Elizabeth Kolbert is bringing some much-needed clarity to today’s environmental crisis. In 26 short essays, one for each letter of the alphabet, Kolbert—a New Yorker staff writer and the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning book The Sixth Extinction—tackles key landmarks in the climate-change landscape, from B, for Greta Thunberg’s infamous “Bla, bla, bla” speech in 2021, which slammed politicians for their empty promises, to R, for registered Republicans, who in recent studies have marked climate change as their lowest priority. Kolbert, a realist, doesn’t sugarcoat how bad things are—but true to the title of the book, H Is for Hope, she includes cautiously optimistic tales of innovation and resilience, noting that D, for despair, is unproductive. (24.99, penguinrandomhouse.com) —Paulina Prosnitz
