As a young woman, Jane Goodall was best known for her groundbreaking fieldwork with the chimpanzees of Gombe, Africa. Goodall's work has always been controversial, mostly because she broke the mold of research scientist by developing meaningful relationships with her "specimens" and honoring their lives as she would other humans.

Now at the age of 60, she continues to break the mold of scientist by revealing how her research and worldwide conservation institutes spring from her childhood callings and adult spiritual convictions. Reason for Hope is a smoothly written memoir that does not shy away from facing the realities of environmental destruction, animal abuse, and genocide. But Goodall shares her antidote to the poison of despair with specific examples of why she has not lost faith. For instance, she shares her spiritual epiphany during a visit to Auschwitz; her bravery in the face of chimpanzee imprisonment in medical laboratories; and devotes a whole chapter to individuals, corporations, and countries that are doing the right thing. But most of all Goodall provides a beautifully written plea for why everyone can and must find a reason for hope. --Gail Hudson


From Publishers Weekly
The world's most famous, and perhaps most beloved, female scientist has previously related much of her life's outer journeyAmost notably in In the Shadow of Man and Through a Window, which described her groundbreaking work with the chimpanzees of Gombe, in Africa. In this marvelous book, however, Goodall revealsAwith clarity, great passion and purposeAher inner journey. How invigorating it is to read the memoir of a scientist who proclaims frankly, and in language often infused with power and grace (a nod to Goodall's coauthor Berman, author of The Journey Home, etc.), an abiding faith in the sacredness of all life. Goodall, who's 65, covers her entire life here, from her earliest years in England, raised by a strong and loving family, through her apprenticeship under Louis Leakey and her years at Gombe, to her more recent work as an activist for environmental causes and animal rights. There are passages that verge on the mystical ("I and the chimpanzees, the earth and trees and air, seemed to merge, to become one with the spirit power of life itself"), a scattering of not terrific poems and great swaths of rapturous nature writing. The book's tone is highly emotional, sometimes sentimental, but Goodall is no naif. A chapter entitled "The Roots of Evil" describes her shocking discovery of chimps' capacity for cannibalistic attacks on members of their own community; "Death" details her despair at the suffering and demise of her husband, Derek, from cancer. Despite the darkness, however, throughout her life's adventuresAand there are enough, in jungle and city, to make this book viscerally as well as morally thrillingAGoodall has nurtured a fundamental understanding that goodness can prevail, with each person's help. This is a moving and inspiring book that will be treasured by all concerned about the fate of the planet and its inhabitants. 16 pp. of b&w photos. Simultaneous Warner AudioBook; author tour. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
In her introduction, primatologist Goodall describes how she is frequently asked about the source of her apparent peace and optimism in the face of environmental destruction and human and animal suffering. She offers this autobiography as a meditation on how her spiritual beliefs evolved in response to major events of her lifetime, including her childhood in World War II-era England; early days at Gombe with the chimpanzees; rearing her only child, Grub; divorce, remarriage, and the loss of her second husband to cancer; and the turning point in her career when she dedicated herself to the plight of chimpanzees held in captivity for biomedical research. Throughout, she blends a disarming humility and sense of wonder at the natural world with a determined belief that humankind is capable of doing better. Occasional oversimplifications (such as equating dual-income families with child neglect) do not detract from the overall power of her book. Goodall challenges each of us to become "saints" in order to achieve a new relationship with nature, each other, and whatever higher power we may call "God." A very thought-provoking and wonderful read; recommended for all libraries.-ABeth Clewis Crim, Prince William P.L., VA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Beliefnet
Beloved primatologist Jane Goodall writes here about chimpanzees--and faith. Sustained in her work by a relationship with God, Goodall shows that throughout her career science deepened, rather than undermined, her faith.

Goodall's religious life came alive as a teenager, when her priest's vivid sermons made "the Christian religion come alive." As a teenager, Goodall strived to "let the Holy Ghost creep into my being." Indeed, she was so fixated upon Christ's sacrifice on the Cross that Goodall became "preoccupied with torture," writing agonizing poems and dreaming of martyrdom.

