The Book Of Hope by Jane Goodall and Douglas Adams

 

This nonfiction book is a series of interviews between Jane Goodall and Douglas Adams on the topic of hope.  Jane Goodall, of course, is known as the woman who lived with the chimps and discovered much of what we now know about the primates.  She is currently a lecturer, traveling worldwide to educate about the climate crisis and what we each can do about it.      

Goodall first defines what hope is.  It is not just a wishy washy desire that things turn out okay but a concrete plan for what steps one might take to accomplish a given goal.  The book then moves on to the four reasons that Goodall believes there is hope in the world.

The first is the amazing human intellect.  Goodall believes that our intellect and the ability to have language are the factors that allow us to distinguish ourselves from other primates and rise to a elevated status.  That intellectual power can be turned to the problem at hand to discover solutions that will avert the crisis.  The next reason is the resilience of nature.  All over the world, animals and birds on the brink of extinction have been brought back and we see nature returning after every natural disaster such as fire or flood.  Goodall's third reason is the power of young people.  She sees a huge strength in the young people who are looking for a way to make a difference and the ability to nurture this desire into united efforts that are meaningful.  Finally, she believes in the indomitable human spirit.  She defines this as the ability to take on what seems like an impossible task and to continue with it when it seems inevitable that defeat will occur.  She uses as examples men like Martin Luther King and Winston Churchill, like Desmond Tutu and Ghandi, but she believes that any of us can have this ability and can make a difference.  

This book is recommended for those looking for hope in a world that seems to be hopeless and for those looking for concrete ways to help turn the tide on the climate crisis.