“Comfort for me this year has been re-reading books I have loved in years past. Everyone at Evergreen knows that time travel and time-bending books are my forever-favorite subgenre, and I reread both ‘The Seven-Year Slip’ and ‘The Unmaking of June Farrow’ this year. Both novels deal with some heavy topics but ultimately have a lot to say about the lengths we will go for the people we love.” - Rainee Taylor, Senior Digital Advisor 

“Strout’s clarity and focus on everyday lives that are quite deep and complex are comforting to me. We are all more than we seem, and our lives, however simple, matter a lot.” - Beth Poole, senior fundraising director

“This book traces the recent history of the progressive movement beginning with Jesse Jackson's presidential campaign, the vision of a working-class rainbow coalition, and traces that legacy through today and the election of the Justice Democrats in 2018. Knowing that in whatever small part we play, that we are part of a tradition of challenging entrenched power is meaningful and inspiring.” - Kevin Delaney, Senior Operations and Projects Director

“Nestled in this dystopian sci-fi novel, there are some pretty profound meditations on justice, community, and the perception of self. Combine that with some nostalgia-inducing tropes, twists, and action sequences, it's a perfect escapist novel.” - Emily Halvorson, state program press secretary

“While not exactly a complex or life-changing read, this book was whimsical and endearing and gave me all the warm fuzzies. It's a simple story that follows five different characters, all of whom are feeling lost or going through a hard time in life, but are able to come out on the other side through the joy and discovery of reading. I think anyone who loves libraries and appreciates the transformative power of books will take comfort in this short but sweet story!” - Eva Piatek, email production manager

“In the world we're in now, it's so important that we think about building movements that provide space for accountability without being punitive. As someone who spends a lot of time wrapped up in online movement discourse, it was so comforting to hear someone put to words concerns that I have been feeling and propose ways we can be better to each other.” - Hannah Reid, digital content associate

“I’ve never read a book quite like this. In a series of powerful essays on music (but really, so much more), Abdurraqib transports you into an early 2000s moshpit as the only Black man in the crowd, challenges you to reevaluate artists from Lupe Fiasco to Carly Rae Jepson, and encourages you to meditate on belonging, violence, and loss alongside him. This book is both a balm and a lesson in history. You’ll laugh, cry, and underline every word.” - Medhini Kumar, digital lead - writer/editor

“This is a supremely well-executed dark fantasy novel that swings unflinchingly at colonialism, xenophobia, misogyny, and the rapacious industries that profit from these intertwined oppressions. All this without reducing its deeply human characters to flat representations of those ideas, either. It is not a comforting book (nor is it meant to be), but it was balm for my soul when I felt particularly despondent after the election.” - Rainee Taylor, senior digital advisor

“I'm cheating a little bit, this is a memoir/non-fiction blend. This helped me refocus on life through the timeline of a tree, teaching me to take the long view and remember to breathe. I also got a lot more curious about the individual trees in my neighborhood as a result!” - Thulasi Seshan, research lead

“I really liked the pragmatic ‘we don’t need hope, we need action’ framing. Yes it’s bad, but everything we can save is worth saving.” - Beth Poole, senior fundraising director

“No period in American history resembles the challenges we face than the Gilded Age. From breakneck changes to the nature of work with industrialization, the divide between urban and rural, the rise of populism, extreme partisanship, economic inequality, racial violence, and labor strife, this book showcases how the people overcame those challenges and led to the reforms of the Progressive era. The parallels to that era of history are unmistakable and to win the future we must look to the past.” - Kevin Delaney, senior operations and projects director

“It gave me such a deeper understanding of the complexity of energy justice and got me thinking about how we move forward more equitably.” - Hannah Reid, digital content associate

“In hard times, ancient traditions are often sources of wisdom and hope. As we all grapple with a rapidly changing world, this book helped put into context that we are constantly going through changes—the life and death cycles of everything from individual moments to identities to human beings. In that, change becomes a little more familiar and a little less intimidating.” - Sam Holman, digital director

“I'm a sucker for a reluctant hero who steps up to help save the world—even when they are scared.” - Emily Halvorson, state program press secretary

“On the surface, this one might seem heavy. And it is, at times. McGhee systematically chronicles how zero-sum racism has not only denied Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities opportunities, but has also degraded public goods and made life worse for nearly everyone. And yet, this book is fundamentally hopeful! McGhee offers a solution: Solidarity is not optional, and by understanding how racism drives harmful policies, we can work together to dismantle these systems and create a more just future for all.” - Medhini Kumar, digital lead - writer/editor

“I'm not usually about time travel stories, but the vignettes of all the possible worlds in time in this book really broke through to my imagination. The love story here is shimmering, but the hope that any small action can change the course of history is what I really held on to.” - Thulasi Seshan, research lead

“This book helped me see the possibility of multi-racial, working-class coalitions in one of the most oppressive and dangerous periods in American history. It is inspiring to understand this history, that normal people, no matter how daunting or how likely success would be, worked together to try to forge a better future. If it could be done then, in the darkest of hours, it can be done today.” - Kevin Delaney, senior operations and projects director

“It’s a gentle story that imagines a hopeful future where people have much more peaceful, intentional relationships with each other and the world in a post-capitalist, post-factory era. Human Dex and robot Mosscap travel the world of Panga, puzzling over big philosophical questions—with some moments in between that are laugh-out-loud.” - Rainee Taylor, senior digital advisor