We Will Rest!

A beautifully illustrated “modern sacred object” of a book—inspired by vintage hymnals, prayer books, and abolitionist pamphlets—helping readers escape from grind culture and dehumanizing systems, by the New York Times bestselling author of Rest Is Resistance

Give the gift of rest and escape with this exquisitely designed volume of inspiring writings by Tricia Hersey, powerfully illustrated by award-winning designer George McCalman and featuring a silk ribbon marker.

We don’t believe we are worthy of rest unless we burn ourselves out to accomplish it. Our thinking has been limited by disconnection, sleep deprivation, and the unattainable call for perfection. The systems will never give us rest. It is something we must create for ourselves and each other.

Just as the North Star guided the enslaved on their journeys to freedom, visionary artist and founder of The Nap Ministry Tricia Hersey leads us to imagine a new world: one in which we subvert the narrative of productivity at all costs and embrace rest as a healing spiritual practice.

We Will Rest! is a modern sacred object, medicine for a sick and exhausted world. Weaving together meditations and poetry with storytelling and art, Hersey provokes liberation through refusal and trickster rebellion in the face of capitalism and white supremacy.

There is another way. Focus on the escape. Focus on the transformation. We can just be. We are beautiful. We are enough. We are escape artists. We Will Rest!

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Have you ever noticed
when you ask for rest
the body becomes a holy trumpet
the walls come tumbling down?

• “Hersey beautifully delineates through the use of vintage hymns, prayer books, and abolitionist pamphlets, that rest is a birthright and a necessity and an [antidote] for a tired world.”

  Essence, “Top 20 Book Picks for Fall 2024”

• “Featuring impactful illustrations throughout and with strong spiritual messages, We Will Rest is a moving text that will make a meaningful gift for everyone....” ​

  Booklist

• “Warm, wise, and humane.”

  Kirkus

• “This beautifully illustrated meditation offers…a healthy perspective on the transformative power of relaxation.” 

  Shelf Awareness