How We Live Now

Winner of the New York City Book Award

From the beloved author of Insomniac City, a poignant and profound tribute in stories and images to a city amidst a pandemic.


When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the United States in March 2020 and New York went into total lockdown, writer and photographer Bill Hayes hit the largely deserted streets of Manhattan to try to document—through words and photographs—how the city was changing virtually overnight. How We Live Now records those first 100 days of the pandemic in real time—a time of both hopefulness and great fear, long before we had effective Covid testing and vaccines—up to and including the historic Blacks Lives Matter demonstrations following the tragic murder of George Floyd.



Featuring Hayes's inimitable street photographs, How We Live Now chronicles an unimaginable moment in time with his signature insight and grace, offering a glimpse at our shared humanity.