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kspann's review against another edition
Too slow to come to point. Time ran out on library card.
cylz's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
Very quick read with lots of super interesting insights. Readers might enjoy Rutger Bregman's Humankind: A Hopeful History for some similar themes.
I had a bit of an issue with the author's gendering of male and female emotions and attributing them to sex. There are of course some traits and behaviors humans experience that are generally biologically related to sex, but he associates many traits to men and women, later saying that if there are no men or women present in a situation then the role can swap. He specifically says at one point that these traits or behaviors are more related to gender than sex, but that makes me wonder why gender them then? If the person expressing them can alternate depending on the context, it follows (in my mind) that they are societally gendered rather than biologically assigned.
There was nothing ill intentioned about this, though, and I was able to look past it and still take away lessons from it.
The author is very fair and seems well researched across the board. I learned a lot about Native Americans (he calls them American Indians and explains why at the top of the book), and a lot about the psychological impacts of war and returning to society. The book is accessible and insightful. Definitely recommend.
I had a bit of an issue with the author's gendering of male and female emotions and attributing them to sex. There are of course some traits and behaviors humans experience that are generally biologically related to sex, but he associates many traits to men and women, later saying that if there are no men or women present in a situation then the role can swap. He specifically says at one point that these traits or behaviors are more related to gender than sex, but that makes me wonder why gender them then? If the person expressing them can alternate depending on the context, it follows (in my mind) that they are societally gendered rather than biologically assigned.
There was nothing ill intentioned about this, though, and I was able to look past it and still take away lessons from it.
The author is very fair and seems well researched across the board. I learned a lot about Native Americans (he calls them American Indians and explains why at the top of the book), and a lot about the psychological impacts of war and returning to society. The book is accessible and insightful. Definitely recommend.
dreiac's review against another edition
4.0
An insightful book about the colossal psychological and emotional effects between wholesome communities and modern society.
jmacl42's review against another edition
3.0
It had some really interesting parts and cool stories. The insights into human cooperation and our sense of belonging to groups really were good. I just felt it focused on war a lot and didn’t leave me with an overwhelming awe about the subject that I was hoping to feel. It’s good but not great.
kgsvamp's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Interesting to see the psychological and societal implications of our innate need for belonging and community and how depression, loneliness and alienation, stem from our departure from the close-knit bonds of traditional tribal societies.
freckleduck's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I found this book interesting. I feel like as someone who reads a lot of nonfiction some of his ideas need to be taken with a grain of salt and are unrealistic for our current modern lives. Also I don’t know that I agree with his gendered a view of the world he presents but it was interesting nonetheless.
chronicallymel's review against another edition
2.0
when he started to romance war and survival, I kinda checked out. A masculine perception of tribes and trauma survival.