Another World Is Possible: Lessons for America from Around the Globe - Paperback

by Natasha Hakimi Zapata (Author)

"Illuminating" (Publishers Weekly) real-world solutions to America's thorniest social problems--from housing to retirement to drug addiction--based on original reporting from around the world

A new generation of Americans has declared that another world is possible. And yet, the stubborn problems of inequality, climate change, and declining health seem as intractable as ever. Where might different answers lie?

Intrepid journalist Natasha Hakimi Zapata has traveled around the world, from Costa Rica to Uganda, and Estonia to Singapore, uncovering how "other nations have successfully addressed social conditions that continue to vex America" (The New York Times Book Review). The product of in-depth reporting, including interviews with senior government officials, activists, industry professionals, and the ordinary people affected by their policies, Another World Is Possible was named a LitHub Most Anticipated title of 2025, which highlighted that it "offers international solutions to American problems."

From Singapore's approach to providing affordable public housing, to Costa Rica's biodiversity law, to Finland's universal public school system, in each instance Hakimi Zapata provides a clear-eyed assessment of the history, challenges, cost-effectiveness, and real-world impact of these programs. The result is a compelling, frame-shifting account of how we might live differently and create a safer, healthier, more sustainable future.

A "distinctive" (Library Journal) work of keen analysis as well as enormous heart and optimism, Another World Is Possible is destined to crack the mold of current debates, offering "a fascinating and inspiring glimpse of how rational governance operates" (Publishers Weekly).

Author Biography

Natasha Hakimi Zapata is an award-winning journalist, university lecturer, and literary translator. Her work has appeared in The Nation, Los Angeles Review of Books, In These Times, Truthdig, Los Angeles Magazine, and elsewhere. The former foreign editor of Truthdig, she lives in London.