Title: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Author: Yuval Noah Harari
Genre: Adult Non-Fiction, History
Reviewed by: Brian, Athy Library
How do you write a history of the world in 500 pages and make it comprehensive, engaging and original? This is something that Yuval Noah Harari has managed to do, but by taking a somewhat different perspective.
What he has actually written is a history of humanity; that is how humans have developed and changed and interacted with the world and each other from their very origins up to now. He begins with the somewhat idyllic life of the hunter-gatherers (which we have been for most of human history). He then looks at the development of agriculture and the massive effects it ultimately had on nature and animal life. He also examines how religions and economies developed and how the world in many ways ultimately has become one society. He even takes a speculative peek into the future at how artificial intelligence may change everything utterly.
Harari is not short of opinions, although he does argue them rather subtlety. When describing how humankind has treated animals, for example, it’s pretty clear that he is a vegetarian. But he doesn’t make the mistake of pushing his views on the reader too stridently.
Overall, an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.
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