When a comedian, even one so multi talented as Rubi Wax, writes a non fiction book you can expect to be entertained but may not expect to be enlightened. But in her usual jaunty style the author attempts to do just that. Although Ms Wax clearly speaks as a fully paid up, woke, liberal member of metropolitan liberal culture, her message is one of hope. "Green shoots of civilization are peeping through the soil of civilization and may just bloom into a brighter future", she trills. This is such a contrast to the usual manifesto of gloom, negativity and anger that it lifts the soul. The book then identifies a rather random list of minor and idiosyncratic examples of acts of human kindness which she claims point the way to a more enlightened future. For more realistic and compelling reasons why humanity is emerging from its solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short past the more serious reader might be better of reading Yuval Noah Harari's book "homo Sapiens". But as a holiday pick me up this should put a skip in the step of the most gloomy hipster.

This is a positive call to action for us to all change the way we live our busy lives. Ruby Wax considers different ways we were living - rushing round and getting stressed. Whilst not all of us could escape to a rural commune to live, stress free, it encourages us to look at our lives and make some changes. This was written before the COVID19 crisis and it is interesting reading it and recognising that restrictions have forced us to re-evaluate our lives. A great book and great fun. I recommend it.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Ruby Wax had always been one of those people you notice so her name on a book got my attention then the title sealed it. As well as a comedian I seem to remember her from lots of the big charity appeals someone that used her fame for good. But enough about Ruby and something about her book, well it's good it's about how the world is improving and how we can actually be a part of that and not just by not clicking our fingers (Jimmy Carr ref)
With so much going on in the world it's easy to miss the good and the difference others are making and not referring to politicians but people who grab the bull 🐂 by the horns and stand up and do something, She looks at several parts of life tech, food environment and education & there is not a dull page to be found, yes even with the subject matter there's plenty of humour and facts but then there is much good to shout about, Ruby likes to shout as written by someone whose only seen her stage side. Your right I don't know Ruby personally so some assumptions that are open to error. However what I know for a fact is this is a great book and very well researched and one that will challenge you and having sat through many mindfulness talks and exercises she has explained it in a way that I now understand a lot more what its about. Just letting that thought settle, not judging it or the people I've heard or read before. Thoughts of no I'm letting them go """.
Anyway this is à book that challenges or rather it did me and holds up views I hadn't seen before and confirmed a few I thought but wasn't sure. If this book doesn't stir you then you may need to check the temperature as your probably find you've frozen. I also love the idea of her frazzled cafe this can be googled but I advice reading the book for the full experience, and like any good non fiction I find it's good to read a bit (like a chapter at a time) then thinking or "reflecting" on it to be more trendy I got a lot from it I hope you do, Thanks Ruby.

And Now For The Good News by Ruby Wax covers topics such as technology, community, business, education. It combines factual information and personal experiences and I found some parts more interesting than others.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review. I’ve read one of Ruby’s book previously with regard to mental health and this sounded intriguing.
It’s a great breakdown of our current errors and what we can do to fix them as a community my biggest being education that is definitely broken in this country.
An insightful book with Ruby’s usual witticisms and a look into how her mind works. I believe she’s of the baby boomer generation but she wants to help rather than hinder in this world as she points out we all need to cooperate to create a better world and covid should be a way to reset some of our traditions and such.

With everything that's been going on in the last 6 months (yes it really has been that long since this whole pandemic started) I have really bought into the escapism element of reading to give myself a break from the drama of real life. When I saw this book on NetGalley, I figured now would be the perfect time to read it; on the whole, I was right.

This is an optimistic look at how we may be able to undo some of the modern-day mess that we've allowed ourselves to get into. Yes we're addicted to technology, but in the near future it could be saving our lives in ways we haven't even imagined yet. Yes we're overeating, but there's time for us to rejuvenate farming and undo the damage. Yes, business is dog-eat-dog, but we're starting to realise the importance of purpose over profit. Essentially the message of this book is that there's a lot to be scared of in this world, but there are signs that we're starting to realise how we can make it better and ultimately we're still in control (of what we consume and how we consume it, in all senses of the word), we just need to remember that.

