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124 reviews for:
a hunter-gatherer's guide to the 21st century: evolution and the challenges of modern life
Heather E. Heying
3.25 AVERAGE
124 reviews for:
a hunter-gatherer's guide to the 21st century: evolution and the challenges of modern life
Heather E. Heying
3.25 AVERAGE
Immediately no, they somehow got into TERF bs within the first five minutes of listening to the audiobook.
Content Warnings
Minor: Transphobia
challenging
informative
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Good book useful tips and insights. A little repetitive at the end
informative
medium-paced
Wow-- if I had a nickel for every time I was recommended a popular nonfiction book that turned out to be complete pseudoscience, I would have so many nickels. The only reason I didn't DNF is because I have a goal of 100 books this year.
We started out with a really smooth narrative overview of the evolution of life on earth, which I found a helpful and inte esting refresher and took some notes from as a biology teacher myself. That's the only reason it gets one star instead of zero.
It quickly devolved into crunchy granola mumbo jumbo-- sunscreen is cancer, fluoride bad, all pharmaceuticals evil, our kid broke a major bone and we wouldn't let the doctor cast it-- with a sprinkling of transphobia and an aside about needing a whole other book to discuss the sociology of homosexuality, which didn't fill me with confidence that said book would be LGBTQ+ friendly! It ended with some BS about COVID, whereupon I looked up the authors and found they were involved in some big anti-vax COVID controversy and take ivermectin proactively to avoid contracting the disease... how special. I'll keep my peer-reviewed research, thanks.
Always Google your authors first, besties.
We started out with a really smooth narrative overview of the evolution of life on earth, which I found a helpful and inte esting refresher and took some notes from as a biology teacher myself. That's the only reason it gets one star instead of zero.
It quickly devolved into crunchy granola mumbo jumbo-- sunscreen is cancer, fluoride bad, all pharmaceuticals evil, our kid broke a major bone and we wouldn't let the doctor cast it-- with a sprinkling of transphobia and an aside about needing a whole other book to discuss the sociology of homosexuality, which didn't fill me with confidence that said book would be LGBTQ+ friendly! It ended with some BS about COVID, whereupon I looked up the authors and found they were involved in some big anti-vax COVID controversy and take ivermectin proactively to avoid contracting the disease... how special. I'll keep my peer-reviewed research, thanks.
Always Google your authors first, besties.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Transphobia
For some reason, this happened to be my slowest read for a book with very interesting topics.
Disappointing. This could have been really fascinating if it had been more philosophical/ explorational in its presentation. It’s a fascinating topic and I think I basically wanted this to be written by Michael Pollan or someone with a similar style. Instead I got a list of “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots” which, while somewhat based on actual evidence, merited far more exploration than they received. Even when I agreed with the authors’ vehement opining (which was really for most of the book) the rigidity of it made me want to push back and say, “Hang on, let’s actually DISCUSS that interpretation and examine other possibilities.” That did not happen. If this topic interests you, take a cultural anthropology class, or even read a textbook. You’ll get far more out of it.
Not great. No new ideas. I don't really understand how the first chapters going into scientific details correlate with the latter ones. Unless they were only included to show that the authors actually have some understanding of science? Nor did the book deliver what the title promises beyond trite recommendations. Unfortunately I listened to the audiobook. Someone should have told the authors to hire a professional reader. The two authors swap off reading between chapters. Heying has a raspy quiet mumble and Weinstein is much louder. Awful. Painful. Annoying. Later I found out they have a podcast, ohhh they like to hear themselves talk. Now it makes sense. The podcast is truly painful to listen to because of their voices. And then I learned about the gross controversies surrounding this couple. I should have skipped this one. Perhaps an interesting read if this is your absolute first exposure to evolutionary biology, anthropology, prehistory etc etc. If you are expecting something clever and new, skip it.
informative
medium-paced
This is effectively a pop science primer in which the topics are broad but the information is limited. Heying and Weinstein pragmatically organize the content of each chapter topic with a description of the evolutionary purpose, contemporary considerations and inhibitions, and a "corrective lens" of recommended lifestyle alterations. Throughout, Heying and Weinstein acknowledge the (unaddressed) breadth of each topic, yet the supplemental studies cited seem insufficient. Additionally, there is a general lack of presenting and refuting counterarguments. This, combined with the interwoven anecdotes - which offer an interesting narrative - reinforces an unintentional appeal to authority. As such, the writing tends toward a proselytizing tone at times. While the topic is inherently political, it is largely non-partisan and the ideological influence is more personal than anything. However, it isn't surprising they live in accordance with the values they believe are most healthy in relation to evolutionary biology. Overall, Heying and Weinstein effectively encourage the reader to question potential trade-offs of modernity with a somewhat Malthusian conclusion.
medium-paced