The New Yorker Festival Preview: Jane Goodall

I have to acknowledge that my event at this year’s New Yorker Festival—Jane Goodall Talks with Andy Borowitz—sounds suspiciously like one of my satirical Borowitz Report headlines. But such a conversation really did take place. Several months ago, the director of The New Yorker Festival, Katherine Stirling, asked me whom I’d like to interview at this year’s event, which runs through Sunday and features a variety of panel discussions, musical performances, and more. I said that, because science has been under attack recently, it would be wonderful to talk to a scientist. The name she came back with was Jane Goodall. It was like saying that I wanted to interview a basketball player and getting to talk to LeBron James.

Jane has been a hero of mine since childhood, so it’s not an exaggeration to say that the hour I taped with her was a conversation I’d waited for my entire life. (As The New Yorker’s Anna Russell recently reported, Jane, who is now eighty-seven, has been living in her native England since the start of the pandemic; we recorded our interview in advance.) Jane and I discussed her pioneering work with chimps and her efforts on behalf of the Jane Goodall Institute, a conservation organization that also seeks to inspire hope around the world. And, speaking of hope, we talked about her new book, “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times,” an exquisitely timed publication if ever there was one.

I also broached what might have been an incendiary topic for an expert on chimpanzees: Why do bonobos get much better press than chimps? The conventional wisdom is that, unlike chimps, who are prone to aggression, bonobos are furry pacifists. Jane confirmed that bonobos are less aggressive than chimps, but she’s still grateful that she studied the latter: bonobo behavior, as she explained it, is too steamy for the pages of National Geographic.

In non-pandemic times, Jane travels about three hundred days a year, advocating for wildlife and spreading her message of hope. I’ve certainly wondered how she has the energy for such a superhuman mission; it turns out that, in addition to her particular kind of passion and spirit, Jane also has a favorite cocktail, which she revealed during our conversation. I took notes.

If you’re envious that I got to spend an hour with Jane, here’s some good news: you can, too. Tickets to Thursday night’s virtual event are available to everyone, and our conversation can be streamed anytime before November 10th. Subscribe to The New Yorker to receive a discount, and one of our signature tote bags.