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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
I started Yuval’s Sapiens over the summer and couldn’t put it down. Then heard him talk of the graphic novel series. I loved this and am eager for the next three parts. The art is thoughtful and the presentation of history is provocative and engaging. Digestible history!
adventurous
informative
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A very creative adaptation of the first part of one of my all-time favourite books. I loved the illustrations, the setting, and the cast of characters. I don't know if I'd rate this so highly if this was my first interaction with the material and if Sapiens wasn't one of my few five-star reads, but this was a fantastic way to revisit some of that material and I've already started Volume 2!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Volume one of the epic, beautifully illustrated graphic history of humankind, based on Yuval Noah Harari's internationally bestselling phenomenon
In a world deluged by irrelevant information, clarity is power. How can we see the big picture without getting caught up in an infinity of little details? One way is to step back, to look at the really big picture: the entire history of the human species. Sapiens: A Graphic History, The Birth of Humankind is the story of how an insignificant ape became the ruler of planet Earth, capable of splitting the atom, flying to the Moon, and manipulating the genetic code of life.
With Yuval Noah Harari as your guide, and accompanied by characters like Prehistoric Bill, Dr. Fiction, and Detective Lopez, you are invited to take a ride on the wild side of history. The graphic format offers readers a new intellectual and artistic exploration of the past. Human evolution is reimagined as a tacky reality TV show. The first encounter between Sapiens and Neanderthals is explored through the masterpieces of modern art. The extinction of the mammoths and saber-toothed tigers is retold as a "whodunit" movie. Sapiens: A Graphic History is a radical, and radically fun, retelling of the story of humankind, bursting with wit, humor, and colorful characters. If you want to know why we are all trapped inside the dreams of dead people — read this book.
In a world deluged by irrelevant information, clarity is power. How can we see the big picture without getting caught up in an infinity of little details? One way is to step back, to look at the really big picture: the entire history of the human species. Sapiens: A Graphic History, The Birth of Humankind is the story of how an insignificant ape became the ruler of planet Earth, capable of splitting the atom, flying to the Moon, and manipulating the genetic code of life.
With Yuval Noah Harari as your guide, and accompanied by characters like Prehistoric Bill, Dr. Fiction, and Detective Lopez, you are invited to take a ride on the wild side of history. The graphic format offers readers a new intellectual and artistic exploration of the past. Human evolution is reimagined as a tacky reality TV show. The first encounter between Sapiens and Neanderthals is explored through the masterpieces of modern art. The extinction of the mammoths and saber-toothed tigers is retold as a "whodunit" movie. Sapiens: A Graphic History is a radical, and radically fun, retelling of the story of humankind, bursting with wit, humor, and colorful characters. If you want to know why we are all trapped inside the dreams of dead people — read this book.
Ecce Homo
Review of the Signal Books paperback edition (Oct. 27, 2020) translated from the French language original [b:La Naissance de l'Humanité|55616466|La Naissance de l'Humanité (Sapiens, #1)|David Vandermeulen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602337432l/55616466._SX50_.jpg|84457524] (Oct. 7, 2020) based on a portion of [b:Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind|23692271|Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind|Yuval Noah Harari|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1595674533l/23692271._SY75_.jpg|18962767] (2014) translated from the Hebrew language original [b:קיצור תולדות האנושות|38465678|קיצור תולדות האנושות|Yuval Noah Harari|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518141024l/38465678._SX50_.jpg|18962767] (2011)
Thumbnail from the official trailer for "Sapiens: A Graphic History: The Birth of Humankind (Volume 1) available on YouTube here
This was an enormously entertaining graphic novel adaptation of Yuval Harari's popular non-fiction summary of the history of humankind. This is Volume 1 of an expected 3-Volume graphic version which will presumably be completed in 2022. This volume covers the Cognitive Revolution with volume two expected to cover the Agricultural Revolution and volume three the Scientific Revolution.
I have not read the non-graphic original, so I can't be sure how much of the visual adaptation is original, but writer David Vandermeulen and artist Daniel Casanave have done a tremendous job in producing an entertaining and educational graphic novel. There are some wonderful Easter Eggs in the art as well for those who pick up on popular culture visuals, e.g. a graphic character bends over backwards at one point in a nod to the Keanu Reeves/Neo character filmed in 'bullet-time' in the movie The Matrix.
Trivia and Link
The next book in the graphic adaptation series will be [b:Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 2: The Pillars of Civilization|57924373|Sapiens A Graphic History, Volume 2 The Pillars of Civilization|Yuval Noah Harari|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|90619126] and it is expected to be published October 26, 2021.