It would be easy for a book of this nature to come across as preachy, but the conversational, light-hearted, humorous tone makes everything feel accessible and less scary. It feels very much like having a chat with your friend, who just happens to be really passionate about these particular topics. The snippets of her life that the author has chosen to include to help highlight her points serve to make the book feel more personal, and keep everything in perspective - Ruby Wax is admitting that she is just as guilty as the next person when it comes to perpetuating these societal problems, but is doing something about educating herself in a different way of life and sharing her learnings with us.

My only hesitation with this book is that the title is all about good news, but on a couple of the topics it felt like there was a little too much emphasis on how things are now rather than how they could be. At times I found myself feeling a little depressed or anxious when reading, rather than uplifted or hopeful. Thought, maybe that was the author's intention - spark change in her readers by making them realise how scary and sad current reality is.

On the whole, I came away from this book feeling like there was hope for what is currently holding us back to be the same thing that propels us forward, if we all just spend a little time focusing on how we use it. The main thing for me, though, is that I don't feel like I was beaten over the head to come to that conclusion - Ruby Wax's unique style made it feel easy and fun.

The description of this book was what drew me in initially as I have stopped reading the bad news and wanted to focus on some good news for a change.

Ruby Wax researched and wrote this book before Covid-19 pandemic hit but this doesn't make this book invalid, if anything it makes it more important to read.

The book is easy to follow for something that covers quite heavy topics. I think sometimes we get caught up on all that is going wrong in todays world but Ruby Wax has highlighted the green shoots of hope that are popping up all over the world and recognising people that are making changes. Hopefully in time, corporate greed will become as unattractive as smoking is now.

The pivotal point in the book for me was Ruby's experience visiting refugees and refugee camps. I am now researching ways I can help because this is not ok that people are living in these conditions and I not sure how we as a society have become immune to this. Hopefully this book will raise awareness in some way as like Ruby says, we need to move away from a materialistic consumer driven life where we idolise celebrities and instead realise less is more and the true celebrities in life, doctors, nurses, teachers, humanitarians etc are who we should be recognising and idolising.

This was a really nice book. Ruby notes that this was written before Covid-19 and reflects this in the book.

It's definitely a cute book to read with the constant 24hr news cycle of misery. It's well researched and a good little read.

A very interesting and well research book, focusing on the rarely explored topic of how good some things in the world actually are.

Now obviously, this is a challenging topic, especially given present times, as for a lot of people life is harder than ever. But Wax acknowledges this herself in the introduction, contemplating how for each person, their ability to focus on the good and consider how good the future could be is dependent on their own circumstances - if you’re focusing on where your next meal is coming from, you’re not going to be thinking of much else!

Wax focuses on a wide range of topics, ranging from business to education to food. Some chapters and naturally more interesting than others, but each impacts it’s own wisdom, and I found myself screenshooting several of the more relevant sections to revisit later.

All in all, a very unique and interesting read, that may help you find a bit of light in these dark times we’re living through. Also one that can be easily dipped in and out of, so perfect if your attention span is suffering at the moment!

Disclaimer - I was provided with an advance reading copy by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way and all opinions are my own.

I was interested when I saw the description of this book - heaven only knows we need hope for the future more than ever at the moment. Ruby wrote this before the pandemic and has obviously spent a lot of time researching. She looks at a number of different aspects of life and writes about what she calls the green shoots of hope. I didn't find all of it interesting { some of it is a bit too hippy for me!}, but I enjoyed the section on education, as I am a retired teacher, and I particularly liked her account of visiting refugee camps and meeting some of the amazing people involved. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

Let's be honest, very few good things have happened in 2020. This is my first book from Ruby Wax as I try my hand at more non-fiction titles. This book appealed to me because world events have been so depressing lately, and I’m constantly searching the web for some small positives among all the negatives.
I liked how Wax has acknowledged this book was written before the coronavirus pandemic and has made some amendments and notes in the text with this in mind. If you think coronavirus has rendered anything written here irrelevant, you will be pleasantly mistaken. The depth of research and the level of detail is very impressive and commendable. Wax has studied ‘green shoots of hope’ in many aspects of our daily life from the way we live, to the food we consume to the technology we use.
I really liked how Wax’s voice and sense of humor left their mark on the book. I have previously struggled with non-fiction books being a bit boring, but there are some very funny anecdotes and the facts are kept to the point, interesting and (especially when writing about complex tech developments) easy to understand.
I think my favorite chapter was on businesses making a difference because it was nice to see familiar brand names taking part in environmental schemes. It basically gives you the green light to treat yourself to more Ben and Jerry's ice cream.
This book shines a light on the hope we all need right now. There are people and communities and business’s working to make sure the future isn’t all doom and gloom. I’m very glad Wax took the time to write this for us all.
I’ll be eagerly awaiting my printed copy when this is published, there are so many interesting points made here that I would like to bookmark and look into further.
Thank you to #netgalley for providing me with this fantastic arc.

