Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast

Solidarity in a Disaster with Rebecca Solnit

Something remarkable is happening. While we must be physically isolated, separated from the world and those we love, people are finding creative ways to reach out and foster community. From sewing masks for strangers to singing with your neighbors to organizing virtual family meals, acts of generosity and grace are breaking through what can feel like an insurmountable darkness. Author Rebecca Solnit spent time studying the aftermath of tragedies like September 11th and Hurricane Katrina for her book, "A Paradise Built in Hell". She found that people often responded to these monumental moments of collective trauma with solidarity, courage, and a drive to make change for the better. RELATED READING:<a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780143118077" target="_blank">A Paradise Built in Hell</a> by Rebecca Solnit<a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593083338" target="_blank">Recollections of My Nonexistence</a> by Rebecca Solnit<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/07/what-coronavirus-can-teach-us-about-hope-rebecca-solnit" target="_blank">'The impossible has already happened': what coronavirus can teach us about hope</a> by Rebecca Solnit (The Guardian, Apr 7 2020)

Every week Chris Hayes asks the big questions that keep him up at night. How do we make sense of this unprecedented moment in world history? Why is this (all) happening?

This podcast starts to answer these questions. Writers, experts, and thinkers who are also trying to get to the bottom of them join Chris to break it all down and help him get a better night’s rest. “Why is this Happening?” is presented by MSNBC and NBCNews Think.