Scan barcode
marillpop's review against another edition
It is interesting, but it takes a while to get through and I keep borrowing it from the library and I can’t seem to finish it. Maybe I’ll continue it one day.
kdawn999's review against another edition
3.0
This was engaging to listen to, and I like the through-line theme: what sets Homo sapiens apart is the cognitive invention of being able to tell fictions. I haven’t taken a formal anthropology course, but this book makes me want to—in other words, I wanted more than the broad overview of human history given here.
storeytale's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely essential, fundamental and fascinating reading.
berniesams's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
cinchona's review against another edition
4.0
The first chapter(s) are strong, and present an intensely interesting story of human evolution. I definitely recommend that bit to every reader--thinking about different hominid ancestors coexisting really sparks the imagination. Good job putting the best bit at the front.
The rest of the book is a broad, shallow survey of the history of humans, grouped into different periods (the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution, etc). The author is neither trying to develop a comprehensive, well-supported thesis, nor is he trying to give an impartial account of the history of humans. Instead, he skates swiftly through history, sharing his opinions on a diverse variety of topics, and trying to construct a picture of humanity at such a distance that you can just barely glimpse all of it at once. His writing is clear, not particularly flowery or academic.
For what it's designed to be, I think Harari's book is successful, and I'm glad to have read it. Some of his opinions are in line with my own, others I think are totally off-base, but this book was clearly not intended to put forth and exhaustively support its claims. Instead, it's a sampling of big ideas, and I appreciate that some interpretations were new to me, and interesting. Overall, the length dragged this down a bit--it's hard to breeze over dozens of ideas without touching down for hundreds and hundreds of pages--but most chapters brought forth at least one point that was worth jotting down for me to think about later. I also have a weakness for books directed at the layperson that bring science and history/social science together!
The rest of the book is a broad, shallow survey of the history of humans, grouped into different periods (the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution, etc). The author is neither trying to develop a comprehensive, well-supported thesis, nor is he trying to give an impartial account of the history of humans. Instead, he skates swiftly through history, sharing his opinions on a diverse variety of topics, and trying to construct a picture of humanity at such a distance that you can just barely glimpse all of it at once. His writing is clear, not particularly flowery or academic.
For what it's designed to be, I think Harari's book is successful, and I'm glad to have read it. Some of his opinions are in line with my own, others I think are totally off-base, but this book was clearly not intended to put forth and exhaustively support its claims. Instead, it's a sampling of big ideas, and I appreciate that some interpretations were new to me, and interesting. Overall, the length dragged this down a bit--it's hard to breeze over dozens of ideas without touching down for hundreds and hundreds of pages--but most chapters brought forth at least one point that was worth jotting down for me to think about later. I also have a weakness for books directed at the layperson that bring science and history/social science together!