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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
sad
slow-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
While beautifully written, the prose of this book can be quite dense, with hefty paragraphs and a languid pace. This is the kind of book you have to enjoy one chapter at a time, and you've got to have your entire brain on to appreciate it. More noticeable paragraph indentations and more illustrations to add some visual space and additional context would have benefited this book, but that's more on the book designer than on the author.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
hopeful
informative
informative
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Easiest 5 stars of my life. New favourite non-fic!!!
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
"For humans, defining the point at which we are confident of claiming ‘humanity’ is difficult. What, after all, distinguishes us from other animals? There was no moment at which humanity suddenly arose – the populations that led to Pan and the populations that led to Homo did not undergo a sudden shift. [...] However hard you try to define every point before the signpost as non-human, and every point after the post as human, the river flows continually onwards."
This was a beautifully written and narrated walk through prehistoric evolution.
I loved learning about the intricacies and political charge of labelling certain species as 'native,' and how certain plants evolved to be appealing and delicious to others (so the seeds can be eaten and spread around) while others, like grass, wind-pollinate and therefore evolved ways to not be as appetizing. Some of the facts provided were also shocking, such as humans comprising 36% of all mammals, and the fact that chickens make up 60% of all birds worldwide! It really highlighted how due to our huge push for domestication, we are rapidly pushing out wild species altogether.
"Evolution today can only be played within the constraints set by the past."
There were two main things that kept this book at about 3.75 rather than a 5 star read for me. First, this book is written in reverse-chronological order, starting from 20,000 years ago to 550 million years ago. This felt extremely counterintuitive to me because I'm accustomed to moving from past-present-future, and it made it hard for me to get a mental timeline in mind.
Secondly, while some sections of the book were stunning, I found other sections to be quite dry. Some of the descriptions of animals and plants bored me to tears. Particularly when it would be one species I have never heard of hunting another species I have never heard of for 5 pages straight. This is probably a personal downside, because it gave me Discovery-Channel-narrator vibes, which I personally do not enjoy but I know many people do. If you're a person who can happily listen to 10 hours of nature documentaries, then this will not be a problem for you.
Overall, still an excellent book and I would recommend if you're looking for a combination of non-fiction nature and history!
This was a beautifully written and narrated walk through prehistoric evolution.
I loved learning about the intricacies and political charge of labelling certain species as 'native,' and how certain plants evolved to be appealing and delicious to others (so the seeds can be eaten and spread around) while others, like grass, wind-pollinate and therefore evolved ways to not be as appetizing. Some of the facts provided were also shocking, such as humans comprising 36% of all mammals, and the fact that chickens make up 60% of all birds worldwide! It really highlighted how due to our huge push for domestication, we are rapidly pushing out wild species altogether.
"Evolution today can only be played within the constraints set by the past."
There were two main things that kept this book at about 3.75 rather than a 5 star read for me. First, this book is written in reverse-chronological order, starting from 20,000 years ago to 550 million years ago. This felt extremely counterintuitive to me because I'm accustomed to moving from past-present-future, and it made it hard for me to get a mental timeline in mind.
Secondly, while some sections of the book were stunning, I found other sections to be quite dry. Some of the descriptions of animals and plants bored me to tears. Particularly when it would be one species I have never heard of hunting another species I have never heard of for 5 pages straight. This is probably a personal downside, because it gave me Discovery-Channel-narrator vibes, which I personally do not enjoy but I know many people do. If you're a person who can happily listen to 10 hours of nature documentaries, then this will not be a problem for you.
Overall, still an excellent book and I would recommend if you're looking for a combination of non-fiction nature and history!
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
hopeful
informative
slow-paced