"I've had my brain challenged, by heart opened, and my hope renewed." —Douglas Adams, on his conversations with Jane Goodall

"Hope is contagious. Your actions will inspire others," Jane Goodall writes in her invitation to join her on this journey toward hope. What follows is a remarkable conversation of a book that was a pleasure to read and listen to. (It is superb as an audiobook, which comes from indie bookstore partner Librofm with a PDF of the delightful photos and the annotated further reading section, be still my nerdy heart.)

Guided and challenged by Douglas Adams, Goodall (now 87) sips whisky, and speaks warm wisdom with a calm vigor as she draws from a lifetime of observation and science to answer such questions as "Is hope real?" "Can science explain hope?" and "How do we have hope in trying times?" From there, she wields global case studies and endearingly mystical philosophy to expound on her four reasons for hope: the amazing human intellect, the resilience of nature, the power of young people, and the indomitable human spirit. It's an uncommonly effective balm for when that human spirit is feeling bruised.

"Hope is a social gift," Adams shares in the acknowledgments what he learned from writing this book, "one that is nurtured and sustained by those around us." In that case, surrounding ourselves with Goodall's message and quintessential mix of knowledge, compassion, and action is surely one of the most hopeful and effective things we can do right now.

Plus — in addition to the expected and heart-warming photo of Jane hugging a chimpanzee, there's a picture of young Jane sitting in the branches of Beech, a tree she describes as one of her closest childhood friends. And another with her beloved dog Rusty, who she simply calls her teacher. This is 100% the wholesome content I needed right now.

My thanks to Celadon Books and Librofm for a digital ARC and LRC.