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How to Start
- Author
- Jodi Kantor
- Narrator
- Jodi Kantor
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Publish Date
- 21 April 2026
- Run Time
- 2 hours
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
With warmth, honesty, and inspired wisdom, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jodi Kantor expands on her triumphant Columbia University commencement address, tackling the question, "How, in this environment, is anyone supposed to find and start their life's work?”
Jodi Kantor’s groundbreaking 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 young people 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. When to buck what others are saying.
Powerful and provocative, How to Start is a statement of faith for young people as they make their way through uncertain times, offering wisdom, strategy, and a set of aspirations to launch their careers and last their whole lives.
Critics Review
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“In this current storm of unease and uncertainty, Kantor’s wisdom is a jolt of hope. Full of practical advice and hard truths, this book is a must read for anyone at the beginning of a career journey.”—Shonda Rhimes, producer, TV writer, and author of Year of Yes
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“Kantor doesn’t show us how to do it her way; she shows us how to find our own way. Young people, people starting over, and those wondering what comes next will love and appreciate this inspiring yet practical guide.”—Ashley C. Ford, author of Somebody’s Daughter
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“Kantor has written the antidote to both toxic hustle culture and passive despair. She doesn't sugarcoat the brutal realities facing young people today, but she refuses to accept defeat. Drawing on decades of investigative reporting and her own hard-won experience, she charts a path between cynicism and naivety. Smart, practical, and moving. A clear-eyed, generous book for confusing times.”—Jennette McCurdy, author of Half His Age and I’m Glad My Mom Died
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"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."—Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks
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“The moment of starting is so important – and so challenging. Kantor makes it easier, with practical suggestions and real-life examples. I dog-eared passages to send to my daughters immediately.”—Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project
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“I loved it. LOVED IT. I will be gifting copies to every emerging adult I know.”—Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure
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Details
- Author
- Jodi Kantor
- Narrator
- Jodi Kantor
- Duration
- 2 hours
- Release Date
- 21 April 2026
- ISBN
- 9781668658321
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Genre
- Assertiveness, motivation, self-esteem and positive mental attitude, Relationships and families: advice and issues
Synopsis
With warmth, honesty, and inspired wisdom, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jodi Kantor expands on her triumphant Columbia University commencement address, tackling the question, "How, in this environment, is anyone supposed to find and start their life's work?” Jodi Kantor’s groundbreaking 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 young people 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. When to buck what others are saying.   Powerful and provocative, How to Start is a statement of faith for young people as they make their way through uncertain times, offering wisdom, strategy, and a set of aspirations to launch their careers and last their whole lives.
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