Sapiens

I'm not sure when I have learned more about humanity than with the books of Yuval Harari.

I recommend this book as it is the first of the series, and I could read it over and over and still not have captured everything that Yuval Harari explores and teaches us.

A great historian who uses history to explore our future, Yuval Harari is one whose books I read every chance I have.

Bored with history books full of battlefields, military equipment, long lists of battles and treaties, and discussions of changing alliances among the heavily intertwined royal families? I certainly was. And that’s why I found Yuval Noah Harari’s unique look at the history of our civilization so appealing.

In particular I greatly appreciated his focus on scientific and technological progress as drivers of development, highlighting in particular the role of the European Scientific Revolution of 16th century CE, an episode much less appreciated than the later Industrial Revolution but probably equally consequential.

A top pick for anyone who wants to… show more.

As a historian, my reading leans heavily toward the historical, whether fiction or non. Seldom does a book grab me like Sapiens did.

It changed my perspective of human evolution with its basic premise that what was good for the human race (homo sapiens) has not necessarily been good for the individual human. A fascinating, smoothly written history of humankind that is hard to put down—honest! Even if you’re not a historian! (This would make an excellent book club book.) 

When I read Sapiens, it inspired me to read more on migration of homo sapiens and how the human evolutions in different fields took place over thousands of years.

From hunter-gatherer to a social animal journey is covered in detail with respect to economical and political development over ages. The genetic mutation is very well explained apart from religion, myths, and Gods. It has inspired me to write my own book.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind is, first of all, a great read and page-turner. 

Harari takes us on a journey from the emergence of Homo sapiens in East Africa to the present day, covering key milestones such as the Agricultural Revolution, the rise of civilization, empires, and technology. Through insightful analysis, he delves into topics like the development of language, the impact of myths and religions, and the role of technology in shaping our species and our lives.

This thought-provoking book challenges readers to question the fundamental nature and future trajectory of humanity. Was agriculture a ‘good thing’? What… show more.

History repeats itself. That was never more clear to me until I finished reading Sapiens. 

A Brief History of Humankind is a must read for everyone to understand the historical context of where we collectively came from and where we’re going. 

The reality of human history includes long periods of brutality, war, and uncertainty. Only within the last few hundred years have we become civilized enough to develop complex systems of organization. 

When you can see the long road of progress and how none it was a sure thing, then you will appreciate that the road ahead isn’t written in… show more.

You can’t understand who we are and where we’re going without understanding who we were and where we’ve been.
Sapiens encapsulates the history of humankind with perfection, capturing the nuances of our complexities, the patterns of our tendencies, and the shortcomings of our wiring. It reveals so much about ourselves that we often overlook or completely disregard.

Reading this book was like meeting humanity for the first time.  

Examining the emergence of our species reveals just how wonderful we are and each of us is.

Yuval Noah Harari is particularly impressed with the moral stories that enable very large numbers of us to cooperate, not only within families and tribes, but within nations and the world.

Harari also writes about the evolution of social institutions such as money, instrumental to cooperation among large numbers of people.

I am not a fan of the history genre, but this book glued me to its pages. I like how this scholarly presentation of our evolutionary history became a publishing phenomenon that surprised publishers and booksellers. I like its in-depth but clear explanations and the distilled messages that can help us make better decisions for the future. The most impactful message for me was how the stronger and bigger-brained Neanderthals disappeared whereas we, the Sapiens, evolved rapidly because our predecessors were able to communicate and operate as teams of individuals with diverse skills.

Harari weaves an engaging and intriguing story about where we came from. Unlike Bryson’s Western Hemisphere view, he provides a Middle Eastern perspective to these deep issues. Like Bryson, the arc of his volume addresses some of the biggest questions troubling humankind. So, two views of similar issues that we can compare and contrast—which stimulates our own thinking about those issues and how our own regionality might affect our thinking.