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cornynat's review against another edition
3.0
A pretty interesting history of Europe in the context of relatively recent archaeogenetics findings... and a good reminder that humans have always adapted and migrated, etc., and that there's nothing indicating paleo life (as a popular example) is the way humans are "meant" to live. Plus, the cover is pretty :) However sometimes the amount of detail given felt too shallow, and the simplifications too simple, but at least it didn't drag.
That being said, it still took me a few months to finish - with the book being written in short, easily digestible sections, I got in the habit of setting it aside pretty often at the breaks; but it's a good book for doing that with. Each chapter has a fun title and is precluded with a helpful 2-page map and intriguing heading that makes you want to read on. Examples:
"CH 2, Persistent Immigrants - Everybody's doing it with everybody else. Archaic humans make themselves understood, somehow. Modern humans conquer Europe. No chance of permanent residence. Everybody goes South for the Winter. An unexpected reunion. The hunters have blue eyes."
"CH 5, Single Young Men - What happened to the indigenous Americans? The West collapses; newcomers arrive from the East. They're strong, and they brought horses. Drink more milk!"
That being said, it still took me a few months to finish - with the book being written in short, easily digestible sections, I got in the habit of setting it aside pretty often at the breaks; but it's a good book for doing that with. Each chapter has a fun title and is precluded with a helpful 2-page map and intriguing heading that makes you want to read on. Examples:
"CH 2, Persistent Immigrants - Everybody's doing it with everybody else. Archaic humans make themselves understood, somehow. Modern humans conquer Europe. No chance of permanent residence. Everybody goes South for the Winter. An unexpected reunion. The hunters have blue eyes."
"CH 5, Single Young Men - What happened to the indigenous Americans? The West collapses; newcomers arrive from the East. They're strong, and they brought horses. Drink more milk!"
grayday5's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.25
Pretty good for a book that covers more than 10,000 years of history. It's short, easy to read, and has pictures.
mzwhitle's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
5.0
This is a succinct look at the genetic history of Europe and it's three pillars: hunter gatherer DNA, Anatolian farmer DNA, and nomadic steppe DNA. The authors explain how they have identified these three groupings and when these migrations happened: hunter gathers move in after the glaciers recede, the farmers move in about 8000 years ago, and then the steppe people come about 5000 years ago. It's mostly kept vague and general, as befits a subject as complicated as the admixture of a population's genetic material. I found the section about all the new diseases rather nauseating and less interesting that the section about the migrations. The last chapter of the book goes into some detail about why it is difficult or even impossible to identify genes associated with intelligence and then to make generalizations about one ethnic group being smarter or better than another. All in all, a great book.