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Critical Hope: How to Grapple with Complexity, Lead with Purpose, and Cultivate Transformative Social Change
Introducing the 7 principles for practicing critical hope–because hope isn’t something you have; it’s something you do.
Each person has a unique, ever-changing relationship to hope.
Hope alone can be transformational–but in moments of despair, or when you’re up against profound injustice, it isn’t enough on its own. Hope without action is, at best, naive. At its worst, it tricks you into giving up the power and agency you have to change systems that cause suffering.
Enter critical hope: a spark of passion, an abiding belief that transformation is not just possible, but vital. This is hope in action: a vibrant, engaged practice and a commitment to honoring transformative potential across a vast spectrum of experience.
Dr. Kari Grain, PhD, offers 7 principles for practicing critical hope:
• Hope is necessary, but hope alone is not enough
• Critical hope is not something you have; it’s something you practice.
• Critical hope is messy, uncomfortable, and full of contradictions.
• Critical hope is intimately entangled with the body and the land
• Critical hope requires bearing witness to social and historical trauma
• Critical hope requires interruptions and invitations
• Anger and grief have a seat at the table
The principles for practicing critical hope are not what you might think: they confront toxic positivity and take up discomfort, social injustices, and an ethos of hospitality toward anger and grief. But held in this same space is a love for connection–and an honoring of what makes you feel alive.
Inspired by her global research, teaching experiences, and education curriculum taught at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Grain shows that to cultivate critical hope–and combat despair–you need to show up with your whole self, in all its messy, passionate, vibrant complexity.
Each person has a unique, ever-changing relationship to hope.
Hope alone can be transformational–but in moments of despair, or when you’re up against profound injustice, it isn’t enough on its own. Hope without action is, at best, naive. At its worst, it tricks you into giving up the power and agency you have to change systems that cause suffering.
Enter critical hope: a spark of passion, an abiding belief that transformation is not just possible, but vital. This is hope in action: a vibrant, engaged practice and a commitment to honoring transformative potential across a vast spectrum of experience.
Dr. Kari Grain, PhD, offers 7 principles for practicing critical hope:
• Hope is necessary, but hope alone is not enough
• Critical hope is not something you have; it’s something you practice.
• Critical hope is messy, uncomfortable, and full of contradictions.
• Critical hope is intimately entangled with the body and the land
• Critical hope requires bearing witness to social and historical trauma
• Critical hope requires interruptions and invitations
• Anger and grief have a seat at the table
The principles for practicing critical hope are not what you might think: they confront toxic positivity and take up discomfort, social injustices, and an ethos of hospitality toward anger and grief. But held in this same space is a love for connection–and an honoring of what makes you feel alive.
Inspired by her global research, teaching experiences, and education curriculum taught at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Grain shows that to cultivate critical hope–and combat despair–you need to show up with your whole self, in all its messy, passionate, vibrant complexity.
- GenresNonfictionPhilosophy
256 pages, Paperback
Published May 3, 2022
29 people are currently reading
1503 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 4, 2024
Exquisitely written, hope with a critical eye, unflinching and soft, honest and inspiring, a map to a future of healing and wholeness.
June 9, 2022
I really liked this book.
In the introduction, the author talks about gap between academic theory and practice and how it was always difficult for her as a PhD student to understand these theories if they weren't based in real world experiences. This book is full of real world experiences that support theoretical understandings of Hope as something requiring action and a critical approach.
After a two rough years of the COVID pandemic (that we are still in!) this book was a much needed reminder that yes, the world is full of suffering but there are ways to keep moving forward with hope without turning a blind eye to that suffering.
In the introduction, the author talks about gap between academic theory and practice and how it was always difficult for her as a PhD student to understand these theories if they weren't based in real world experiences. This book is full of real world experiences that support theoretical understandings of Hope as something requiring action and a critical approach.
After a two rough years of the COVID pandemic (that we are still in!) this book was a much needed reminder that yes, the world is full of suffering but there are ways to keep moving forward with hope without turning a blind eye to that suffering.