But Goodall's understanding of faith was expanded when she got to know chimpanzees. However much Goodall learned about love in church, she learned even more from her chimps, whose loyalty and affection sustained Goodall through many lonely weeks in the forest. It was there, surrounded by the "spiritual power that was so real," that Goodall found "the peace that passeth all understanding." (Beliefnet, May 2000)


The New York Times Book Review, Katy Payne
Fellow conservationists and humanitarians who wonder at its small size and courageous title will find in it much that is subtle and provocative.


Los Angeles Times
"The Einstein of behavioral sciences."


Boston Globe
"Being with Jane Goodall is like a walk with Gandhi."


From AudioFile
In an outstanding performance rich in pride, compassion, and vulnerability, Jane Goodall introduces the listener to the world of the Gombe chimpanzees she studied for 25 years. Her observations of the chimps alone could fill volumes, but a listener gets so much more from this superbly written biography. With an even pace, an expert abridgment, and perfectly selected music dividing each chapter, this work comes to life courtesy of Goodall's own voice, flouting the convention that authors should not read their own books. As much a spiritual recounting of her amazing travels as it is a push for all of us to treat the earth with more respect and sense, Goodall's memoir conveys her belief that there is hope for all the creatures on earth. H.L.S. An AUDIOFILE Earphones Award Winner. (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Goodall's autobiography reveals a side of this famous primatologist that most readers will not be familiar with--the spiritual underpinnings of her scientific discoveries and viewpoints. Starting with her childhood in England during World War II's blitzkrieg, Goodall's life has not been one that most of us would consider "normal." Her love of animals and learning was apparent right from the start and became mixed with her family's belief in a divine being and how this everyday belief can help one to survive. Through a chance meeting with anthropologist Louis Leakey, Goodall was given the opportunity to travel to Tanzania to study wild chimpanzees. Her recounting of how her scientific theories developed along with her religious convictions, especially during crisis situations such as the abduction of some of her students by rebels from Zaire or the long, agonizing death from cancer of her second husband, provides interesting insights into the personal convictions of a world-famous researcher. This unusual book tells of not only the adventures of Goodall's life but also the faith she constantly relies on and learns from, and as such, it is a unique look at the development of a scientist. Nancy Bent

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Jane Goodall is one of the most celebrated women of our times -- her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania greatly advanced our understanding of human and animal behavior. She is also a popular and inspiring figure -- a friend of mine recalls that in high school she fantasized about one day living in the wild with a little son named Grub -- just like Jane, the National Geographic cover girl.

In Reason for Hope, Goodall offers a fascinating and candid look at her impressive life. She reveals what her private life was like during the time of her groundbreaking work, and she explores the environmental concerns that now keep her on a hectic lecture and fundraising schedule. What's most enjoyable -- and surprising -- about her memoir is how such a serious and important figure turns out to be vulnerable, romantic, and a bit of an emotional eccentric.

One might expect that Jane, as a little British girl, would have been deeply taken with animals and the natural world. And she was: She collected earthworms and hung around in the henhouse for hours. But one doesn't expect to find out that the young Jane was like a Bront￯﾿ﾽ character, whirling around with intense passions -- "an aspiring poet and martyr." Preoccupied with torture and saints, she wrote poems about "oozing blood" and "red-hot metal bores." Then, at a "naive nineteen," she went off to London: "I met young men with whom I flirted deliciously and who took me out to dinner and the theater." This "fantastic and innocent" experience ended when she saved up her waitressing earnings and went off to meet a childhood friend in Africa.

Hired as personal assistant to the famed paleontologist Louis Leakey, Goodall might have merely transcribed notes and served coffee. She had no training, no degree, no academic credentials. Why did Leakey choose her to conduct important scientific research? Clearly, her passionate, enthusiastic personality worked in her favor. She was willing to take risks, to make original observations. Proper researchers would have never given names like "Fifi" and "Flo" to the chimpanzees, much less described them as having personalities. But this nontraditional approach was one reason Goodall's work appealed to so many average people. She refused to see science and nature as separate from humanity and passion.

