veronicaisreading's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
This is a must read for anyone in the field of Anthropology or has an in-depth passion for the history of humankind. Can be dense at times, so the casual reader may lose interest. I loved it.
finn_1312's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation and Genocide
Moderate: Slavery and War
Minor: Antisemitism, Cannibalism, Torture, Kidnapping, and Rape
anarchism, archeology, societal organizationselketjewett's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
Deeply interesting and thought provoking. Also long and slow in places.
boosttergold's review
1.0
The problem with books like Dawn of Everything is that there is a degree to which they are completely impervious to legitimate criticism. If the audience disagrees with the arguments presented, either they are constrained by the hierarchy of the system in place so you can't take them seriously or the criticism misses the point of the book because the book is only trying to challenge previous notions, so by thinking about it differently, it has achieved its goal. It is maddening in a way that can't be expressed in words.
Aside from this issue, Dawn of Everything seems like a book that began with a thesis and then began to find information that fit into that, and judging from the criticism many anthropologists seem to have as well, it appears to be a pretty consistent complaint. Hardly anything is sourced, everything seems to be cherry picked and when they do provide evidence it is presented as fact because the authors say it is. The book has been said to be
"perilously close to scholarly malpractice," and honestly, that's probably being kind. This is one of those books that makes people feel smart for reading and talking about but can't stand up to any level of honest, well thought out criticism. But of course that's not the point. Because it challenged our previously held notions, you see, it achieved its goal.
Just laughably bad and atrociously depressing.
Aside from this issue, Dawn of Everything seems like a book that began with a thesis and then began to find information that fit into that, and judging from the criticism many anthropologists seem to have as well, it appears to be a pretty consistent complaint. Hardly anything is sourced, everything seems to be cherry picked and when they do provide evidence it is presented as fact because the authors say it is. The book has been said to be
"perilously close to scholarly malpractice," and honestly, that's probably being kind. This is one of those books that makes people feel smart for reading and talking about but can't stand up to any level of honest, well thought out criticism. But of course that's not the point. Because it challenged our previously held notions, you see, it achieved its goal.
Just laughably bad and atrociously depressing.
mjfmjfmjf's review
3.0
That was a tough read. I'm not sure it was improved reading it a chapter a week. But I'm not sure that I would have stuck with it without a book group to talk to about it regularly. Fascinating. And I feel like I learned a lot. But wow this book needed editing, needed to be teased into multiple books.
There were a couple of basic concepts, it is not clear that everyone would agree which was the most important. For me, it was that the basic science of anthropology and archaeology are not making it out into the world - that things that everyone should know aren't known.
And the things that people don't know, including other researchers, are that civilizations don't come from cities, that agriculture is a choice, that autocracy isn't inevitable, that non-autocracy has scaled in the past, that slavery comes and goes and is a choice.
There is just so much in this book - I am hoping that this has impact and other better, more accessible, books appear.
There were a couple of basic concepts, it is not clear that everyone would agree which was the most important. For me, it was that the basic science of anthropology and archaeology are not making it out into the world - that things that everyone should know aren't known.
And the things that people don't know, including other researchers, are that civilizations don't come from cities, that agriculture is a choice, that autocracy isn't inevitable, that non-autocracy has scaled in the past, that slavery comes and goes and is a choice.
There is just so much in this book - I am hoping that this has impact and other better, more accessible, books appear.