September 28, 2022
This book is unlike anything else I’ve read. It’s not just smart and elegant writing, but the way Dr Grain sees the world is a view through a new window for me. The concept of critical hope couldn’t be better explained or given more stunning examples. You will laugh and cry and feel and hope, and when you put it down you will give it some time to digest and go back to sections that need another read. It stays with you—if it stays with enough of us, it has the power to be a vehicle for change. Love this book, and am a huge fan of Dr Grain!
July 9, 2022
My personal rating 3/5 stars. TW: miscarriage, gendered language, white privilege acknowledgement, visceral descriptions of broken bones
I was very excited regarding the premise for this book. It's one that I've been studying through the lens of Martin Buber's book I and Thou and it's one I truly feel passionate about. The premise and the theories all point towards hope without action as being naive or dangerous/paralyzing. I do still think that this is of significant importance to the world, especially right now in our world today.
Unfortunately for me, this book fell a bit short of my expectations. Part of that is that in the Introduction, it started with a visceral description of miscarriage and as I am a Non-Binary person who is terrified of ever getting pregnant, reading that made me feel *very* uncomfortable.
I felt that it rambled a bit sometimes, trying to touch on such a broad spectrum of topics that it seemed to lose itself a bit and not connect back to the bigger thread of hope + action = critical hope. Again, I really wanted to enjoy the book, but I had a lot of notes saying "how does this connect" or "what does this connect to?" And while I don't mind making connections myself, the book purported to tell me how these things created a woven tapestry for critical hope.
There's a lot of gendered language (not inclusive of other genders and identities), which definitely made me rather uncomfortable. And while the author acknowledges her white privilege, it felt a little performative at times (as a white person reading and reviewing it). I also felt a little odd using words from other minority cultures (like "nepantla" for liminal spaces) and utilizing Gloria Anzaldua's philosophy, along with the cultural references. Again, this might have just been me, but it just felt odd to me because it felt like it was a displacement using words and philosophies that are out of their context. I'm not sure what else I would have done to "fix" that though, so that might just be my own feelings.
The other things that kind of bothered me: the absolute visceral description of the author's face fracturing. I know that the author was trying to provide some support to her theory and really interrupt and shake the reader. But I *almost* couldn't finish it due to the descriptions. It made it really difficult for me to understand the point of the section. And I know that the author wanted to put some of her own story in there, but it certainly didn't feel like that was an apt place or time to put it in.
The author also included a discussion of the vagal nerve theory which is an interesting theory and I sincerely appreciated the brief discussion. I wish there had been more discussion of the Neurodiverse and Neurodivergent culture and community (including mental health and mental illness) because as some of the "suggestions" came up on how to build community for critical hope - it was a lot of tired Neurotyplical cliches like "pay attention," and "put your phone away and sit still," and "keep eye contact." I *wish* that this book had included conversations about how building critical hope might look different and how to be intersectional and inclusive of others who might not have the same background, same brain chemistry, same brain build as a Neurotypical person. It felt very dismissive and exclusive of that community and, in my opinion, weakened the argument.
Overall, 3/5 stars - would I read it again, probably not unless I was using parts of it that I felt really spoke to what I believe and actively choose to practice. I do 100% think that this is an excellent premise and idea and theory. 100000%. I think that there could have been things that could have improved on and I think having a laser focus on "critical hope" or on one or two other things would have been so much better and would have strengthened the argument. Plus, then the author could have continued with a series that dove deeper into each of the minor sections that are "glossed over."
I was very excited regarding the premise for this book. It's one that I've been studying through the lens of Martin Buber's book I and Thou and it's one I truly feel passionate about. The premise and the theories all point towards hope without action as being naive or dangerous/paralyzing. I do still think that this is of significant importance to the world, especially right now in our world today.
Unfortunately for me, this book fell a bit short of my expectations. Part of that is that in the Introduction, it started with a visceral description of miscarriage and as I am a Non-Binary person who is terrified of ever getting pregnant, reading that made me feel *very* uncomfortable.
