The primary social issues explored in Hope Was Here are the nontraditional family unit and corrupt politics. Hope and Braverman are both children of nontraditional families, but for different reasons. Hope suffers knowing her mother abandoned her at birth, and she does not know the identity of her biological father. Braverman lived with both parents, but his father eventually abandoned them. Both characters struggle to come to terms with these wounds and to work through their internal hostilities and anxieties about their parents. Along the way, they each find mentors and role models to provide the guidance their absent parents cannot, and both are led to a new perception of parents and family.

Bauer reveals the lethargy that many people feel towards politics due to a perceived prevalence of corruption and the feeling that voting is not effective in producing change. As she explores these feelings...