Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto

Tricia Hersey, known as the Nap Bishop, explores rest, daydreaming, and naps as tools for healing and justice. She examines how capitalism and productivity culture have conditioned many to work at unsustainable, damaging paces that mirror systems of exploitation and enslavement. Hersey argues that rest functions as an act of resistance and a reclamation of power, asserting fundamental human worth beyond what we produce. The book is rooted in spiritual energy and centered in Black liberation, womanism, somatics, and Afrofuturism. Through storytelling and practical guidance informed by Hersey's background in theology, activism, and performance art, the work serves as a call to action and field guide for those seeking liberation from what she calls Grind Culture. It addresses how to imagine and build a future where rest is valued and where systems of exploitation no longer claim our bodies and minds.