How do books provide solace and strength in times of uncertainty and upheaval? Find hope in this discussion on the power of reading. As the war in Ukraine continues, the threat of climate change looms ever closer, and women and girls bear the brunt of a rising tide of poverty and displacement, it can be difficult to wade through the bad to the good. It’s at these times that we need books more than ever. At this Book Aid International event at Hay Festival, presenter Mariella Frostrup and authors Kit de Waal (My Name is Leon, Without Warning and Only Sometimes) and Elif Shafak (The Island of Missing Trees) discuss the power of books to provide shelter, solace, connection and hope in times of upheaval and share the stories which have comforted them over the years. Pam Dix is a Book Aid International Trustee and Chair of IBBY UK (International Board on Books for Young People) and of the Akili Trust, a small charity supporting educational development in rural Kenya.