keep working hard, go to college, find a third job and a side hustle.” (24)

My only complaint is that at just under 200 pages, it was repetitive enough to have been edited down into a really solid essay. But her message is so important. Hershey talks about how capitalism has devalued human life and rather than work ourselves to death we need to prioritize rest, resisting the pressure to be another cog in a machine.