Jane Goodall was a woman who dedicated her life to wildlife conservation and worked to make people view all living things as our equals. She died at the age of 91 while on tour speaking out and advocating for conservation efforts, proving her tireless dedication to the cause she devoted so much of her life to.
In her lifetime, Goodall authored more than a dozen books that detailed her time spent in nature and all that she had learned from closely observing and living side by side with the animals she loved. Her books serve as a reminder that her message is a message of hope, beyond all else. Here we will highlight books that she has written as well as books that have been written about her, in order to honor her legacy as a conservationist.
The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall, Douglas Abrams, and Gail Hudson
The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall, co-authored by Douglas Abrams and Gail Hudson, is by far her most urgent book. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Goodall imparts a message of hope during a time when doomsday headlines only highlight pessimism. She breaks the book into four parts, her “Four Reasons for Hope.”
Goodall counters the negative media coverage surrounding the climate crisis, the loss of endangered species and biodiversity, and political turmoil with lessons she has learned about humanity and nature through her studies. She tells her story of how she became an activist and environmental advocate, always spreading the message of hope because she has seen firsthand the resilience and strength in both humankind and nature.
Seeds of Hope: Wisdom and Wonder from the World of Plants by Jane Goodall and Gail Hudson
Jane Goodall and Gail Hudson, co-authors of Seeds of Hope, come together to tell the stories found among the plants on the forest floor. Goodall highlights the vast diversity but constant importance of plants, from her home in England all the way to the forests of Gombe, Africa, where she has spent much of her time over the years.
In Seeds of Hope, Goodall highlights all that plants do for us, while teaching all that we can do for plants. She inspires hope by sharing how the protection and preservation of plant species can save the world, and gives tips on sustainable food and gardening habits that we can implement to discover the magic of the plants all around us.
Visions of Caliban: On Chimpanzees and People by Dale Peterson and Jane Goodall
Visions of Caliban is an interesting look into Goodall’s research and experiences with the chimpanzees that she holds so dear. Along with co-author Dale Peterson, Goodall shares engaging stories about the world of chimpanzees and their fascinating similarity in both intelligence and emotion to humans. After explaining that chimps and humans share more than 98 percent of our genetic makeup, she shares heartwarming stories that seem to humanize these creatures.
Goodall warns against the many dangers that chimps face in the wild and the many ethical problems of keeping a creature so like us in captivity. Peterson and Goodall make a fascinating connection to The Tempest by Shakespeare, comparing The Tempest’s Prospero and Caliban’s relationship as a master and a slave to the relationship between humans and chimpanzees, driving home the important lesson that these creatures deserve our respect.
My Life with the Chimpanzees by Jane Goodall
My Life with the Chimpanzees is Jane Goodall’s autobiography, which tells the tale of a girl who fell in love with animals at a young age. As she grew older, she never forgot her dream, and she became the first woman to study chimps.
Goodall describes not only how her dreams came true, but also how her work with chimpanzees changed the world as she became one of the most well-known wildlife advocates of her time. My Life with the Chimpanzees is a Goodall story told straight from her heart, which is sure to inspire readers of all ages.
Africa in My Blood by Jane Goodall and Dale Peterson
Africa in My Blood is another autobiography comprising letters sent by Goodall during her early years as a young woman and conservationist studying the wild chimps in Gombe, Africa. Edited by Dale Peterson, this book creates a time capsule of Goodall’s words as she lived, learned, and became the figure that she is known as today.
With Africa in My Blood, we get to watch as a young Goodall falls in love with these gentle creatures and becomes inspired to dedicate her life to fighting to protect them.
Harvest for Hope: A Guide to Mindful Eating by Jane Goodall, Gary McAvoy, and Gail Hudson
Co-authored by Jane Goodall, Gary McAvoy, and Gail Hudson, Harvest for Hope provides a guide for how our daily habits, something as small as what we choose to eat, can have the power to change the world. Goodall emphasizes the importance of each human’s impact on the world we live in and the immense difference that choosing to live and eat sustainably can make.
As always, Goodall brings a message of hope and optimism to the world with her work, while also teaching readers that the food we produce and consume without thinking actually causes harm to our planet and, therefore, ourselves. With this book, Goodall makes sustainable living seem not only incredibly doable but also like our responsibility as a species living on earth.
Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey by Jane Goodall and Phillip Berman
In Reason for Hope, co-authored with Phillip Berman, an expert on philosophy and religion, Goodall tells a powerful story of her spiritual journey in her life. Goodall shares her unique perspective on the world, shaped by her revolutionary experiences studying animals and nature. She explores how her experiences have shaped her ideas of humans and forever changed how she views humanity.
Goodall believes that living among chimps has made her see how far humans have come from living a life connected to nature. Reason for Hope gives readers a new perspective on humanity and encourages a diverse way of thinking and living.
Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink by Jane Goodall, Gail Hudson, and Thane Maynard
Jane Goodall wrote Hope for Animals and Their World along with Gail Hudson and Thane Maynard, the director of the Cincinnati Zoo. It is an engaging and lighthearted account of endangered species whose populations have been brought back from the brink of extinction through the work of wildlife conservationists.
Goodall highlights what environmentalists do and how their work is essential to the world and to the many species that would not be here without them. She shows readers that the work of environmentalists is real work that not only inspires hope for the future, but makes a future possible for creatures like the American crocodile or the black-footed ferret.
The Jane Effect: Celebrating Jane Goodall, edited by Dale Peterson and Marc Bekoff
With The Jane Effect, colleagues Dale Peterson and Marc Bekoff create a beautiful tribute to the legacy of Jane Goodall’s work. Peterson and Bekoff put together a collection of testimonies from some of the people closest to Goodall who have seen her impact on the world firsthand. Goodall’s colleagues, friends, and students all remember her passion and devotion to the work she loves.
The Jane Effect celebrates who Goodall was through firsthand accounts and stories. It shows how Goodall’s unusual outlooks and nonscientific approaches have helped to make her life’s work prominent and well known. She pushed through boundaries as a female scientist and worked hard to be a wife and a mother without giving up the work that would prove to be so important to the world.
Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man by Dale Peterson
Dale Peterson writes a vivid biography of Jane Goodall’s accomplishments and influence on primatology and environmentalism. Jane Goodall travels through Goodall’s life, highlighting the unique chance she was given as a young woman to study chimpanzees and how this work developed into groundbreaking discoveries for the world and a life-changing career for a woman.
In Jane Goodall, Peterson highlights the woman behind the work, illustrating what it was like for a young Jane to be immersed in the wild and in a male-dominated field. He tackles the many challenges she faced and how she overcame roadblocks in order to become the revered figure that she is today.
Goodall left the world with so much hope and a legacy to be carried on by younger generations. Her conservation efforts live on with the Jane Goodall Institute, an organization dedicated to continuing both the education and conservation efforts that Goodall started when she was a young woman in the African wild. She will be remembered not only for her scientific discoveries and activism, but above all else for her kindness and empathy for all living beings.
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Find these books and more on our Non-Fiction Titles for the Enlightened Mind bookshelf on Bookshop.org.