I felt that it rambled a bit sometimes, trying to touch on such a broad spectrum of topics that it seemed to lose itself a bit and not connect back to the bigger thread of hope + action = critical hope. Again, I really wanted to enjoy the book, but I had a lot of notes saying "how does this connect" or "what does this connect to?" And while I don't mind making connections myself, the book purported to tell me how these things created a woven tapestry for critical hope.
There's a lot of gendered language (not inclusive of other genders and identities), which definitely made me rather uncomfortable. And while the author acknowledges her white privilege, it felt a little performative at times (as a white person reading and reviewing it). I also felt a little odd using words from other minority cultures (like "nepantla" for liminal spaces) and utilizing Gloria Anzaldua's philosophy, along with the cultural references. Again, this might have just been me, but it just felt odd to me because it felt like it was a displacement using words and philosophies that are out of their context. I'm not sure what else I would have done to "fix" that though, so that might just be my own feelings.
The other things that kind of bothered me: the absolute visceral description of the author's face fracturing. I know that the author was trying to provide some support to her theory and really interrupt and shake the reader. But I *almost* couldn't finish it due to the descriptions. It made it really difficult for me to understand the point of the section. And I know that the author wanted to put some of her own story in there, but it certainly didn't feel like that was an apt place or time to put it in.
The author also included a discussion of the vagal nerve theory which is an interesting theory and I sincerely appreciated the brief discussion. I wish there had been more discussion of the Neurodiverse and Neurodivergent culture and community (including mental health and mental illness) because as some of the "suggestions" came up on how to build community for critical hope - it was a lot of tired Neurotyplical cliches like "pay attention," and "put your phone away and sit still," and "keep eye contact." I *wish* that this book had included conversations about how building critical hope might look different and how to be intersectional and inclusive of others who might not have the same background, same brain chemistry, same brain build as a Neurotypical person. It felt very dismissive and exclusive of that community and, in my opinion, weakened the argument.
Overall, 3/5 stars - would I read it again, probably not unless I was using parts of it that I felt really spoke to what I believe and actively choose to practice. I do 100% think that this is an excellent premise and idea and theory. 100000%. I think that there could have been things that could have improved on and I think having a laser focus on "critical hope" or on one or two other things would have been so much better and would have strengthened the argument. Plus, then the author could have continued with a series that dove deeper into each of the minor sections that are "glossed over."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2026
Writing an academic book that also has mass appeal is difficult, and this doesn't really cross the gap for me. To me, this felt like it could have been a journal article, but it was filled out to book length by anecdotes, some of which were deeply unsettling.
Dr. Grain is aware of her privilege and its impact on her life choices, but some of the ways that she conveys this awareness come off to me as hackneyed, like oversharing the jarring and brutal details of her facial fracture, which added nothing to my understanding of the medical privilege that kept her alive. Or, commenting that although she worked as a barback in an establishment where the wealthy clientele believed she was supplemented her income by doing sex work, she grateful that she didn't actually need do that, but doesn't judge others who did. Instead of digging down into the capitalistic structure obviously at work in that bar, she keeps right on going with the narrative.
This feeling of surface-level involvement with deep structures extended for me to the anecdotes about other people. Breadth replaces depth, so we get lots of stories instead of exploring how to take what folks have done and make it replicable.
I really wanted to like this book and be able to use it in a book study with my faculty, but I think they're going to get bogged down in all the wrong things.
Dr. Grain is aware of her privilege and its impact on her life choices, but some of the ways that she conveys this awareness come off to me as hackneyed, like oversharing the jarring and brutal details of her facial fracture, which added nothing to my understanding of the medical privilege that kept her alive. Or, commenting that although she worked as a barback in an establishment where the wealthy clientele believed she was supplemented her income by doing sex work, she grateful that she didn't actually need do that, but doesn't judge others who did. Instead of digging down into the capitalistic structure obviously at work in that bar, she keeps right on going with the narrative.
