Publishers Weekly
03/18/2024
In this impassioned memoir, New York Times journalist Kristof (coauthor with his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, of Tightrope) looks back on a career spent exposing injustice. Kristof recaps his experiences covering 40 years of conflicts, social movements, and civil rights abuses, including reporting on communist Poland’s 1981 crackdown on Solidarity protests; the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, for which he and his wife won a Pulitzer Prize; the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq; the plights of child sex slaves in Cambodia; and the genocide committed by the Sudanese government in Darfur, for which he won another Pulitzer. Along the way, Kristof referees Times office politics and drolly considers the paper’s editorial whims (“If an editor’s dog is diagnosed with cancer, then prepare for a series about the scandalous cost of veterinary care”). The tone can slip into self-regard: Kristof preens over a college term paper that a professor called “extraordinarily well-written,” and is sure to mention that cider from his Oregon apple orchard has won gold medals. Still, Kristof’s powerful reportage makes for a gripping look at both the craft of journalism and the humanitarian disasters he’s witnessed. Photos. Agent: Anne Sibbald, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. (May)
From the Publisher
"Malaria, warlords, death threats, bombs, riots, plane crashes, scorpions, flak jackets, mobs, machetes, and deadlines—that's the price of truth-seeking and Kristof takes it on with conviction, courage, and humility. This is the kind of memoir that changes the world. Read it."—Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry
"Delightful and inspiring, Chasing Hope is an illuminating and, at times, hilarious read, about an American farm boy who grew into a brave international correspondent and discovered truths that made a vast difference in the world. May this book be read by every budding journalist, and even experienced ones, and indeed by anyone who hopes for the future of humanity."—Ann Curry, journalist
"In these dark, swirly times, Nick’s reporting and this page-turner offer us a sharp light of a hope that will not be shuttered. Doors are not exactly kicked open, but bullets are dodged, bad luck too. It's a thriller, a chronicle and a set of keys to our most undervalued resource - hope. Nick’s not just chasing hope, he is it… a most reasoned, polite, persistent, insistent finger in the eye of injustice."—Bono, author of Surrender
"In Chasing Hope, Nick Kristof tells the stories behind the headlines: the hidden injustices he exposed, the risks he took, and the history he watched unfold. This courageous memoir is uplifting and will inspire anyone interested in building a better world. I hope you read it!"—Sheryl Sandberg, founder, LeanIn.org
“Kristof’s powerful reportage makes for a gripping look at both the craft of journalism and the humanitarian disasters he’s witnessed.”—Publisher’s Weekly
“A gripping memoir by a world-class reporter. Nick Kristof takes us behind the scenes as he risks his life to shine a light on the world’s most pressing problems and blaze a trail to a better future. In a time when trust in journalism is in jeopardy, his honesty, humility, and humanity are rays of hope.”—Adam Grant, author of Hidden Potential
"Chasing Hope is exactly what I needed to read right now: an outstanding memoir about journalism, hope, integrity, and courage. In a world where journalism and the truth it seeks to reveal is under constant attack, it is more important than ever to impress upon people why the fourth estate matters and how reporting the facts, if done with honesty and objectivity, can shine a light in the darkest of places. Nick Kristof shows us what a life in pursuit of the truth looks like, the sacrifices individual reporters make to report on people and places in dire and dangerous circumstances. His life, and his career, have been dedicated to the presumption that words and truth matter. It is a lesson that is sorely in need of repeating in our modern, chaotic, divided world." —Kristin Hannah, author of The Women
“Nick Kristof is a journalistic exemplar, practicing the art of storytelling in its purest form. He has a penchant for covering the stories too many shy away from—rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty with the hope that it will motivate us to act. His North Star has never wavered. This book should be required reading for anyone interested in journalism, or for those who need to be reminded that, in the right hands, it can be a truly noble profession."—Katie Couric
"Packed with action, adventure, high stakes and close shaves, this outstanding memoir shows us how great reporting works - and, crucially, why more than ever it's vitally important."—Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series
APRIL 2024 - AudioFile
Journalist Nicholas Kristof delivers his monumental memoir--by turns harrowing (think gunfire, rats, Darfur) and inspiring (he mentors young journalists, starts a nonprofit, and champions rural America). A practiced public speaker, Kristof sounds thoughtful as he covers his long and distinguished career. He's worked four decades as a reporter, foreign correspondent, bureau chief, and, indelibly, an opinion writer for THE NEW YORK TIMES. He's traveled to danger zones ranging from the Congo to Ukraine, reported from Tiananmen Square in China, witnessed and chronicled the Arab Spring, and is among the few to cover the struggles of rural Americans. He comes from Yamhill, Oregon, and has revamped his family's farm with wine grapes and cider apples. A compelling and satisfying audiobook. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2024-01-04
One of the most consequential journalists of our time recounts his life and storied career, showing how "journalism is an act of hope."
Among many other honors, longtime New York Times journalist Kristof has won two Pulitzer Prizes: for International Reporting in 1990, with his wife and colleague Sheryl WuDunn, in recognition of their coverage of the Tiananmen Square massacre; and for Commentary in 2006, for bringing global attention to the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. He served as New York Times bureau chief in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo; as a senior editor at the Times in charge of the Sunday edition; and as a permanent opinion columnist. In this engaging memoir, Kristof offers numerous tales of encounters with danger in war zones and narrow escapes from death, including a plane crash in the African wilderness. Throughout his career, the author has never lost his belief in "purpose-driven journalism that exposes injustice." As part of his mission to get readers to care about human suffering and tragedy, he chronicles his return to his hometown of Yamhill, Oregon, to examine the shocking rates of alcoholism, drug addiction, suicide, and other "deaths of despair" in contemporary working-class America. He describes how he inherited his passion for human rights from his father, who escaped from despotic Romania. Kristof’s fabulous career, from Harvard and a Rhodes scholarship at Oxford to the Times, has clearly been guided by a firm moral compass, a belief that truth, information, and ideas can be forces for justice and change in the world. If his 2021 campaign for governor of Oregon came to a premature end, no matter. Kristof has made his mark through his fearless reporting, and this memoir is a worthy record of his life's work.
A vividly recalled account of a life that has had true global impact.
