What is hope? Is it instinctive or learned? Is it necessary or possible? How can a life-long doubter bring it into her life? Armed with questions, author Nikki Stern writes about a journey in search of a hope that will sustain her, especially after losing her husband on 9/11. The certainty-driven hope that insists on divine providence provides no help. Nor does the me-centric version that insists we're able to get exactly what we want whenever we want it. Instead, she custom-tailors a sort of faith that thrives even without guarantees because it allows for endless possibilities. Flexible, reasonable and uplifting, it's a hope that works perfectly for our anxious times. HOPE IN SMALL DOSES is a 2015 Eric Hoffer Montaigne Medal finalist. The award honors books that "illuminate, progress, or redirect thought."