Review of the Signal Books paperback edition (Oct. 27, 2020) translated from the French language original [b:La Naissance de l'Humanité|55616466|La Naissance de l'Humanité (Sapiens, #1)|David Vandermeulen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1602337432l/55616466._SX50_.jpg|84457524] (Oct. 7, 2020) based on a portion of [b:Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind|23692271|Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind|Yuval Noah Harari|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1595674533l/23692271._SY75_.jpg|18962767] (2014) translated from the Hebrew language original [b:קיצור תולדות האנושות|38465678|קיצור תולדות האנושות|Yuval Noah Harari|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1518141024l/38465678._SX50_.jpg|18962767] (2011)
Thumbnail from the official trailer for "Sapiens: A Graphic History: The Birth of Humankind (Volume 1) available on YouTube here
This was an enormously entertaining graphic novel adaptation of Yuval Harari's popular non-fiction summary of the history of humankind. This is Volume 1 of an expected 3-Volume graphic version which will presumably be completed in 2022. This volume covers the Cognitive Revolution with volume two expected to cover the Agricultural Revolution and volume three the Scientific Revolution.
I have not read the non-graphic original, so I can't be sure how much of the visual adaptation is original, but writer David Vandermeulen and artist Daniel Casanave have done a tremendous job in producing an entertaining and educational graphic novel. There are some wonderful Easter Eggs in the art as well for those who pick up on popular culture visuals, e.g. a graphic character bends over backwards at one point in a nod to the Keanu Reeves/Neo character filmed in 'bullet-time' in the movie The Matrix.
Trivia and Link
The next book in the graphic adaptation series will be [b:Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 2: The Pillars of Civilization|57924373|Sapiens A Graphic History, Volume 2 The Pillars of Civilization|Yuval Noah Harari|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|90619126] and it is expected to be published October 26, 2021.
I never read the original book, but got this as a gift for my daughter. After she finished, she passed it back and suggested I read it. Gets 4 starts for grabbing and holding her interest as well as generating some interesting conversations in our house.
It made her more interested in / aware of some of the topics covered. For myself, I am torn. It was engaging, with some chapters stronger than others - both of our favorite chapter was Masters of Fiction. Yet, as an adult it felt like a podcast version - where interesting ideas are touched on and explored in a provocative way but without any followup or contextual understanding - specifically, which theories are more widely accepted / have more evidence, and which aren't and what some of the evidence is that supports/doesn't support it. Of course, that kind of depth likely exists in the original book and isn't ideal for a graphic novel, but it ended up leaving us both feeling like we learned *something*, enough to be dangerous, but not necessarily conversant. And thus, like a podcast, it ends up feeling more passive and on to the next snack of intellectual "junk" food (tastes great, less filling!).
It made her more interested in / aware of some of the topics covered. For myself, I am torn. It was engaging, with some chapters stronger than others - both of our favorite chapter was Masters of Fiction. Yet, as an adult it felt like a podcast version - where interesting ideas are touched on and explored in a provocative way but without any followup or contextual understanding - specifically, which theories are more widely accepted / have more evidence, and which aren't and what some of the evidence is that supports/doesn't support it. Of course, that kind of depth likely exists in the original book and isn't ideal for a graphic novel, but it ended up leaving us both feeling like we learned *something*, enough to be dangerous, but not necessarily conversant. And thus, like a podcast, it ends up feeling more passive and on to the next snack of intellectual "junk" food (tastes great, less filling!).
One of the best ways to know ourselves personally is to study our species collectively. We can better know our own tendencies and capabilities by learning about the tendencies and capabilities of our forebears. While our written history can only go back a few thousand years, our anthropological and archaeological history extends back tens of thousands of years. As the artifacts and clues have accumulated in various museums and research universities, our human story becomes more and more revealed for us to read. This book is a narrative of our story based on the leading theories made accessible for younger audiences in graphic novel format. It is based on Harari’s much acclaimed longer format book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.
Our story begins at a time when Homo Sapiens were still in Africa. At the same time, at least 5 different human species were populating various parts of modern day Europe and Asia. Ancestors of the Neanderthal, Homo Erectus, Homo Luzonensis, Homo Denisova, and Homo Floresiensis all had previously made their migrations out of Africa. They too all seem to have made use of stone tools and fire. How did our species then come to leave Africa, displace all the other human species, and come to populate the entire globe?
70,000 years ago seems to be the major milestone that jump started our own migration out of Africa. The last ice age was coming to an end which allowed herds of animals to trek north behind the retreating ice shelf, accessing new plants and fresh water along the way. Sapiens followed along making use of the abundant flora and fauna along the way.
