Book Blurb:
Looking at the headlines: the worsening climate crisis, loss of biodiversity, political upheaval. It can be hard to feel optimistic. And yet hope has never been more desperately needed.
In this urgent book, Jane Goodall, the world’s most famous living naturalist, and Douglas Abrams, the bestselling co-author of The Book of Joy, explore through intimate and thought-provoking dialogue one of the most sought after and least understood elements of human nature: hope. In The Book of Hope, Jane focuses on her “Four Reasons for Hope”: The Amazing Human Intellect, The Resilience of Nature, The Power of Young People, and The Indomitable Human Spirit.
Filled with inspiring stories and original photographs, The Book of Hope is a rare and intimate look not only at the nature of hope but also into the heart and mind of a woman who revolutionized how we view the world and has spent a lifetime fighting for our future.
There is still hope, and this book will help guide us to it.
As an animal lover, and an animal advocate, Jane Goodall is a very big inspiration for me. Had I been better at science I would have no doubt pursued a career in animal conservation, and reading about Jane’s conservation journey always inspires me. This book was a surprise pick up, as I am a little ashamed to say that I had no idea this book actually existed. But it saw it on my book recommendations at my library and jumped at the chance.
Now I listened to this as an audiobook, and I think it was much better as an audiobook than it would have been as a book. For one thing, as an audiobook it is more like listening to a conversation between Douglas and Jane. Both of them speak very naturally, as if they are not actually reading a script, which meant the audiobook was more like a podcast than an actual book. I also have to say that Jane is such a character, and you can hear the cheeky smiles and the little giggles as she tells tales about how conservation work and the people she has met. She also sounds just like my partner’s grandmother, which was personally very amusing for me. Whilst the substance of the book is very engaging anyway, having their natural voices reading the book made it so much more engaging. I would definitely recommend trying to listen to the audiobook if you do get the chance.
The book itself is very inspiring, and for me personally I also found it very comforting. Anyone who works within any sort of social justice space, or has an interest in a social justice issue, knows how exhausting that world can be. There are absolutely times where I have debated whether any of the work I do, or any of the campaigns I see taking place across the world, actually make a difference. This book focuses on that throughout and it really does help to provide some perspective. The book has four main chapters that focus on Jane’s “Four Reasons for Hope”: The Amazing Human Intellect, The Resilience of Nature, The Power of Young People, and The Indomitable Human Spirit. She talks about the many people and animals she has encountered around the world and what has given her the strength to tirelessly continue to spread her message, and how each of these interactions have led her to name those Four Reasons for Hope.
I found this book to be so inspiring, especially when you hear about the many different people that both Douglas and Jane have encountered over the years and the powerful impact these people have had on them. I found it really did highlight how important one person can be, and how even just one person really can make a difference, often times with such tiny gestures or tiny actions. It was also reassuring to hear that there is so much happening around the world. Of course this book focuses on animal conservation given Jane’s involvement, but it was interesting to hear just how overlapping so many social justice issues really are and how all of the various projects people are working on are helping to push society and science forward. I obviously could never explain these complex topics in as much detail as the book can, yet Douglas and Jane discuss these topics with so much enthusiasm and optimism that I found myself hanging on to every word. The audiobook especially does read (or…sound?) as more of a dialogue between Douglas and Jane, with Douglas acting as the ‘bad cop’ cynic, and Jane sharing her personal stories about why she has so much hope for humanity and society. Again this dynamic worked really well as a true discussion around the various reasons for hope, and it was also very sweet to see the very genuine friendship that the two of them have with one another. There are lots of personal jokes and even a bit of banter between the two of them – I did truly laugh at some points!
One aspect that I found very comforting within the book was Jane’s humility. Whilst she states that her work and her organisation has helped conservation efforts worldwide, she constantly thanks so many other people that have helped along the way. She is very open about the fact that the issue at hand – namely environmental protection and conservation – is not something that one person can solve all alone. This issue needs as many people on hand as possible, and she talks about people she has met from all walks of life, from the women in African villages who are improving education opportunities for girls, to the state leaders in the USA who are lobbying for better environmental regulations. She also speaks a lot about the young people who are creating their own grassroots movements across the world in an attempt to better the environment in their local areas. Hearing (or reading) about so many people who are all working towards the same goal in so many different ways comforted me, helping me to remember that it isn’t just me who cares about this topic (as it can so often seem like with social justice issues) and that whilst many of the efforts are small at the moment, these will slowly grow over time in the same way that Jane’s own contributions didn’t happen overnight.
I rented this book via my library, but no doubt this will be a book I will look to add to a physical collection once I have the space to do so. The book is a welcome reminder of how big the conservation movement really is, and also helps to inspire with personal stories that are relatable and realistic. So many of the people that Jane and Douglas speak about are your ‘average Joes’, in that they are just regular people who are trying their best to help. Which is a wonderful reminder that I think all of society could use.
Taylor Talks Vegan 
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