Chasing Hope
Nicholas Kristof has spent decades as a foreign correspondent and opinion columnist, traveling to some of the hardest places on earth to write about genocide, poverty, and injustice. In this memoir he recounts that work, from covering Tiananmen Square to documenting atrocities in Darfur, and explains how he holds onto hope after seeing so much suffering. He also writes about his rural Oregon roots and the friends he grew up with, many of whom did not make it, which shaped his sense of who gets left behind. The book is part reporter's life story and part argument for why paying attention still matters.
What you might want to know about Chasing Hope
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
The longtime New York Times columnist looks back on a career spent reporting from war zones, famines, and the front lines of human rights.
Nicholas Kristof is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and longtime New York Times columnist known for his reporting on human rights, poverty, and global health.
Yes. Bill Gates included Chasing Hope on his 2025 summer reading list and has said Kristof's reporting helped shape his own focus on global health.
Chasing Hope was written by Nicholas D. Kristof, published in 2024 by Knopf.
Chasing Hope is 480 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Chasing Hope takes most readers 7 to 10 hours to finish.
Chasing Hope is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.