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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
This is a gorgeous, meaty read that's like a sprint through (and update of) my undergraduate cultural and biological anthropology survey courses, integrating greatest hits from some seminal reads, like [b:Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies|1842|Guns, Germs, and Steel The Fates of Human Societies|Jared Diamond|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1453215833l/1842._SY75_.jpg|2138852], [b:How the Mind Works|835623|How the Mind Works|Steven Pinker|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387741747l/835623._SY75_.jpg|2085667], and [b:Acts of Meaning|1605646|Acts of Meaning|Jerome Bruner|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388282518l/1605646._SY75_.jpg|1598964] among others. I'm most fascinated by the idea that the distinguishing characteristic between homo sapiens and other human species that have walked the Earth (as well as other non-human species) is the ability to create - and believe in - fictions. Note the plural; this isn't fiction, as in, literature. This is the constructs around which we create social contracts (itself a fiction): democracy, corporations, economic systems, the rule of law, gods. These are things that transcend human lives, that don't have a physical reality that we necessarily have to negotiate in order to survive as biological beings, yet they're what allowed sapiens to dominate the world. It fascinates and disturbs me, particularly in the current historical moment where competing visions of how society should be organized and where exactly our sense of rights and freedoms derive are in a pitched battle. The mode of presentation, like a European folio-style comic, is superb.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Great work from a comic format perspective. Loved how the authors put the complex points of the original Sapiens book into this format. I loved it, it helped me reframe many arguments.
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Exuberantly illustrated, and for the most part very concisely told. Just a bit hard to get into at the start, but last third made me really marvel and despair at just how much we can never know about our species' cultural histories, and all the animals that have gone extinct as a result of our existence
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Beautiful art style and very accessible writing. I especially liked the fact that theories of extinction and prehistoric cultures were discussed while explicitly stating that very little can be substantiated by actual evidence.
I found it fascinating, but this is not for everyone. Some topics are discussed for quite a long time and if you are not interested in these types of historical projects, this is perhaps not the graphic novel for you. If you are, however, I would highly recommend picking up a copy.
Honestly, since this graphic novel focused on prehistoric peoples instead of our entire history like in the book this was based on, I would say that I actually enjoyed this a bit more. There was more room for discussion and theoretical pondering.
I found it fascinating, but this is not for everyone. Some topics are discussed for quite a long time and if you are not interested in these types of historical projects, this is perhaps not the graphic novel for you. If you are, however, I would highly recommend picking up a copy.
Honestly, since this graphic novel focused on prehistoric peoples instead of our entire history like in the book this was based on, I would say that I actually enjoyed this a bit more. There was more room for discussion and theoretical pondering.
I treated myself to this hefty graphic novel at a local bookstore in Providence. I've wanted to read this book for a while, and I really enjoyed the exploration of our ancestors and all who roamed the earth for tens of thousands of years in this engaging format. I find the part about how humans from that era fundamentally changing the fauna in different continents particularly enlightening. I'll definitely share with my teens, and I don't think we do a great job in our school system educating children about our early ancestors and all of the species (neanderthals, etc) that pre-existed us.
When I'm back in Providence, I'll get part 2.
When I'm back in Providence, I'll get part 2.
the art didn't do it for me. I'm just going to read the original instead.
adventurous
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
i’ve been wanting this book for so long and it really didn’t disappoint. the illustrations are well done and the source material was engaging if not a bit uniquely weird the way the history is told