in Maine

1

Preface

Yes, Maine could have been bigger  
  

2 

Introduction

A golden age of pessimism?
 

3 

Mandela, the cardinal, the jumper, and the bathroom

Optimism, realism, and wishful thinking
 

4

Widespread optimism that you barely notice

The optimism of trusting blindly
 

5

It all started with knives and table manners

The birth of optimism
 
6

Random choices & freak hits and misses

Optimism when things go bonkers
 

7

The fake Vermeer

Optimism vs. wishful thinking, 2.0
 

8

The invention that changed everything

The great divide between optimism and pessimism
 

9

Joe, Jeff, and the underappreciated luxury

Optimism and disruption
 

10

The jackpot and the mighty chess queen

The optimism of love and getting married
 
11

The strong women of Iceland

Optimism that comes with being born a woman
 
12
Setting clocks at sea
When optimism causes major harm
 
13
The 20th century was the worst and the best
Optimist for a penny
 

14
The day Maine’s Roswell saved the world
 The optimism of lessons learned
 
15
The girl who predicted a tsunami
Optimism instilled byunderdogs
 
16
How to achieve a goal, by Texas’s Sandra Brown and Maine’s Frances Perkins
Optimism instilled by large groups
 
17
Going bananas, ice, and free books in Maine
Optimism and pioneering
 
18
"Do not worry about tomorrow"
Faith based optimism
 
19
The golden day of tomorrow
The optimism of pursuing something shiny
 
20
The benefit of doubt
The vicious pessimism of conspiracy thinking
 

21

Shit happens
Optimism that builds on hardship
 

22
The single men and women of Russia and China
When optimism triumphs over making babies
 

23
 But what about Africa?
 How optimism replaces longtime suffering
 
24
America, the world’s captain
The optimism of a new generation
 

25

Breaking into the jungle, breaking out of jail
Optimism behind bars
 
26  
Epilogue  
When it actually does hit the fan  
 
 
27  
Notes and Sources