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saakah 's review for:
The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule
by Angela Saini
A question I have asked myself many times, and have spent a fair amount of time seeking a reliable source to learn from. This book offers that. I am so pleased it exists!
This book taught me so much, and incited a lot of questions and thoughts.
I did not expect to learn so much about archaeology, nor spend so much time thinking about the notion of "fact" versus personal, educated guesses, often shrouded in cultural biases, of those people we deem experts in a certain field (such as archaeology, history, sociology). The key is to question not only what is being said, but why that perspective might be given prominence, at that point in time.
I learned about human history - populations, ancestry, cultures, politics, social hierarchies and revolutions. Most unexpected, I learned about the politics of nationhood. How the need to grow populations and maintain loyalty can so heavily weigh on the rules and norms of the day - and how easily this can change based on the needs of the nation.
Gender stereotypes and traditions and how these play out in realms of power is a complex thing, and this book does a great job of teething out the issues and various ways, while not attempting to tie it all up in a neat little bow.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
The best information is thought provoking and inspiring, and as I close this book, I have a list of 15 others (referenced in this book) to seek out.
This book taught me so much, and incited a lot of questions and thoughts.
I did not expect to learn so much about archaeology, nor spend so much time thinking about the notion of "fact" versus personal, educated guesses, often shrouded in cultural biases, of those people we deem experts in a certain field (such as archaeology, history, sociology). The key is to question not only what is being said, but why that perspective might be given prominence, at that point in time.
I learned about human history - populations, ancestry, cultures, politics, social hierarchies and revolutions. Most unexpected, I learned about the politics of nationhood. How the need to grow populations and maintain loyalty can so heavily weigh on the rules and norms of the day - and how easily this can change based on the needs of the nation.
Gender stereotypes and traditions and how these play out in realms of power is a complex thing, and this book does a great job of teething out the issues and various ways, while not attempting to tie it all up in a neat little bow.
I cannot recommend this book enough.
The best information is thought provoking and inspiring, and as I close this book, I have a list of 15 others (referenced in this book) to seek out.