Booksellers across the country share their favorite books about hope
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In a politically divided time, perhaps we can find common ground in a good book. Ask a Bookseller has been reaching out to independent booksellers across the country, and they’ve recommended books of hope and connection to others and to the planet.
Their choices ranged from romance to science fiction, slice-of-life essays to memoir. In some books, hope runs like a steady drumbeat throughout; in others, it’s the arc of the plot and the protagonists’ connection with others that came to booksellers’ minds.
Memoirs, essays and other works of nonfiction
“Notes from the Porch: Tiny True Stories to Make You Feel Better About the World” by Thomas Christopher Greene
What: Written during the pandemic lockdown, these very short slice-of-life essays live up to their title.
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Why it’s hopeful: It does make you feel good about the world. It reminds you that we do have these connections and that our communities, our neighbors, our friends and family, are kind of the foundation of what makes us human. It is really those connections that we love that help us through the hard times.
— Elizabeth Bluemle of The Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne, Vt.
“The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World” by Robin Wall Kimmerer
What: From the author of the bestselling book “Braiding Sweetgrass,” a series of essays that consider our connections with the natural world and with each other.
Why it’s hopeful: She describes a world where reciprocity is valued, a world where, individually and collectively, we recognize that we humans are interconnected with all of nature around us, and as we walk through the world, she urges us to really take note that what we do impacts everything else.
— Beth Hartung of Pearl Street Books in La Crosse, Wis.
“Dictionary of the Undoing” by John Freeman
What: An alphabetical collection of essays on words and the life we live with words.
Why it’s hopeful: This is a book of hope because it is recreating the architecture of hope in the words we use, how we conceive of ourselves, how our best can be expressed in words, and how we have to recover so much of what it is to be human and a great place to do this is with language. He is concerned with civility, which is a kind of love in action, and a communal recognition of our human togetherness.”
— John Evans of Camino Books: For the Road Ahead in Del Mar, Calif.
“We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People” by Nemonte Nenquimo
What: A memoir of an Indigenous climate activist living in the Amazon region of Ecuador.
Why it’s hopeful: It’s sort of centered around this victory against big oil in the rainforest. So I would say very much about moving forward and unquestionably about hope for the future of our natural world.
— Laynee Wessel of Bliss Books & Bindery in Stillwater, Okla.
“Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human” by Cole Arthur Riley
What: A collection of reflections, poems (original and quoted), Bible verses and meditations gathered into themed chapters that include Love, Hope and Wonder.
Why it’s hopeful: I feel like there's so much space for interpretation, self-reflection, connection and poetry [in this collection], and all those things are very hopeful to me.
— China Reevers of Country Bookshelf in Bozeman, Mont.
Fiction
“The Practice, The Horizon and the Chain” by Sofia Samatar
What: A short science fiction novel that packs a transformational punch.
Why it’s hopeful: In this little, tiny science fiction tone, Sophia Samatar did what thousands of race scholars have been unable to do — which is talk about the way racial group consciousness affects the people in that group, really accurately, really beautifully and in a way that makes you feel like the way that the world is needn't be the way that the world is, because every day we have this opportunity to connect to one another, and in that connection, be transformed.
— Danielle King of Left Bank Books in St Louis, Mo.
“Under the Whispering Door” by TJ Klune
What: A cozy, second-chance-at-love-and-life novel with memorable characters. TJ Klune’s bestselling fantasy novel “House in the Cerulean Sea” and its sequel “Somewhere Beyond the Sea” also fit this list.
Why it’s hopeful: His writing is just so charming. Such lovely stories. He is one of the best queer science fiction fantasy writers I’ve ever read.
— Beth Rusk of Magers & Quinn Booksellers, Minneapolis
“Blob: A Love Story” by Maggie Su
What: A novel about a woman who discovers a sentient blog and attempts to mold it into the perfect partner.
Why it’s hopeful: Admittedly, “Blob” is maybe not what one would initially think when they talk about a hopeful book. Sometimes it was stressful as I saw her kind of mess up her life in many ways, but I can very confidently say that I think it has a happy ending.
It’s hopeful in the sense that even when you feel like you hit rock bottom, living as a young adult and struggling to communicate with those around us, struggling to find a place of belonging, you can still do it. Even if for two years it seems like it's impossible, life is long and there's always a chance that slowly, one action at a time, you figure it out. So to me, this book was a book full of hope.
— Theresa Phung of Yu & Me Books in Manhattan, N.Y.
‘Dream Count’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
What: a beautifully written novel about flawed characters and female friendship.
Why it’s hopeful: “’Hopeful,’ for me, is not always wrapped up in a pretty little bow. Hopeful, for me, is seeing depth in relationship and knowing that you have people to count on in your life.”
— Lori Virelli of Harvey’s Tales in Geneva, Ill.