簡・古多爾（Jane Goodall），生於倫敦。自幼即對動物行為極感興趣。18歲離開學校，到赴非洲為止，她曾先後擔任過秘書以及影片製作助理。此後，她在非洲擔任古生物學傢路易斯・利基的助手，與利基的閤作經驗使她能於1960年在貢貝溪動物保護區設立一個營區，得以觀察該地黑猩猩的行為。1965年獲劍橋大學動物行為學博士學位。1991年，她倡議並成立瞭“根與芽”組織，目的是使從幼兒園到大學的年輕一代都能夠行動起來，為瞭環境、動物和他們自己的社區創造一個更加美好的世界。1995年，被英國女王授予勛爵士。簡・古多爾撰有許多書籍和論文，最著名的是：《生活在人類的陰影中》（1971）、《貢貝的黑猩猩：行為模式》（1986）以及《透過視窗：對貢貝黑猩猩的觀察》（1990），此著作已被翻譯成15種文字。

Those who know Jane Goodall through her many books, speeches, and National Geographic television specials, know she is obviously no ordinary scientist. She is a genuinely spiritual woman who cares passionately about the preservation and enhancement of life in all its forms.Based upon the many spiritual experiences that have graced and shaped her outlook on life, Dr. Goodall is convinced there is a higher purpose to life, and that this purpose can best be served by a sense of reverence for creation- a commitment to opening our hearts and minds to the spiritual ties that bind us to the Earth.In this book, Dr. Goodall takes us through the pivotal events of her life- her childhood in war-torn England, her relationship with the Leakeys, her groundbreaking work with the chimpanzees of Gombe- and in doing so, touches upon such topics as faith and love, mysticism and science, the origins of good and evil and evolution, and the existence of the soul and of God. She sheds light not only on why millions of people today are hungry for meaning, but on the steps we can take to transform our lives for the better; to rekindle our spirits and reawaken our minds