Reason for Hope

Critical Praise

"A remarkable story...passionate and convincing."
-Washington Post Book World

"A poignant memoir...a treasure."
-Chicago Tribune

"Provocative...profound...Goodall simply and touchingly invites readers to follow her spiritual footsteps."
-New York Times Book Review

"An important book. REASON FOR HOPE is part memoir, part scientific theorizing, part theological musing, and part challenge....This statement of faith becomes not only extraordinary but also humbling."
-Philadelphia Inquirer

"When Goodall describes her work as a scientist and her sincere efforts to make the world a better place, I stand in awe."
-Washington Post Book World

"Subtle. Nobody will read her profound, delicate, and accessible confessions without identifying with her."
-New York Times Book Review

"Moving...morally thrilling...will be treasured by all concerned about the fate of the planet and its inhabitants—compelling and inspiring."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An inspirational story of faith and love from the amazing life of Dr. Goodall."
-Indianapolis Star

"An important message, and the way she tells it is particularly valuable....Goodall is one of the few to tell us there is, indeed, reason for hope."
-Salon.com

"Thrilling to read....Part memoir, part educational venture, part spiritual testimony...alive with scenes from Gombe, Tanganyika....REASON FOR HOPE gives us a startling look backward at where we, the chimpanzees, and the whole 'green movement' have come from."
-Los Angeles Daily News

"Jane Goodall is that rare thing, a celebrity scientist, and now she has given us a rarer thing, an inspirational book that is truly inspiring....Striking...a powerful message."
-Cincinnati Enquirer

"A very thought-provoking and wonderful read....Goodall blends a disarming humility and sense of wonder at the natural world with a determined belief that humankind is capable of doing better."
-Library Journal (starred review)

"A poignant, highly readable memoir, the book is a quiet treasure."
-Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Surprisingly optimistic...part memoir, part science, part spiritual and both enjoyable and stimulating."
-Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"By the middle of the book I was hooked and by the time I finished I was convinced that I had just read one of the best books I would encounter for a long time."
-Louisville Courier-Journal (KY)

"A charming, often passionate account of her work with chimpanzees, her spiritual journey, and her conflicted feelings of the despair and hope for a troubled world."
-Hartford Courant

"Goodall is a rare creature accomplishing great things....Honest and often elegant....Goodall, with the help of religious scholar Berman, sets down the spiritual and ethical lights that serve as guides in her rather extraordinary life."
-Kirkus Reviews

"A poignant, highly readable memoir."
-Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"The greatest pleasures of REASON FOR HOPE are the passages about the chimpanzees and her insights into spirituality...brimming with emotional and philosophical views....What makes her book such a delight is her unbridled, intelligent optimism....She is a beautiful role model for these sometimes ugly days."
-BookPage

"Even if you have read her other books, this book offers a fresh perspective and offers 'reasons for hope' for all of us that we must develop our own alternatives to aggression and social disorganization."
-Southern Pines Pilot (NC)

"It's hard not to be impressed with her moral and intellectual integrity and her lucid, easy-to-read, and logical prose....Anyone interested in nature and the world of animals will be fascinated by Goodall's REASON FOR HOPE."
-Grand Rapids Press

"Takes readers along with her to a cathedral in the wilderness....Well worth reading for the thrilling world of the Gombe preserve, for the honesty and huge heart of this woman who spends her days working to keep the wild alive. It takes its place among a burgeoning library of books on our relationship to wildness, to our fellow creatures and the connection between them and the holy."
-San Jose Mercury News

"A remarkable surprise....She writes of her life's work and loves and of her own philosophical journey in her trademark no-nonsense yet often lyrical style."
-Hamilton Spectator (Ontario, Canada)