In the post-Leakey era, Goodall faced events that might have made her more cynical or pragmatic. She became more aware of the intense aggression and cruelty chimpanzees were capable of. Her beloved second husband, a dashing member of Parliament, was stricken with a sudden and fatal cancer. Her career was hurt by the scandal that swirled around her after four students at her camp were kidnapped by rebels. In an honest, straightforward manner, Goodall reveals how these events devastated her -- we see her tearful and terrified and unsure.

As well as her own personal struggles, Goodall discusses larger concerns about environmental damage, genocide, and animal abuse. She shares her admiration for activists and spiritual leaders and her belief that kindness will triumph over evil and greed. But it's ultimately the lack of scientific jargon and political diatribes that make Reason for Hope such an enjoyable and original book. Who would expect that a revered scientist would speak so often of being "enchanted," "lost in awe at the beauty," and "experiencing the ecstasy of the mystic"? And as for poetry, she still writes it -- several of her most recent works are included here. Margot Towne

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Dr. Jane Goodall's revolutionary study of chimpanzees in Tanzania's Gombe preserve forever altered the very definition of "humanity." Now, in a poignant and insightful memoir, Jane Goodall explores her extraordinary life and personal spiritual odyssey, with observations as profound as the knowledge she has brought back from the forest. Reason For Hope As a toddler she was entranced by all living things, and over the years the little girl inspired by Tarzan and The Jungle Book became the woman who found herself working with famed paleontologist Dr. Louis Leakey; accomplished scientific breakthroughs in Gombe; and, ultimately, became a champion of the environment. It has been a life blessed with faith, resolve, and purpose, though not without its crises. Jane Goodall endured the horrors of the London blitz and World War II, postwar hardships, vicious rumors and "establishment" assaults on the integrity of her work, a terrorist attack and hostage taking in Africa, and her husband's slow, agonizing death. But throughout, her religious convictions, although tested, have helped her survive-and Jane Goodall's pursuit of science has enhanced, not eroded, her belief in God. In this book she candidly shares her life-talking of the love and support of her mother, her son, her late husband, of friends and strangers-as well as the Gombe chimpanzees she introduced to the world nearly forty years ago. And she gives us convincing reasons why we can and must open ourselves to the saints within each of us. At one with nature and challenged by the man-made dangers of environmental destruction, inequality, materialism, and genocide, Dr. Goodall offers insight into her perceptions of these threats and celebrates the people who are working for earth's renewal. Here, indeed, is Reason For Hope. An Alternate Selection of Book-of-the-Month Club and of One Spirit."

SYNOPSIS

Dr. Jane Goodall's revolutionary study of chimpanzees in Tanzania's Gombe preserve forever altered the very definition of "humanity." Now, in a poignant and insightful memoir, Jane Goodall explores her extraordinary life and personal spiritual odyssey, with observations as profound as the knowledge she has brought back from the forest. As a toddler she was entranced by all living things, and over the years the little girl inspired by Tarzan and The Jungle Book became the woman who found herself working with famed paleontologist Dr. Louis Leakey; accomplished scientific breakthroughs in Gombe; and, ultimately, became a champion of the environment. It has been a life blessed with faith, resolve, and purpose, though not without its crises. Jane Goodall endured the horrors of the London blitz and World War II, postwar hardships, vicious rumors and "establishment" assaults on the integrity of her work, a terrorist attack and hostage taking in Africa, and her husband's slow, agonizing death. But throughout, her religious convictions, although tested, have helped her survive-and Jane Goodall's pursuit of science has enhanced, not eroded, her belief in God. In this book she candidly shares her life—talking of the love and support of her mother, her son, her late husband, of friends and strangers—as well as the Gombe chimpanzees she introduced to the world nearly forty years ago. And she gives us convincing reasons why we can and must open ourselves to the saints within each of us. At one with nature and challenged by the man-made dangers of environmental destruction, inequality, materialism, and genocide, Dr. Goodall offers insight into her perceptions of these threats and celebrates the people who are working for earth's renewal. Here, indeed, is Reason For Hope.