Neanderthals were likely the first human species our Sapien ancestors encountered on their journey. While some suggest that Neaderthals were displaced by interbreeding and superior hunting tactics, a leading theory proposes that genocide might have hastened the demise of our European ancestors. Of course this is both tragic and humbling to consider that our human legacy of Earth domination came at the expense of wiping out an entire species of human that had previously survived for 270,000 years. This theory seems likely as humans have been committing genocidal actions throughout our history - even up to the modern times.
Sapiens ability was honed over many generations as their culture developed. One of the key reasons for this evolutionary success was the advent of fictional stories. Religion, nations, money, and corporations are all common examples of cultural fictions. They exist only in the imaginations of humans. According to Harari, “you could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven," because a monkey can only see the here and now and is unable to imagine a fictional reality of greater value than the one most accessible.
Another shocking revelation is the amount of large animals that were driven to extinction from Sapien hunting. Where 200 animals over 100lbs had roamed the Earth prior to our ancestor migration, now less than 100 remain. More than half of all megafauna that lived and bred successfully for thousands of years were gone within a few generations of their contact with humans.
Of course this isn't just our past. We Sapiens have continued to migrate and destroy ecological habitats causing many more extinctions since. Almost 29% of all Earth's species are now in critical risk of extinction.
So is this really a kids' book with talk of genocide and animal extinction by our own ancestors? Is ignorance bliss or is their freedom in knowing more? I've always said my job as a parent is not to shelter my children from the world, but to prepare them as best I can for responsible and meaningful adulthood. Knowledge is power and power bestows on us a responsibility to act in ways that coincide with what we know. If knowing these things makes your child (or you) better know our human history - with all its shock and wonder - they might then better know themselves. Our first step toward the solution of any problem is to first articulate it and acknowledge that it is a problem. Ignorance got us into this mess and it's not likely to get us out.
Volume 1 ends just as humans are entering the Neolithic Revolution where they finally learn to settle down and domesticate agriculture. You can learn more in Volume 2 or in the full length book.
Our story begins at a time when Homo Sapiens were still in Africa. At the same time, at least 5 different human species were populating various parts of modern day Europe and Asia. Ancestors of the Neanderthal, Homo Erectus, Homo Luzonensis, Homo Denisova, and Homo Floresiensis all had previously made their migrations out of Africa. They too all seem to have made use of stone tools and fire. How did our species then come to leave Africa, displace all the other human species, and come to populate the entire globe?
70,000 years ago seems to be the major milestone that jump started our own migration out of Africa. The last ice age was coming to an end which allowed herds of animals to trek north behind the retreating ice shelf, accessing new plants and fresh water along the way. Sapiens followed along making use of the abundant flora and fauna along the way.
Neanderthals were likely the first human species our Sapien ancestors encountered on their journey. While some suggest that Neaderthals were displaced by interbreeding and superior hunting tactics, a leading theory proposes that genocide might have hastened the demise of our European ancestors. Of course this is both tragic and humbling to consider that our human legacy of Earth domination came at the expense of wiping out an entire species of human that had previously survived for 270,000 years. This theory seems likely as humans have been committing genocidal actions throughout our history - even up to the modern times.
Sapiens ability was honed over many generations as their culture developed. One of the key reasons for this evolutionary success was the advent of fictional stories. Religion, nations, money, and corporations are all common examples of cultural fictions. They exist only in the imaginations of humans. According to Harari, “you could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven," because a monkey can only see the here and now and is unable to imagine a fictional reality of greater value than the one most accessible.
Another shocking revelation is the amount of large animals that were driven to extinction from Sapien hunting. Where 200 animals over 100lbs had roamed the Earth prior to our ancestor migration, now less than 100 remain. More than half of all megafauna that lived and bred successfully for thousands of years were gone within a few generations of their contact with humans.
Of course this isn't just our past. We Sapiens have continued to migrate and destroy ecological habitats causing many more extinctions since. Almost 29% of all Earth's species are now in critical risk of extinction.
So is this really a kids' book with talk of genocide and animal extinction by our own ancestors? Is ignorance bliss or is their freedom in knowing more? I've always said my job as a parent is not to shelter my children from the world, but to prepare them as best I can for responsible and meaningful adulthood. Knowledge is power and power bestows on us a responsibility to act in ways that coincide with what we know. If knowing these things makes your child (or you) better know our human history - with all its shock and wonder - they might then better know themselves. Our first step toward the solution of any problem is to first articulate it and acknowledge that it is a problem. Ignorance got us into this mess and it's not likely to get us out.
Volume 1 ends just as humans are entering the Neolithic Revolution where they finally learn to settle down and domesticate agriculture. You can learn more in Volume 2 or in the full length book.