1
Yes, Maine could have been bigger
2
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
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History is written by optimists & so is the future