Hope: A User's Manual

OK, full disclosure. I'm MaryAnn McKibben Dana's mother. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I'm putting on my book reader hat and telling you that I think this is my favorite of MaryAnn's books so far. I'm not trying to discount her other works, but this one comes at the perfect time. After more than 2 years of social distancing, and many people in the world having died or dealing with the effects of long covid, and many more years of discord in our country and the world, I find myself feeling hope-less at times. I worry about climate change and if my 10 grandchildren will have a future that is bright. For the most part, I'm an optimist, but for those time when all hope fails me, this book is just what I need to get back on track, or rather, find a new track to get on. It is a user's manual after all.I love that the chapters are short and each has a suggestion for reflection and practice. I’m doing just that on my own blog. MaryAnn offers personal stories that are interesting and relevant, even though I'm in a different generation and time in my life than she is. I'm certain that this book can give anyone who reads it and "works" it a new way to look at and find hope.

I ordered this book hoping it would help me write three sermons on the topic of hope. Little did I know how profoundly it would speak to me, personally, emotionally, theologically, even physiologically. Once in a blue moon I finish reading a book with the distinct feeling that it was the book that read me. This is one of those "blue moon" books. Each short chapter adds layer after layer of emotionally intelligent, spiritually astute wisdom to distinguish genuine hope from its cheap knock-offs, and to practice hope as a verb, as a discipline, as a choice.Illustrations from everyday life, cultural references, insights from the research of experts, and just the right amount of personal story engage every part of the self to integrate the theological, social-emotional and intellectual content of the book. Biblically and theological material is woven throughout without being heavy handed or off-putting. Each chapter is the perfect length—long enough to justice to the topic, and short enough that the reader has a chance to breathe and feel and think. The “Reflect” and “Practice” prompts at the end of each chapter ask the reader to do just enough to connect the author's wisdom to the reader's, without overwhelming.This book is a gem.

I have been following MaryAnn McKibben Dana's writing since I first read her book, God, Improv and the Art of Living. Reading this book "Hope, A User's Manual was like the Lay's potato chip commercial, You Can't Eat Just One. I could not put it down long enough to do the Refect and Practice suggestions at the end of each section. I will be going back and re-reading it to pause and journal on the reflect sections this time. One specific chapter spoke to me just where I find myself: Hope is not Solice, has 2 wonderful life-giving quotes. One by Migual de la Torre, "I have chosen to stand in radical solidarity with the oppressed of the world who live in Holy Saturday, no knowing if there even is a resurrection Sunday." I think this speaks to many life situations too. The doctor says you have cancer - you find your husband dead in the back of his pickup truck. Everyone should read this book and find very comforting and reassuring words of hope.

I've been waiting for this book for a long time, and so glad it is now out in the world!MaryAnn McKibben Dana is a Presbyterian pastor, writer, and "hopemonger" as she calls herself. I'm delighted to recommend her newest book, "Hope: A User's Manual."Brief, readable and relatable chapters are organized into six sections, beginning with"What Hope Is" and "What Hope is Not," and moving into living and practicing hope in our personal and community lives. It is a thought-provoking and practical guide, and just what the subtitle calls it: A User's Manual.I bought a copy for myself, and gave another copy to my husband who pastors a church in southern California. Everyone should read this book, because hope feels in short supply in the world these days.

What MaryAnn McKibben Dana offers is a staggering and timely, deeply relational and kind, altogether authentic and informed alternative to the kind of toxic positivity we frequently see in print, pulpit, and pop-culture. Her work, refreshingly, is neither prolonged discourse nor disconnected apologetics. Instead, what the reader encounters is empathy and curiosity. The brief chapters are mindful and daily meditations unlike any other that soothe the soul and dare us to press on in the entangled mystery of life that is both beautiful and tragic. Hope: A User’s Manual extends an invitation to the reader not only to think, but more so to practice and persist as the resilient, good, and sacred wonders we all are. I highly recommend it to everyone. I am so much better for having read it.

I believe I pre-ordered this book in March, because I have thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed MaryAnn McKibben Dana’s other books, and because the topic is very important to me.This is no Hallmark card book of platitudes. Hope: A User’s Manual is deep and thoughtful, wise and anything but trite.As a provider and a recipient of pastoral care, I’m keenly aware of the delicate balance of living with uncertainty and grief, of gritty faith in the face of chronic and untreatable circumstances and the importance of holding hope with tenderness and gentleness.I love this book and look forward to studying it again with colleagues and friends. I commend it to anyone who wants clear, authentic and understanding accompaniment by this accomplished pastor and author.