This feeling of surface-level involvement with deep structures extended for me to the anecdotes about other people. Breadth replaces depth, so we get lots of stories instead of exploring how to take what folks have done and make it replicable.
I really wanted to like this book and be able to use it in a book study with my faculty, but I think they're going to get bogged down in all the wrong things.
October 17, 2022
I am currently reading this book and wanted to express how much I have been in love with it! Firstly, I really appreciated the structure of this book as it started with an introductory chapter that contextualized what hope was in diverse sociocultural contexts. I was also impressed by how the author defined critical hope as "a type of hope that grapples with its own political, emotional, relational, and experiential dimensions in order to enact change." In the seven principles of critical hope and four types of transformative struggles, Dr. Grain discussed the importance of a problematization of hope itself, critical self-reflection, and a commitment to actionable (social) change as well as the transformative events, though challenging but can bring about great change, which were helpful to guide some of my research work in understanding marginalized people's experiences in work and life. The nuanced analysis of individual, relational, and societal perspectives this book has brought to me are profoundly inspiring! I highly recommend this book to those who consider hope can be critical to developing our community and the globalized world!
September 27, 2022
I appreciate the vulnerability and honesty in Dr. Grain's writing. There are personal experiences in her book that she shares with the readers in all their complexity and pain, but it circles back to the concept of critical hope and why we need it during these times. By sharing her own experiences, the author brings an academic philosophy, such as critical hope, to life and teaches us how we may practice it in our day-to-day lives. The book doesn't shy away from addressing the very real pain we face as an individual, as a society, and as a community. But it also does a great job of shining light on the potential to cultivate change through the power of critical hope. It's an essential read for anyone wishing to be part of the change they want to see in this world. It's written in such a soothing but raw and genuine way.
October 11, 2022
Critical Hope is engaging and thought provoking. It is an excellent balance of personal stories, real ideas for application, and theory about the concept and companion ideas that support critical hope.
After presenting the seven principles of critical hope, the author presents four types of transformative struggles that I found particularly impactful in my daily thinking. Rather than presenting them as a barrier to hope, a dichotomy between either having hope or not, these transformative struggles are written in a way that speaks to the ongoing challenges that are necessary to uphold a sense of critical hope (and present as barriers in the world). These echo in later chapters, especially when stories of critical hope are presented at the end of the book.
It is a book I will come back to again and again and highly recommend others read.
After presenting the seven principles of critical hope, the author presents four types of transformative struggles that I found particularly impactful in my daily thinking. Rather than presenting them as a barrier to hope, a dichotomy between either having hope or not, these transformative struggles are written in a way that speaks to the ongoing challenges that are necessary to uphold a sense of critical hope (and present as barriers in the world). These echo in later chapters, especially when stories of critical hope are presented at the end of the book.
It is a book I will come back to again and again and highly recommend others read.
March 7, 2023
Critical Hope is an antidote to both despair and to toxic positivity. Dr Kari Grain weaves engaging stories, vulnerability, wisdom and science into a book that finds excellence in the grey areas between blind hope and unchecked negativity.
As a psychiatrist, it’s pleasing to read books that weave science and narrative, objectivity and subjectivity, and give inspiration whilst also offering ways to improve oneself (and the world). It’s as if Dr Grain allows others to be seen, highlights their best ideas and also comes up with her own ideas that are important to the direction of the book. I look forward to ongoing expression of her voice in any further books she writes.
Finally, Critical Hope is both enjoying to read and packed with practical ways to be a better human. Not just a moral human, but an inspiring, conscious and fulfilled human.
As a psychiatrist, it’s pleasing to read books that weave science and narrative, objectivity and subjectivity, and give inspiration whilst also offering ways to improve oneself (and the world). It’s as if Dr Grain allows others to be seen, highlights their best ideas and also comes up with her own ideas that are important to the direction of the book. I look forward to ongoing expression of her voice in any further books she writes.
Finally, Critical Hope is both enjoying to read and packed with practical ways to be a better human. Not just a moral human, but an inspiring, conscious and fulfilled human.
