Hope Is Back After the 2026 Midterms—10 Books to Sustain It
Turn to these books on civic engagement as the Blue Wave's euphoria ebbs.
The 2026 midterms brought left-leaning and progressive voters a feeling that’s been sorely missing for the past several years: collective hope. As the closing polls on November 3 confirmed, the anticipated blue wave proved to be a “blue-nami”—inspiring celebrations at watch parties across the country, while social media was filled with gleeful voters “libbing out.” Historic wins by female, POC, queer, millennial, and Gen Z candidates were a nationwide rebuke to the current administration. So now, looking forward to 2028, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel.
Unfortunately, the euphoria of the blue wave can't be eternal. With healthcare premiums expected to skyrocket and more harmful provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill coming into effect in the new year, things are expected to get worse before they get better.
Over the past year, I’ve leaned into my love of reading as an alternative to doomscrolling and despair. While citizens need to stay politically engaged to understand the state of the world, we also must not get overwhelmed by the unjust systems and cruel elites that influence the direction of the country. This Nonfiction November, we’ve put together a reading list to remind readers of the collective power the average person has to change society for the better.
Hopeful Nonfiction Books to Read After the Midterms
When I feel paralyzed by fear in the face of significant change, I turn to two books: Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower and adrienne marie brown’s Emergent Strategy. The latter is partially inspired by the former. The Pleasure Activism author and facilitator builds on Butler's Earthseed philosophy of change to create a framework so readers can adapt to the chaotic, messy flows of life and transform their world through small actions.
Admittedly, this book starts as a bit of a bummer. Authors Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor lay out the worldview that aligns far-right extremists with tech billionaires, as well as the rise of fascist politics. But they ultimately look to local activists and movements, and offer recommendations to fight back against those steering society towards the titular end times.
If you're looking for a strong rebuke to conservatism in the age of tradwives, check out Mona Chollet’s ode to the independent, childless, unshakeable women who live outside of society’s patriarchal norms. The feminist writer traces a line from historic witch trials to the ostracization and persecution of their ideological descendants. Though reading about enduring misogyny can be enraging, In Defense of Witches remains a celebration of fierce women at its core.
Since 2020, countless people have gotten involved with mutual aid networks of all sizes, from citywide programs to informal group chats. This accessible primer on mutual aid is designed to turn inspiration into action, with worksheets and exercises to help readers begin new projects or work through issues that arise during organizing.
Stacey Abrams's work and her voting-rights organization, Fair Fight Action, arguably paved the way for this year’s landmark gubernatorial wins across several states. In Our Time Is Now, Abrams explains the mechanics of voter suppression and provides a roadmap to ensure that all Americans’s voices are heard and protected.
After the 2024 election, poets (and long-time friends) Maggie Smith and Saeed Jones processed their shock and dismay by reaching out to each other and their community. Their anthology preserves that collective camaraderie and hope in book form, with contributions from writers including Imani Perry, Mira Jacob, Marlon James, Ada Limón, Ashley C. Ford, Kiese Laymon, and Eula Biss.
Odds are your bookish friend has already recommended Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass. The book became a word-of-mouth sensation, calling for readers to reexamine their relationship with nature through Indigenous wisdom. In her follow-up, Kimmerer shifts her focus from sustainability to the economy and presents a communal alternative to a capitalistic life of scarcity and hoarding resources.
Climate change is one of the most pressing global issues today, and it’s also quick to spur feelings of anxiety or despair. Here, climate activist and marine biologist Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson compiles an anthology about the Earth’s future that’s optimistic to its core. In what she calls her “anti-apocalypse mixtape,” Johnson inspires readers to see that Mother Earth isn’t a lost cause.
Hopeful Novels to Read After the Midterms
I am putting this here for everyone (myself included) who suspended disbelief for every part of this book except Texas turning blue. The fictional presidential election is just a subplot in the central romance between First Son Alex and British Prince Henry, but I suspect that scene will hit harder from now on.
Station Eleven is the book (and HBO Max miniseries) I re-read to remember that love and art will survive after the end of everything. Author Emily St. John Mandel imagines a world where a cataclysmic flu wipes out most of humanity, jumping between survivors at the onset of the contagion and a traveling Shakespeare troupe 20 years in the future, who perform under the motto, “survival is insufficient.”