FROM THE CRITICS

Bernadette Murphy

Who can hear the name Jane Goodall without remembering a PBS special or a National Geographic profile of her work? Even Apple Computer's "Think Different" ad campaign has capitalized on the image of that lanky woman with the gray ponytail, gently holding a chimpanzee like an infant, that is emblazoned on our collective memory. It was through that British-inflected voice that we first learned of the workaday life and intrinsic beauty of our nearest evolutionary neighbor, the chimpanzee, and of the similarities between our two species.

Goodall's role in radically altering our perception of human and animal life is presented clearly in Reason For Hope: A Spiritual Journey. Part memoir, part educational venture and part spiritual testimony, Goodall wrote the book to "answer the questions that people ask me, about my religious and spiritual beliefs, about my philosophy on life, about why I have hope for the future."

Easily, the most fascinating part of Reason for Hope is Goodall's retelling of the early years of her career. This section of the book is alive with scenes from Gombe, Tanganyika (now Tanzania after its merger with Zanzibar), where she was the first person to live with and study the chimpanzees, and of how her observation of these animals deeply impacted her life. It's thrilling to read about discoveries that today we take for granted. For instance, only in following this account does one remember that before her study of the chimpanzee in 1960, humans were thought to be the only species capable of making and using tools. "That ability set us apart, it was supposed, from the rest of the animal kingdom," Goodall writes. As Goodall narrates the first instance of discovery-when she watches the chimpanzee, David Greybeard, pick a small leafy twig, strip the stem of leaves and then lower this "tool" into a termite hole to collect insects to eat-the sense of excitement and breakthrough is palpable. When she telegraphed these findings to her mentor, the paleontologist/archeologist Louis Leakey, he responded with a now-famous remark, "Ah! We must now redefine man, redefine tool or accept chimpanzees as human!" Indeed, when she writes of how her observations at Gombe challenged human uniqueness, one has a sense of the "violent scientific and theological uproar" her findings engendered. Goodall chose to stay out of the controversy, continuing instead to live her simple life in Gombe, learning more about the chimpanzees and what their lives say about humans.

Somewhat disappointing to this reader, Goodall doesn't address the lack of respect she received as a woman and a scientist who was not traditionally trained. (Though she went on to receive a Ph.D., she held no degree when she made the famous 1960 discovery.) In Reason for Hope, she does touch on the topic obliquely: "There were some who tried to discredit my observations," she writes, but shies away from giving any details, either of her reaction to this lack of respect or how she believes her gender may have played a role. For example, when she was first selected by Leakey for the initial Gombe study, both the British protectorate and the government authorities of Tanganyika were horrified at the thought of a young white woman going off into the bush; they required that she take a European companion. In the narrative, she focuses on how she chose her indomitable mother, who became known among the local people as the "White Witchdoctor" for the simple medical care she provided. It's unfortunate that by drawing back at key personal points, Goodall undercuts her intention of showing her beliefs, relying instead on straightforward testimony. As a result, the portions on spirituality and religion, which are presented in a sentimentalized, didactic tone, are much less captivating than her visceral descriptions of life in the wild. Likewise, the most tedious part of this book is the reprimand to the human race for being selfish, greedy, environmentally stupid and generally cruel. It's not that her points aren't true and well-taken; it's just that the presentation of the material comes across as staid. Her prescription is to hasten our moral evolution in order to stem the tide of self-destruction: "We will have to evolve, all of us, from ordinary, everyday human beings-into saints!"

