Marc Bekoff and Koen Margodt (editors) / Salt Water Media / 250 pages
In celebration of Dr. Jane Goodall’s 90th birthday in April 2024, Drs. Marc Bekoff and Koen Margodt encouraged her friends, family, and colleagues to pen 90 tributes to the esteemed primatologist and activist. Their call was answered by a diverse cast—from “every habitable time zone in the world and every continent except for Antarctica”—including Goodall’s grandchildren, English musician and astrophysicist Sir Brian May, Animal Liberation author and Australian philosopher Peter Singer, and American actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Joaquin Phoenix.
The book covers the gamut of Goodall’s personal interests, from her wonderful sense of humor to her penchant for single malt scotch to her indefatigable appetite for world travel. Multiple tributes praise Goodall’s decision to buck convention by naming her animal research subjects. Others note her talent for interacting on a deeper level with everyone she meets. “There are no ‘supporting roles’” in Jane’s world, writes Marlon Reis, an animal advocate and first gentleman of Colorado. “Every being, every place, is a fully realized character.”
The breadth of Goodall’s contributions, as detailed throughout the book, is truly astonishing. Stephan Margolis, who previously headed the Los Angeles Police Department’s organized crime unit, describes Goodall accompanying him on a ride-along in the city to offer an ethologist’s perspective on human violence. Despite her remarkable professional achievements, Goodall is characterized as an eminently relatable, salt-of-the-earth personality. As Tiong Piow Lim, president of Roots & Shoots Malaysia, explains in his tribute, “Dr. Jane speaks of two Janes. Iconic Jane, famous scientist” and “Real Jane” who “is constantly trying to catch up with Iconic Jane.” This book celebrates Goodall’s love of all the world’s creatures and the hope she inspires through action.