Fall weekends are a great time to curl up with good book. This weekend we recommend Jane Goodall's The Book of Hope Then, join us at 7:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 15th to discuss it at our Book Club Meeting! All Are Welcome! You don't have to have read the book to join in the discussion - though it does help ;>D  |
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 Looking at the headlines, it can be hard to feel optimistic. And yet hope has never been more desperately needed. At our book Club we'll talk about The Book of Hope, Jane Goodall and Doug Abrams' exploration of 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. The Book of Hope touches on vital questions including: How do we stay hopeful when everything seems hopeless? How do we cultivate hope in our children? Filled with engaging dialogue and pictures from Jane's storied career, The Book of Hope is a deeply personal conversation with one of the most beloved figures in today's world. In this book, Jane tells the story of how she became a messenger of hope: from living through World War II to her years in Gombe to realizing she had to leave the forest to travel the world in her role as an advocate for environmental justice. She details the forces that shaped her hopeful worldview, her thoughts on her past, and her revelations about her next and perhaps final adventure. There is still hope, and this book will help guide us to it. Scroll down to see event discussion questions. | |
Time: 7:00 PM Eastern Time
Video Conference Log In: meet.google.com/mxo-fkqc-owb
Phone Dial In #: (US) +1 484-641-8305
Pin:732 637 522# We look forward to you joining us ! All the dates and selections for 2024-2025 academic year book club meetings are posted on the NOAA Planet Stewards Upcoming Events Page. Previous book club selections and discussion questions are posted on our NOAA Planet Stewards Book Club Archive. Sign up to receive reminder announcements on the NOAA Planet Stewards Mailing list! Discussion Questions: Jane Goodall defines hope as "…what enables us to keep going in the face of adversity. It is what we desire to happen but we must be prepared to work hard to make it so" (page 6). She further calls hope "an aspect of our survival" (page 9), and still later "… the stubborn determination to make it work," (page 26). Jane says hope does not deny evil, but is a response to it (page 35). - Do you agree with Jane's definition of hope and her description of it? What would you add, subtract, or change to how she defines hope; and why would you make that change?
- Are your student's hopeful about the environment? Should they be hopeful about the environment?
- On page xii, Jane says that hope is contagious and that your actions will inspire others. Is hope important to transmit to your students when you speak about environmental issues such as climate change and, if so, how do you transmit hope?
- Do you have students who lack hope about our environment, and, if so, how do you help them? What do you say to them?
- Do you ever lose hope for the environment? How do you handle that? What do you do to maintain hope or restore your feelings of hope?
- On page 52 Jane says that only humans are capable of evil and only humans are capable of altruism. Do you agree with her? How do you inspire your students on a path towards more altruism?
- Jane finds hope in the human intellect, the resilience of nature, the power of young people and the indomitable human spirit. Do you agree with her about those four reasons to hope? Why or why not?
- On page 152, Jane tells the story of Winston Churchill, who gave a rousing speech during World War II describing how the British would fight on the seas and oceans and never surrender. According to Jane's story, right after the speech, Churchill turned to a friend and quietly said "… and we'll fight them with the butt ends of broken beer bottles because that's bloody well all we've got." Do you ever find yourself in the position of rousing people to fight for a cause when you doubt the possibility of success? How do you handle that?
- On page 57, Jane says she believes that human beings have a shared understanding of what justice means and that over time we have grown more caring and compassionate as a species. Do you believe that? Why or why not?
- On page 233, Jane says "It's no good denying that there are problems. It is no shame if you think about the harm we've inflicted upon the world. But if you concentrate on doing the things you can do, and doing them well, it will make all the difference." Do you agree? Why or why not?
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