3 books to make you feel hopeful
Ryan B. Patrick reviews three books with themes of hope, reflection and resilience
It's a brand new year and this time of year is usually full of promise and good intentions. But with global unrest of various kinds — wars, environmental degradation and divisive politics — it can be hard to find hope. What are we supposed to read in times like these?
The Next Chapter columnist and CBC Books senior producer Ryan B. Patrick dropped by to recommend three titles that at least point us towards hope.
Great Expectations by Vinson Cunningham
Loosely based on the author's real life and sharing a title with one of the most storied books in literature, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Vinson Cunningham's debut book draws comparisons between the character of Pip, of that classic text, and this book's protagonist, a young Black American man named David Hammond.
David is a smart, young father who works for an unnamed U.S. senator's presidential campaign who eventually rises to become the United States's first Black president. The novel explores themes of race, religion, faith, morality and identity.
I think this book fundamentally looks at hope as it's ever changing — it's always changing.- Ryan B. Patrick
Patrick noted he appreciated the way the book touched on the political climate of the time.
"Looking back at 2008, it's like how naive could we have been? There was a feeling that having a Black president meant we were living in a post-racial kind of era.
"But I think this book fundamentally looks at hope as it's ever-changing — it's always changing."
Cunningham is an American author and staff writer and critic at the New Yorker. Great Expectations is his debut novel. Cunningham was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 2024 and was awarded the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism for 2021-2022. He worked on Barack Obama's campaign in 2008 and was later an assistant for the White House.
The Capital of Dreams by Heather O'Neill
The Capital of Dreams is a dark fairytale set in a small European country during a period of war. Fourteen-year-old Sofia is the daughter of the revered writer, Clara Bottom. When their country is invaded, Clara bundles Sofia onto the last train evacuating children out of the city. Clara gives her daughter her latest manuscript to smuggle to safety.
When the children's train stops in the middle of the forest, Sofia senses they are in danger. She manages to escape, but loses her mother's beloved manuscript. Soon Sofia finds herself alone in a country at war on an epic journey to find all that she has lost.
Hope survives through art. It's the idea that words are powerful, ideas are powerful and they need to be heard — they can't die.- Ryan B. Patrick
Patrick said that this book focuses on the ways art and words can be used to sustain hope.
"In difficult times, in this book, it goes back to what we were talking about, that art and writing literature survives. Hope survives through art.
"It's the idea that words are powerful, ideas are powerful and they need to be heard — they can't die."
Heather O'Neill is a novelist, short story writer and essayist from Montreal. She won Canada Reads 2024, championing The Future by Catherine Leroux, which was translated from French by Susan Ouriou. O'Neill is the first person to win Canada Reads as both an author and a panellist. Her debut novel Lullabies for Little Criminals won Canada Reads 2007 when it was defended by musician John K. Samson. Her other books include Scotiabank Giller Prize finalists The Girl Who Was Saturday Night and her short story collection Daydreams of Angels.
Unearthing by Kyo Maclear
After Kyo Maclear's father dies, a DNA test shows that she is not biologically related to the father that raised her. In Unearthing, Maclear embarks on a journey to unravel the family mystery and uncover the story of her biological father, raising questions about kinship and what it means to be family.
Over the course of the book, Kyo and her mother are forced to come to a new understanding of what family means.- Ryan B. Patrick
"The memoir is structured in seasons, 24 seasons or segments that explore family and how the foundation of our personal stories are always shifting," said Patrick.
"Over the course of the book, Kyo and her mother are forced to come to a new understanding of what family means, of what family ties means, of what connection means as well."
Maclear is an essayist, novelist and children's author. Her books have been translated into 15 languages, won a Governor General's Literary Award and been nominated for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, among others. Her memoir Birds Art Life was a finalist for the 2017 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction and won the 2018 Trillium Book Award.
This column has been edited for length and clarity. It was produced by Jacqueline Kirk.
