In 2014, author Rebecca Solnit’s book of essays, “Men Explain Things to Me,” became a clarion call for feminists everywhere by giving voice to the everyday insults, big and small, that women endure regularly.

The book, in retrospect, was also painfully prescient as the #MeToo movement gained traction after sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein became public.

Now, in her latest book, “Call Them by Their True Names,” Ms. Solnit speaks directly to the anxiety of progressives across the country by exploring the ways in which millions of Americans are disenfranchised by the political systems to which we are currently subject.

From the outset, it’s clear that the book is a reaction to the rise of Trumpism and its effect on conservative Republican ideologies. This reaction is anything but knee jerk, however; one of Ms. Solnit’s goals is to examine aspects of those ideologies and draw attention to logical inconsistencies.

In her 2016 essay “The Ideology of Isolation,” Ms. Solnit takes aim at the concept of individual freedom and responsibility, using climate change as a primary example of the self-evident interconnectedness of the actions we take. Even though our actions occur on an individual level, their cumulative effects have a global impact — as evidenced by rising temperatures, increasing pollution levels and intensifying weather events. Ms. Solnit points out that this reality contradicts the idea that a person operates in a vacuum: “… the very idea of climate change is offensive to isolationists because it tells us more powerfully and urgently than anything ever has that everything is connected, that nothing exists in isolation.”

The author doesn’t just focus on the ideas of the Republican Party, though; she also examines the events that have led to our current political moment. Specifically, she decries the stranglehold the GOP maintains on American government despite the evidence that Democrats are receiving more votes in multitudes of elections nationwide. Voter suppression looms large — as Ms. Solnit notes, “[s]tripping citizens of their voting rights has steadily pushed us to the right, and we ended up someplace we should have never been” — as does the willful marginalization of minorities via gentrification, police brutality, the increasing criminalization of homelessness, and the denial of justice to people of color.

While Ms. Solnit’s subjects certainly don’t make light reading, she avoids pessimism by pointing out bright spots in the American political landscape. For example, the 2016 essay “Eight Million Ways to Belong,” written as a letter to then-candidate Donald Trump, is more a love letter to the multitude of viewpoints and lifestyles embodied by the melting pot of Mr. Trump’s hometown New York City.

It is the author’s constant reminders of the benefits of activism and political action, however, that give her work a sense of optimism and prevents it from becoming overwhelming to readers. Ms. Solnit emphasizes the long-term effects of the human rights movements and the domino effect those movements may have, even when they’re unsuccessful in meeting their short-term goals. She returns to this idea frequently, reiterating the necessity of hope, especially when things seem bleak — as they have seemed for many progressives over the past two years before the 2018 midterm elections turned things around.

Ultimately, “Call Them by Their True Names” is meant to appeal to those same discouraged progressives. While that laser focus could invite the criticism that Ms. Solnit is preaching to the choir, she explores that concept directly in a 2017 essay. As she points out, “The phrase … implies that political work should be primarily evangelical, even missionary.” In essence, requiring aggressive political discussions deprives us all of the ability to discover nuances in our thinking, or to create communities with shared ideas, while ignoring the benefits of exploring ideas with those we already agree with.

In the electrifying final essay of the book, “In Praise of Indirect Consequences,” Ms. Solnit writes that “The only power adequate to stop tyranny and destruction is civil society, which is the great majority of us when we remember our power and come together.” This call to readers — to stand up, to take action, to refuse the dual temptations of passivity and nihilism — is the most powerful idea in a book full of them. Names and ideas are important, and using one’s voice to speak those names and ideas is the most important work to be done.

Wendeline O. Wright is a member of the National Book Critics Circle (wendywright@gmail.com).

First Published: January 19, 2019, 5:00 p.m.