In the telling of Goodall's personal life, this book is imbued with her politics and the spiritual beliefs that are as much a part of her life as the air she breathes. When she goes out of her way to advance her tenets, however, the work strays and the narrative wanes. Still, it's only an activist's zeal, a flaw easily forgiven in the context of her life and mission. Reason for Hope grants a startling look backwards at where we, the chimpanzees and the whole "green movement" have come from. Looking forward, as we teeter on the brink of the new millennium, learning more each day about the damage our species is doing to our planet, who among us can't use some reason for hope?

Katy Payne - NY Times Book Review

...subtle and provocative...profound, delicate and accessible confessions...To track Goodall's spiritual journey is to become aware that hope is essential to action...

Publishers Weekly

The world's most famous, and perhaps most beloved, female scientist has previously related much of her life's outer journey--most notably in In the Shadow of Man and Through a Window, which described her groundbreaking work with the chimpanzees of Gombe, in Africa. In this marvelous book, however, Goodall reveals--with clarity, great passion and purpose--her inner journey. How invigorating it is to read the memoir of a scientist who proclaims frankly, and in language often infused with power and grace (a nod to Goodall's coauthor Berman, author of The Journey Home, etc.), an abiding faith in the sacredness of all life. Goodall, who's 65, covers her entire life here, from her earliest years in England, raised by a strong and loving family, through her apprenticeship under Louis Leakey and her years at Gombe, to her more recent work as an activist for environmental causes and animal rights. There are passages that verge on the mystical ("I and the chimpanzees, the earth and trees and air, seemed to merge, to become one with the spirit power of life itself"), a scattering of not terrific poems and great swaths of rapturous nature writing. The book's tone is highly emotional, sometimes sentimental, but Goodall is no naif. A chapter entitled "The Roots of Evil" describes her shocking discovery of chimps' capacity for cannibalistic attacks on members of their own community; "Death" details her despair at the suffering and demise of her husband, Derek, from cancer. Despite the darkness, however, throughout her life's adventures--and there are enough, in jungle and city, to make this book viscerally as well as morally thrilling--Goodall has nurtured a fundamental understanding that goodness can prevail, with each person's help. This is a moving and inspiring book that will be treasured by all concerned about the fate of the planet and its inhabitants. 16 pp. of b&w photos. Simultaneous Warner AudioBook; author tour. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

In her introduction, primatologist Goodall describes how she is frequently asked about the source of her apparent peace and optimism in the face of environmental destruction and human and animal suffering. She offers this autobiography as a meditation on how her spiritual beliefs evolved in response to major events of her lifetime, including her childhood in World War II-era England; early days at Gombe with the chimpanzees; rearing her only child, Grub; divorce, remarriage, and the loss of her second husband to cancer; and the turning point in her career when she dedicated herself to the plight of chimpanzees held in captivity for biomedical research. Throughout, she blends a disarming humility and sense of wonder at the natural world with a determined belief that humankind is capable of doing better. Occasional oversimplifications (such as equating dual-income families with child neglect) do not detract from the overall power of her book. Goodall challenges each of us to become "saints" in order to achieve a new relationship with nature, each other, and whatever higher power we may call "God." A very thought-provoking and wonderful read; recommended for all libraries. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/99.]--Beth Clewis Crim, Prince William P.L., VA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile

In an outstanding performance rich in pride, compassion, and vulnerability, Jane Goodall introduces the listener to the world of the Gombe chimpanzees she studied for 25 years. Her observations of the chimps alone could fill volumes, but a listener gets so much more from this superbly written biography. With an even pace, an expert abridgment, and perfectly selected music dividing each chapter, this work comes to life courtesy of Goodall's own voice, flouting the convention that authors should not read their own books. As much a spiritual recounting of her amazing travels as it is a push for all of us to treat the earth with more respect and sense, Goodall's memoir conveys her belief that there is hope for all the creatures on earth. H.L.S. An AUDIOFILE Earphones Award Winner. ￯﾿ﾽ AudioFile, Portland, Maine Read all 10 "From The Critics" >

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Wendy Wasserstein

One of the ten most influential women ever. — Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright