On August 22, 2011, Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party of canada lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. There was an immediate and sincere outpouring of grief across the nation and across party lines. No other politician in Canada's history has inspired this kind of spontaneous sorrow - clearly, Jack was loved!

This original ebook gives some indication of why. it consists of several essays from various contributors who knew and worked with Jack throughout his lengthy political career. They write passionately about Jack's tireless fight for the marginalized in Canada - the poor, gays, First nations. his fight for women's rights, for more environmental protection, and for the Arts in Canada. They point out that jack was the first politician to visit remote northern Ontario reserves when there was no political gain to be won by this act; that he marched in Gay pride parades long before it became the proper political thing to do; that he was respectful and understanding when told that the Take Back the Night march was for women only; that he was demonized when he first argued for Canada's withdrawal from Afghanistan, an idea that is now Canada's policy.

And in doing all this, he was able to retain his enthusiasm and optimism. Shortly before Jack's death, he wrote a letter to Canada. The title of this book refers to a line in this letter:

...love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving,
hopeful, and optimistic. And we can change the world.