Book SummaryRest Is Resistance, by Tricia Hersey

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Rest Is Resistance

In Rest Is Resistance, Tricia Hersey reframes the act of resting as a powerful tool for healing and social justice. Half call to action and half how-to guide, this book promotes rest as a way to reclaim your life from “grind culture”—an exploitative and dehumanizing culture that values productivity over people’s well-being.

Hersey, who calls herself the “Nap Bishop,” is the founder of The Nap Ministry, an organization that advocates rest as a form of resistance and healing, particularly for Black people and other marginalized communities. Her concept of “rest as resistance” stems from her experiences with exhaustion and burnout, as well as her research into the historical context of...

Rest Is Resistance Summary Grind Culture Is Deadly and Insidious

Hersey begins by saying that grind culture is taking a severe toll on people both physically and spiritually. She argues that modern society’s relentless focus on productivity—in addition to leaving people perpetually exhausted and unwell—has robbed us of essential human experiences like pausing, dreaming, and using our imaginations.

The author adds that grind culture is fundamentally toxic because it treats people like machines: It exploits the population for the economic gains of a few wealthy elites, then tosses people aside when they’re no longer useful. In the process, “the grind” destroys people physically, mentally, and spiritually.

(Shortform note: Experts believe that grind culture started to become popular in the 1990s and early 2000s. This happened because some Silicon Valley tech startups—companies that started from almost nothing and became enormously profitable—credited their success to company...

Rest Is Resistance Summary Rest Fights Back Against Toxic Systems

Hersey frames resting as a radical act of resistance against grind culture. This is because rest isn’t just self-care, it’s also a challenge to the dehumanizing beliefs and practices of a society that values productivity above all else.

In this section we’ll discuss how resting helps you to heal from the damage that grind culture inflicts on your body and your spirit. We’ll also explore how rest makes it possible to imagine and fight for a better future.

Resting Enables Healing

Hersey says that, through rest, people can begin to heal from the harm inflicted by grind culture. While resting, your body and mind engage in crucial processes that support your overall well-being. Rest is vital for physical health because it promotes healing, supports the immune system, and restores the body’s strength.

(Shortform note: Rest doesn’t just allow you to heal from overwork, it’s a chance for your body to become even stronger than before. This is the same principle by which athletes build their strength, speed, and endurance: They don’t see those benefits during a workout, but rather when their...

Rest Is Resistance Summary How to Rest

Hersey says that even attempting to rest has become a battle, largely because our culture lacks authentic models for how to rest. Rest is a slow, deliberate process that must address your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

In contrast, many popular and trendy “resting” practices are still rooted in harmful capitalist ideology. These practices offer quick fixes with the aim of rejuvenating workers just enough to get them back to work. For instance, it’s fairly common for large companies to offer employee “retreats,” where their workers can spend a day or a weekend enjoying themselves at the employer’s expense. However, not only does this misconstrue rest as something short-term that’s only done on special occasions, it’s also not done out of genuine concern for the employees’ well-being. Instead, such retreats are just another tactic to boost productivity.

(Shortform note: While it’s true that many companies encourage rest out of concern for their bottom line, rather than genuine concern for their workers’ well-being, this is one instance where [personal needs and corporate interests can align with each...

Shortform Exercise: Think About How Grind Culture Affects You

Now that you’ve familiarized yourself with Hersey’s ideas about grind culture and rest as a form of resistance, take a few minutes to consider how grind culture is impacting you. Also think about whether you’d benefit from making rest more of a priority in your life and how you might do that.

Which of the effects of grind culture that Hersey describes are you personally suffering from, if any? For instance: Perhaps you’re always tired, you feel guilty or anxious whenever you take time to rest, or you have low self-esteem because you feel like you aren’t accomplishing enough.