A model of real, grounded, hard-headed optimism in these days of crisis and anxiety – useful not only for new graduates but for all of us.

Jodi Kantor’s ground-breaking reporting has toppled media magnates, sparked reform worldwide and foretold many of the unsettling changes we see in the workplace today. But before all of this, Kantor was kicked off her college newspaper. Society expects perfection, but Kantor knows those first professional steps are often rocky.

She also knows that younger generations today are facing new and frightening terrain, with political upheaval, skyrocketing costs of living and the unknowns of AI. Kantor casts aside platitudes and false hope to offer tangible help.

Work is how we spend much of our time. It’s our engine of progress: how cancer therapies are invented, political campaigns won, thrilling art created and matched with an audience. Instead of letting cynicism take over, Kantor identifies two principles to help young people discover their life’s work: craft and need. By pairing the two, they can navigate tough, sensitive choices: how to think about money, how much risk to take on, and when to buck what others are saying.

Powerful and provocative, How to Start is a statement of faith for young people to keep in their back pocket as they make their way through uncertain times, and offers wisdom, strategy and a set of aspirations to launch their careers and last their whole lives.