Oh my god is this not the book every one should be reading right now?! In a time of despair and lets face it, a pretty strange and depressing time to be alive THIS IS THE BOOK WE NEED! Ruby Wax is super and I will definitely be recommending this to anyone who needs a pick me up read or a bit of help seeing the good in the world. I learnt SO much from this book too. Schemes I didn't know existed, People I didn't know existed and how hopefully the tide is due to change and the next generation is sorting out the mess we're making (I joke, but not really) Thank you Ruby for reminding us all there IS good stuff going no, we sometimes just need to know where to look.

I hadn't read any Ruby Wax before, but I enjoyed her humour and her style. This was an easy read, and although it seems strange to have a good news book in the middle of a pandemic I think it's perhaps exactly what we all need. There should be a whole good news section at the end of every newspaper, news broadcast and report, because the endless doom feeds all our anxieties.

Ruby had, of course, been writing and researching this book long before the pandemic. It's good that there are times throughout where she has added brief comments reflecting on the situation we find ourselves in now.

My criticism would only be that often each section is introduced with Ruby talking about all the things that are wrong, and I felt these dragged me down as I read. Especially the bit about food which just felt very negative to me, so anti-sugar and anti-processed foods and goodness knows I would not be as sane as I am right now if I wasn't able to have a biscuit every now and then!

But I really liked the final section where she highlights some key groups active right now, and I liked all the case studies you see throughout the book. As she notes, the only way we can fix anything that's wrong in our world (and there's a lot) is with a great deal of kindness, and by working together. It's heartening to read of so many people doing good things, when it feels like the media are telling us that our world is just full of selfish idiots out for their own win. Anyway, it wasn't something I might have read normally, but I saw the title & just really wanted to give it a try.

This book was very interesting. It came at the right time & has some very interesting facts and tips. Definitely a book you must read

This was great reading material for the difficult times in which we’re currently living.It doesn’t shy away from the hard subjects but also presents a lot of positive things that are happening, linked to a number of topics like Food,Technology,Education etc, all written with Ruby Wax’s signature wit and wry humour.She links much of it to her own life experiences and her experience of working on mindfulness and therapy.I particularly enjoyed the education section and learned a lot which could help in the classroom.All in all, I found it very uplifting and would recommend it to my teaching colleagues as well as anyone interested in alternative lifestyles.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

This book has so much good stuff in it, it sends such a positive message, it conveys a great sense of hopefulness in so many areas of life where we might be losing faith, be it big business, education, technology or food. But I really could have done with fewer jokes.

We all know that Ruby Wax is funny, very funny indeed, so I really didn’t need her to prove this to me. I wanted to focus more on the substance of her message and I felt that about 2/3 of all the jokes could have easily been cut. I learned a lot from this book but couldn’t help getting annoyed throughout thanks to the incessant jokey remarks and self-deprecating comments — they were often distracting and disrupting the flow.

I might be alone in this assessment, perhaps knowing that she’s a comic I should have been more accepting of this, but I can’t help but find it unnecessary and I think this book would read better if she could have just trusted that her academic and research qualifications are enough to convince us of her credibility.

Brutally honest and at times, very direct. I read this in a very difficult time in my personal life and came away feeling just that little bit more hopeful. It felt like a genuinely warm and heartfelt story to be told.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A bit of good news is definitely needed in 2020,I really enjoyed this book. This book h has lots of great facts and tips, and gives a sense of dare I say hope for the future.

“There should be an app where people admit what’s really going on in their lives; 140 characters on our low self-esteem. It could be called ‘Shitter’ instead of Twitter. You’d probably become incredibly popular and get millions of followers because the rest of the world would identify.”

Nailed it. We all love a good wallow in misery, but more than ever in this time of the ‘Rona we’re bombarded with bad news, and doom and gloom from all corners.

Lockdown has given us all more time to examine our lives and how we want to live and move forward. But how can we do it while stuck in the capitalist system that’s forced upon us, that’s designed to exploit for profit, not benefit the many?

Don’t give up hope as there is good out there! With this book, Ruby Wax shines a light on the people who’re trying to make the world better, bit by tiny bit, and while it seems like a quick, light, fluffy read, isn’t that what we all need right now? Don’t we all need a bit of good news to give us that bit of hope that things can change for the better?

She takes us from a community in Scotland hoping to show the world that there can be a different way of living if we can just work for the good of all, to schooling systems in Finland where the focus is on educating children to be happy and curious. From urban planning in Copenhagen encouraging people to spend more time in public spaces, enjoying their surroundings, to the idea of floating cities in Asia. Ruby shows us that there are SO many good things happening in the world, and it’s a shame our news doesn’t focus on these more.

It’s well researched, short, punchy, and by the time you finish reading it, you’ll feel just that bit better about humanity. It’s inspiring, and makes you want to contribute, makes you believe that you can make a difference. Little old you. You could contribute to the cascade effect of kindness that might, just might change our world for the better.

This is the first book by Ruby Wax I have read. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and it's take on a number of issues.
It is a hopeful, inspiring and uplifting book and I enjoyed it.

In these really uncertain times that’s constantly filled with bad news it was so refreshing to read something positive an uplifting by the very funny Ruby Wax (I could almost hear her saying some of the things written!). Highly recommend to anyone who needs some positive reading!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

An uplifting and hopeful book.

This book was was slightly different from what I was expecting.

