What I'm Reading #22

I've just started my first book by noted primatologist, Jane Goodall. It's called, "Reason for Hope: a Spiritual Journey." After covering the first couple of chapters, I have gained a tremendous appreciation for this extraordinary human being's capacity to comprehend the meaning of life. There are points that I don't agree with, and as I read on, I hope to discover more about what drives her to these conclusions. Yet, there is much about her understanding of man's place in the natural order that I find endearing.

Her own narrative is certainly endearing. I'm so tempted to share a portion of this book with my colleagues at school; a moment in which she is so overcome with curiosity as a young child that the police are actually called in to investigate her disappearance, only to discover that she's been performing a bit of childhood scientific observation involving a chicken. And her mother's response is simply textbook perfect. At this point in the book, she acknowledges the role of her generous and gracious childhood played upon her adult personhood as well as her sense of the Divine.

So far, this is a wonderful read full of thought-provoking ideas.