Hope was Here (Joan Bauer)

Hope was Here

Joan Bauer

Hope is a teenager that lives with her aunt Addie as her mother has left her to continue her waitressing career. When we find Hope at the beginning of the novel, she is leaving Brooklyn as her aunt, who is a cook, has to find a new job. Her partner stole their money and went away with one of the waitress.

As they move on the road, Hope thinks about the times she has to leave her friends and change school. When they get to their new destination, they meet G.T. Stoop, the owner of Staiways Diner. At the front of the diner, you can see a phrase that says 'welcome'. G.T. explains to Hope and Addie that his Quaker ancestors built the two-sides stairways to welcome people  wherever they were coming from. His hospitality remains the same. 

The diner is not only where Hope puts her energy. G.T. is running for mayor of the town and his campaing leads the teenagers of the nearby school to fully become involved. The cooker assistant, Braverman, is a young boy who soon attracts Hope's attention as he expresses his passion for the possibility to change things. 

When the numbers present T. G. as the winner, things become darker and darker. However, T.G.'s illness is what really worries the town. He has cancer and some believe that he is not going to live by the time of the elections.

A story full of heart and ideas, it displays the power the citizents have when they decide to make use of it. It is a useful narration to make teenagers ask themselves their roles in society and how even the tiniest movement can influence people's lives.

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