The book covered a whole lot of issues, from hunger around the world all the way to education.

It’s very direct at points. I found the book engaging, inspiring and leaves you this leaves feeling optimistic, which I feel we all need at the moment.

I’ve not read any previous Ruby Wax books but will certainly do so from now.
Wax explores different sectors such as business, learning and technology and takes a look at innovations happening in these areas in regard to how a brighter future may pan out. It’s optimistic and focuses on how to look after the planet and ourselves in a mindful, practical way.
Wax writes with skill and humour and much of what she writes about is not just regurgitated but she has visited the school, company, village to form her own opinion. Would thoroughly recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Many thanks to the author, publishers and Netgalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
This book is an absolute joy. It squeezes the goodness out of the difficult times that we are experiencing and seeks to give some meaning to them. It brings positivity and realistic interpretations, of the difficulties that we all experience, just getting by today. Ruby Wax is a force of nature, she writes brilliantly, engagingly and I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

I have always loved how brutally honest Ruby Wax was and this was no exception.

Ruby discusses her travels as she seeks out the good news rather than focusing solely on the bad news that is always portrayed by the media. She discusses topics such as education, business and technology and also relates them back to her own personal experiences.

It was actually refreshing to learn about all the great things that are happening in the world. I learned a lot not only about current events but about past history too! I also loved Ruby's humour throughout, she really is one of a kind!

I loved the additional details at the end relating the topics back to our current situation in lockdown and how we can view it in a more positive light.

A great read if you want to escape the current doom and gloom!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for providing me with a copy to read.

Brilliant! Filled with humour, I laughed out loud many times, and Ruby’s own wisdom and fascinating take on the world and our relationships with each other and our planet. Some genuinely good news stories as well as insight into Ruby’s life and upbringing, together with enough science to satisfy my inner nerd- this is a book you have to read in these times filled with nothing but doom and gloom on the news. There is hope for our future!

2 immediate disclaimers;
1. I read a free preview copy of this book via NetGalley.
2. I’m a bit of a Ruby Wax fan since she started writing books. (I’ve read her Frazzled, Sane New World & How To Be Human offerings)

“And Now For The Good News” keeps the author’s inimitable style; random, sarcastic and funny quips breaking up some serious information. There’s less focus on mindfulness and “within” and much more looking out into the big wide world for, as the title suggests, good news & “green shoots of hope”. In the 2020 that’s materialised it was so heartwarming and humanising to read true good news stories.
Beware that it’s not all good news and rose tinted spectacles though - you’ll learn some sobering and depressing statistics that lay the ground of WHY we need the change-makers and progress & what we can expect / demand from the future.
For me personally, I loved this book more than Ruby’s last title (How To Be Human). My favourite chapter by far is Chapter 6 ~ World Savers, where Ruby meets actual people in the real world who are doing unthinkable, inspiring, wonderful projects and actions that make a difference to the world and genuinely reignited my faith in humanity; I could easily have had the whole book follow this format.
With bad news dominating headlines in print and TV, do yourself a favour and see the other side of what’s going on - Ruby reminds us it definitely isn’t all bad - look for the “green shoots”

The world may feel like a scarier place than ever and 2020 has definitely been a year we can collectively write off, but Wax also reminds us in her straight-shooting and humorous manner that there are still things to be thankful for. In And Now for the Good News Ruby has investigated how recent and new developments in technology, education, business, health, food and social change are turning our world into a better place than it’s ever been. Drawing on brand new research, compelling case studies and exercises to reframe your thinking, this is your guide to embrace change.

Filled with hope, actionable tips and memorable facts, And Now for the Good News will inspire you to look at the world around you with a renewed sense of optimism. It will also empower us to take action to make the world a kinder, better place. An accessible, informative and surprisingly compelling read from the very beginning, I can't think of a single person who should not be reading this compassionate, heartening and life-affirming book right now to regain a positive outlook on life, its struggles and the fact that adversity can be overcome. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Penguin Life for an ARC.

I have been a big fan of Ruby Wax's writing since she started writing her 'brain-based' non-fiction. I was really looking forward to this book coming out.

As i am a teacher, I found the section on education really interesting. I completely agree with Wax's thoughts about the education system in the UK, and loved reading about other methods.

I really enjoyed this, but I really couldn't tell you what it was about. I found it all a little vague, and I wasn't entirely convinced of the concept. It felt a little all over the place for me. The structure didn't work at all. I enjoyed the topics but really disliked the lack of structure.

I loved this, what an uplifting and hopeful book. I adore Ruby Wax and all her books, so I was always pretty much going to be a fan, but this was slightly different than what I was expecting but pleasantly so, a lovely surprise to be surprised. This book covers the whole world of issues, literally from world hunger to the dodgy politicians, education and meditation. It’s a light tone but very direct at points and as always an amazing advocate for mental health awareness. This book is engaging, inspiring and overall this leaves you with a feeling of optimism which we all need at the moment.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion


Review left on goodreads and Amazon

My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my ecopy of And Now For The Good News. The book wasn't really what I was expecting but I think it comes at a good time for the world as we are all mid- Covid. It is refreshing to hear of all the green shoots of human kindness we can hope will grow big and strong.

I felt that the book could have done with a little more editing; it skipped around in places and went off on total tangents in others. At times it was uplifting but at others unfathomable. Overall though it gave me a feeling of optimism for which I am truly grateful.