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bobkat 's review for:
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
by Yuval Noah Harari
Harari reduces biology and the history of humankind to highly digestible chunks in this dubious yet inspiring read. TBH I legitimately ENJOYED this book, even given my quibbles with his simplifications. I liked his merciless attack on religion, especially that he picks apart his own (Judaism). He also, IMO, does a decent job of linking historical trends and giving a very broad picture of how we got here (i.e., to the breakdown of liberalism) and where we might go.
The sweeping scope and analytical superficiality make this book hard to categorize, but whatever it is, this troubling aspect of Harari's style makes it better suited to this kind of speculative work (though I wouldn't even call it philosophy), than to pop science writing (see the scientific community's backlash to [b:Sapiens|23692271|Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind|Yuval Noah Harari|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420585954s/23692271.jpg|18962767]). I kept thinking as I listened to the audiobook, "He really ought to try his hand at sci-fi." Speaking of which, I'm giving it an extra star because Chapter 4, "The Techonological Challenge: Equality" reads like 15 minutes of nonstop sci-fi plot summaries (as does Chapter 18: Truth: Sciece Fiction". As a book of prompts, highly recommended for creative writers.
The audiobook narrator, with his lush British baritone, may perpetuate the highbrow disguise, but he is also is pleasant to listen to, and hits the comedic notes perfectly.
The sweeping scope and analytical superficiality make this book hard to categorize, but whatever it is, this troubling aspect of Harari's style makes it better suited to this kind of speculative work (though I wouldn't even call it philosophy), than to pop science writing (see the scientific community's backlash to [b:Sapiens|23692271|Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind|Yuval Noah Harari|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420585954s/23692271.jpg|18962767]). I kept thinking as I listened to the audiobook, "He really ought to try his hand at sci-fi." Speaking of which, I'm giving it an extra star because Chapter 4, "The Techonological Challenge: Equality" reads like 15 minutes of nonstop sci-fi plot summaries (as does Chapter 18: Truth: Sciece Fiction". As a book of prompts, highly recommended for creative writers.
The audiobook narrator, with his lush British baritone, may perpetuate the highbrow disguise, but he is also is pleasant to listen to, and hits the comedic notes perfectly.