September 27, 2022
One of the many things I appreciated about this book was the written vulnerability and honesty of the author, interweaving her ongoing process of understanding with both emotion and intellect. As she states in her book, critical hope is "messy, uncomfortable, and full of contradictions." As critical hope is a highly academic philosophy, she created an accessible space to start "grappling" with the concept, and provided insight into how one might identify with, and glean inspiration from, stories surrounding its complexities. I found ways to connect with the text, and the voices included within, in each poignant section. I have purchased more copies for friends and leaders who are working in fields where their spirits and hearts are challenged on a daily basis to find hope.
October 20, 2022
Kari Grain effortlessly weaves personal narratives with theory into this informative AND engaging read. I loved the practical tips to help increase my bodily awareness when confronted with challenges or while experiencing grief. I also appreciated how the book was structured - it was easy to jump into and grasp the key messages. I think this book has broad appeal and I'd recommend it for both academics, and people who may be newer to theoretical and social justice concepts. While the book discusses both deeply personal and larger-scale historical traumas, I was left feeling more optimistic with a clear roadmap for cultivating critical hope.
August 16, 2025
In turbulent times where it seems that evil has the upper-hand, possessing hope is more important than ever. But how do we translate hope into action, rather than wishful thinking? The author describes her own story of hope during a medical emergency, and profiles community leaders and activists who are using hope to inspire their work. Each profile provides action steps that the reader can utilize in their own life. The author does not shy away from spotlighting how privilege and access can influence the level of hope a person may possess. This was a book mentioned in another book I read years ago, and it is as pertinent as ever.
December 31, 2022
This is an insightful book that gave me hope for future generations. I find it fascinating how honest the author's reflections are, and yet it was still infused with academic research. If you are down because you look at the news every day, you can use the seven principles of critical hope to cultivate more inspiration and optimism in your every day life. This is a beautiful place to start if you want to create change in the world.
May 19, 2023
As a lawyer who so often works with people encountering feelings of helplessness, I found this book to be incredibly useful. The principles of critical hope are practical, justice oriented ideas that I will be applying to my both my leadership and my approaches to helping clients. Aside from its practical uses that are rooted in research and science, the book is such a beautiful read, full of stories and poetic explorations.
June 19, 2022
Lovely book - balm for the spirit in these times. The author defines the practice of hope in a way that reminds me of Parker Palmer's 'the tragic gap' - a place of reflection and meaningful action, one that takes the long view. Kari uses a wide range of voices, including her own, which helps integrate the book into my own life. Highly recommend.
December 14, 2025
This is not an airport self-help book. This is a deeply researched, thought provoking book with some real actions that itself provides a level of critical hope. I am generally a cynical person who isn't always open to things like this but it really made me think. Fair warning, I could only read a bit at a time, but maybe that's good and gave me that time to think.
October 24, 2022
The way Kari Grain has woven together the stories of inspirational leaders, including her own, is quite magical. She helps to lay bare the vulnerabilities we all face, leading us gently to a place where we can find or renew our own Critical Hope for a brighter future. Such a great read!
December 28, 2024
I enjoyed exploring the concept of critical hope and seeing hope through a perspective that acknowledges the challenges of finding hope. It has made me reconsider what hope is, it's multiple meanings, and how humans can construct their own creative versions of hope.
November 4, 2025
This is a thoughtful, helpful, well-researched, and imaginative study. Dr. Grain is excellent at metaphors and imagery, but particularly excels at allowing people to tell their stories by respecting their points of view.
February 28, 2026
great concepts but it was a horribly drug out read. I feel like the book content could have been summarized in a 1 pager. instead it was story after story after story all talking about the same thing in a way that just felt like it was trying to fill space.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2026
2.5 stars. read for a work book club. There were some interesting theories and lots of vulnerable stories but I struggled to find an organization to the information that felt helpful. However, our book club had lively discussions each time we met!
November 25, 2022
Powerful.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews