Published 6/11/25
by Sarah Schulman
From award-winning writer Sarah Schulman, a longtime activist and critic of the Israeli war on Gaza, comes a brilliant examination of the misunderstood concept of solidarity which seeks to provide a new vision of what it means, and why it matters.
In this nuanced analysis, Schulman challenges the traditional notion of solidarity as a simple union of equals, arguing that in today’s world of globalized power structures, true solidarity requires the collaboration of bystanders and conflicted perpetrators with the excluded and oppressed. Schulman examines a range of case studies, from the fight for abortion rights in post-Franco Spain, to NYC’s AIDS activism in the 1990s, to the current wave of protest movements against Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people, and her own experience growing up as a queer female artist in male dominated culture industries. Reckoning with the successes and failures of these movements, she argues that action always comes at a cost, despite not always being effective. But without solidarity we are stuck with the status quo, and we lose any hope of progressive change.
By turns challenging, inspiring, pragmatic, and poetic, The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity provides a much-needed path for how we can work together towards justice now and for the future.
‘This book will save lives. How many is up to us.’
– Alexander Chee
‘Sarah Schulman, already a great novelist and playwright, is lately a crucial historian of legacies and principles of solidarity. This is an essential book of its moment, and one you must read. It serves as a thrilling call both to reflection and action.’
– Jonathan Lethem
“We are fortunate to have a mind like Schulman’s to help us wrestle with the many difficult dimensions of real-world solidarity. This text is challenging and invites challenges in return; I suspect few of us will emerge unchanged.”
– Naomi Klein
‘There are many lessons here for our murderous present on how to act and act again (and again) in the face of fascism.’
– Christina Sharpe
‘This book implores us to take solidarity seriously as a defining feature of the human condition. Schulman bravely traces the past, present, and future of empathy and action. She models vulnerability, ethical principles, and the call for dignity for LGBTQ folks, Palestinians, and other marginalized communities, both locally and globally. This is a must read for every activist and humanist. But be prepared to be challenged with the nuance and depth of Schulman's bold insights.’
– Sa'ed Atshan
‘Sarah Schulman’s genius is that of a true humanist – a writer who doesn't back down from dissent. She is wise and witty and her writing is a gift to us all.’
– Hilton Als
‘Sarah Schulman is one of the most astute and insightful social and political critics of this or any era. She thoroughly unpacks the vital concept of solidarity in the face of inequality – unequal relations, resources, access, knowledge, and power. A brilliant new book by a brilliant novelist, playwright, critic, and activist, ultimately transforming our understanding of solidarity as idea and practice. ’
– John Keene
SARAH SCHULMAN is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter, nonfiction writer, and AIDS historian. Her books include The Gentrification of the Mind and Conflict Is Not Abuse. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, New York, Harper's Magazine, The Atlantic, The Nation, The New Republic, The New York Times, and The Guardian.