Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Sapiens

Don't read this book if you're in recovery from disordered eating. The author manages to bring up obesity and issues with food in places that seemingly had nothing to do with diet.

Otherwise, read on. It's an interesting book, though it definitely has a pessimistic view of everything from farming practices to medicine to our future. I disagree with the author on a very basic level, and I think some of his reading of certain scientific studies is suspect. I suppose I hope readers read this with a skeptical mind and don't let his worldview replace yours.

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merilyn_ohtla's review

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informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

In his book "Sapiens," Yuval Noah Harari presents a historical timeline in which he sheds light on significant advancements achieved through various "revolutions" in human history, such as the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. Challenging established perspectives, he encourages fresh ideas about our modern way of life and argues against the notion of a natural way of living.

Harari specifically focuses on the Agricultural Revolution and its profound impact on not just diets, but also on family and community structures, which continues to influence our present era. While the surplus of food brought about opportunities for leisure and cultural development, the majority of people still carried the burden of laborious tasks.

Strong opinions are expressed by Harari with regards to money, culture, and capitalism. A notable quote from the book states, "Money is the only trust system created by humans that can bridge any cultural gap, and that does not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, race, age, or sexual orientation."

Finally, Harari concludes by reflecting on the imminent revolution in human society and the irreversible changes we are causing to our environment.

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keishac13's review

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

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scifipunk's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book was a very informative and yet surprisingly entertaining recap of literally, the history of humankind as modern scientists understand it.
There is a lot of information in there, but the lively style makes it easy to read regardless.
I enjoyed that Harari manages to approach complicated issues from multiple perspectives and explains controversies among scientists very well. All opinions given are explained, and the author interestingly does not leave out issues he does not have a satisfying answer or explanation for (yet), but rather admits to that and moves on.
I also noticed that the translator localized all examples or comparisons, and did so very well.
This is one of the books that I see myself re-reading over and over in the future, and I truly wish it had been around when I was a child.

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burnt_milk's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

Overall a really interesting read with a lot to say about our place in the world and especially what we deem "progress". However there was such a rudimentary view of gender even for 2014 - no acknowledgement of intersex people, and while there is some talk about gender roles and differentiating gender from sex, the author avoids talking about trans people, and clumsily uses "he or she" for every example.
I've read in other reviews that there are also a few factual inaccuracies in the text.

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