Valerie Brown is a Black American ordained as a Buddhist teacher in the Plum Village tradition, and a Quaker. She wrote Hope Leans Forward: Braving Your Way Toward Simplicity, Awakening, and Peace as a response to profound personal losses, life-altering transitions, and the urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement. The book emerged from her own process of grappling with grief and uncertainty, which she faced through mindful reflection, journaling, and connecting with her deeply held values of simplicity, peace, and awakening. Brown sought to transform her experiences of pain and disruption into a guide for others navigating similar challenges, offering tools for cultivating hope, courage, and resilience.

The book also addresses the broader question of ""Where is hope now?"" during a time of global disruption. Brown explores hope as an intentional practice rather than a passive state, emphasizing its role in fostering connection, compassion, and action in the face of adversity. Her aim was to inspire readers to lean into discomfort and uncertainty as opportunities for growth while living in alignment with their values.

""At its core Hope Leans Forward is indeed a meditation on hope: its significance and how to cultivate it. Brown describes hope as 'the resolve to live with a generous heart, to dedicate and rededicate myself, to awaken my soul’s voice at this sacred time of global disruption.' She describes joy, belonging, and courage as the ingredients for a life filled with hope. She makes clear that hope carries with it the potential for disappointment and suffering, while also using the stories of her own life and the lives of those she admires to paint a clear picture of why hope is worth the leap of faith it requires.""

BOOK: Hope Leans Forward: Braving Your Way Toward Simplicity, Awakening, and Peace

BOOK REVIEW: Reviewed by Lauren Brownlee