Written by Liz Foreman, Brand Coordinator, Downtown Main Library
On an August afternoon, 15 members of the Pleasant Ridge Branch’s monthly book club held a lively discussion about Chasing Hope, Nicholas Kristof’s memoir about his life and reporting career.
Kristof is speaking about his book at the Library’s 2025 Mary S. Stern Lecture on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m., at the Aronoff Center. Tickets are priced $5-$15 and are on sale now.
Several book club members, including regular attendee Jean K., said they plan to attend the lecture.
“I’d like to hear more about what Nicholas Kristoff’s doing now. I found the book fascinating and I would just like to know a little more,” Jean said.
Lynn R., of Pleasant Ridge, added, “I would really like to hear him speak because I found the book very interesting. It held me through all 450-some-odd pages of it. It was very insightful. He’s done amazing things!”
Hear What Other Book Club Members Had to Say
- Discuss a Can’t-Put-Down Book: “For me it was a page-turner. I love the title Finding Hope amongst despair.”
- Examine Courage and Empathy: “I thought there was a lot of food for thought. I think he's quite interesting and courageous...he really felt so much for people. It really came out in the book.”
- Learn About Other Cultures: “I learned about things about other countries’ situations. I really enjoyed it.”
- Understand How Newsrooms Operate: “I learned a lot about how newspapers work.”
- Discover Your Journalistic Hero: “I liked his interviewing style.”
- Examine History from a Journalist’s Perspective: “I find it a compelling story, learning about parts of the world. There was so much history I wasn't aware of.”
- Discuss Wonderful Writing: “I learned a lot about his work overseas. I didn't know he ran for office. That was really interesting about the politics on both sides. I'm not sure I agree with him taking his children where he did, but I thought the writing was wonderful and kept me going the entire time. I didn't skip one word, one sentence. I read the whole thing.”
- Unearth a Journalist’s Point of View: “He said journalism is the first stage of history. I felt like when I was reading the book, there's a lot of stuff he wanted to get down and make a record of, whether we wanted to read it or not. He wanted to record everything at Tiananmen Square. That brought me into his point of view.”
- Chat About a True Autobiography: “This is a true autobiography. He’s saying, ‘This is my life,’ and he’s using the process of writing the book for his own self too: ‘What has my life been?’”
- Dissect Kristof’s View of News Coverage: “He said nobody writes stories on the airplane that landed safely. That doesn't mean that you can't write a story that's positive about solutions that are out there.”
- Examine Kristof’s Purpose: “He's trying to provide evidence for historians of the future.”
Share Your Thoughts: Find a Chasing Hope Book Discussion
Attend a Library book club about Chasing Hope prior to September’s lecture.
Send Your Question for Nicholas Kristoff
In a few weeks, you will be invited to submit questions for Nicholas Kristof. A selection of the questions will be asked during the Q&A portion of the lecture. Stay tuned to CHPL.org for details!
The 2025 Mary S. Stern Lecture with two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author Nicholas Kristof will be held Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5-$15.
Add a comment to: Find Out What People Are Saying Ahead of Nicholas Kristof’s Visit to Cincinnati