

100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens. How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations and human rights; to trust money, books and laws; and to be enslaved by bureaucracy, timetables and consumerism? And what will our world be like in the millennia to come? In Sapiens, Dr Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, ...
mlewsimpson51
Jul 2, 2020
I am a Former History Teacher, student of history and culture. I have never read a book with such rapt attention as this. The way Harari looks at specific pieces of historical and archeological evidence and explains exactly how that changed things moving forward, how that one development shifted humankind's future was really revelatory for me. He helped me think more deeply about small things (the first carved figure of humans copulating, the first coins, the first paper money, etc.) and what those demonstrated about human culture. Frankly - I will re-read this in the coming years. I recommend it to everyone - but take your time - it's not a light read. Think about each chapter deeply. It will give new insights.