(posted to goodreads, will share further on my Instagram)

Another gem from the wonderfully talented Ruby Wax. This book, as with all of hers is written in an easy, conversational, honest way and you really do feel that you are talking about these important issues with a friend. She takes the reader with her as she explores and questions and she is never afraid to show her true self which makes the book so readable. This book is full of hope and I can't think of a time when we needed hope more that we do right now.

With huge thanks to Net Galley, The publishers and of course Ruby.

Just the tonic needed during these uncertain times.
Ruby Wax combines her in-depth knowledge on mindfulness, psychology and human behaviour with her witty delivery to write about the future and what challenges we face but, importantly, the good news angles, solutions and hope for all.
I have enjoyed her previous books regarding her experiences with depression and her childhood, and have a strong respect for her humanity. I think this book combines the elements of these books but with some more of her personal experiences, anecdotes, diary entries etc of what others are achieving and doing in the world shining a light on hope.
I read the chapters easily and it left me with a feeling of needing to discover more, do more and to spend less time on my phone (don't we all) am ultimately an optimist, even during the hardest challenges, so this good news approach was right up my street.
If you feel about inspired from recent events to change your outlook, live life differently, or perhaps are feeling concern for the future, this is an excellent book to read. I

Yawn, sorry, not one for me this. It was like reading a really boring text book. I wasn’t sure what the book was about when I chose to read it, but assumed from the author that it would be hilarious. Unfortunately I was totally wrong and I just found it an uninteresting collection of ramblings about a variety of topics – business, education, technology. There were an astonishing number of facts, which shows the author has obviously done a lot of research, but none that I will remember sorry. Think I’ll stick to novels in future.

This is the first book I have read by Ruby Wax and what a way to start. I have never found myself "googling" so much information and buying other books by architects, innovators etc as I have from this one read.
This is a book that everyone should read especially those in power at the highest levels but also town planners, educators (the list goes on).
The book is well researched and certainly opened my eyes to various aspects of how we could improve the world that we live in and even turn technology into an enabler for good.
Well done to Ruby for identifying so many issues and solutions in one small book - though my bookshop now has orders for so many other books on various subjects as I try to expand my knowledge. As an educator I would love to have Ruby in my school to talk to and inspire the students.

Well, it is a nice change to have something good to look forward to, in the future, and Ruby points out that we have gradually moved on and made progress since the Spanish Inquisition, though we do have Covid now, so the Plague is upon us. Still, we have made progress slowly and Ruby shows us how much. A good book, and I would recommend it.

I enjoyed this book. It is a very easy read in a chatty, conversational style, and it is a very welcome change to read something so positive and hopeful.

This is an excellent book that takes you on a positive journey through various chapters that include 'science, leadership, teaching, diet' and it's all about what is good in the world and within this diverse human race.

I've not read any of the author's previous books, but, I very much enjoyed her style of conversational writing and this is a book crammed with gems of information. It's a book you can choose to dip in and out of, or, like me, read in one sitting.
Either way, I wish it much success as, jeepers, we need this positivity at the moment!

A gem of a positive book, that had me chuckling and thinking differently, all at the same time!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business. Congratulations , Ruby Wax, think this will be a hit.

A great read. I have previously enjoyed Ruby’s books about mental health and this was just as interesting. I like her conversational style and this is about the ‘good news’ in the world. Nice to read some positivity in the current climate (which she does briefly acknowledge in her preface - she finished writing this pre-COVID.) This includes sections on technology, business and community. I agreed with a lot of her opinions, particularly those about education. The current government should read this and take note (speaking as an ex-secondary Teacher.)

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy.

This is the 1st Book I have read of Ruby Wax and I really enjoyed this Book about the good news in the world , This book was written prior to COVID 19

With thanks to NetGalley & Penguin life for the ARC Of this book exchange for this review