Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

3.4 (10)
$25.99

Product Details

Web ID: 14352321

Official U. S. edition with full color illustrations throughout. #1 New York Times Bestseller The Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg, now available as a beautifully packaged paperback From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity's creation and evolution-a #1 international bestseller-that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be "human." One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one-homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us? Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas. Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years.

  • Product Features

    • Author - Yuval Noah Harari
    • Publisher - HarperCollins Publishers
    • Publication Date - 05-15-2018
    • Page Count - 464
    • Paperback
    • Adult
    • Social Sciences
    • Product Dimensions - 5.9 H x 8.8 W x 1.1 D
    • ISBN-13 - 9780062316110
  • Materials & Care

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Ratings & Reviews

3.4/5

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2 years ago
from Dripping Springs, Texas

More fiction than fact, but entertaining

The book reads well, but you realize that Harari's perception of Humans is that we are pests or weeds, that make a mess of the world. That prompted a search for some critical reviews. Turns out that Yuval takes a lot of liberties with anthropology, but because he paints with broad strokes, they are not called out as incorrect by his peers. All of this is why I classify it as fiction, but historical.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago

I was blown away

I recently read "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" and was blown away by the scope and depth of the book. It was a fascinating and enlightening read that gave me a new perspective on human history and the many ways in which our species has evolved over time. One of the things I appreciated most about the book was the way it was written. The author, Yuval Noah Harari, has a clear and engaging writing style that makes the book enjoyable to read and easy to understand. He also does an excellent job of weaving together a wide range of topics and themes, including anthropology, biology, economics, and philosophy. I would highly recommend "Sapiens" to anyone who is interested in history, anthropology, or simply wants to learn more about the human species. It is a thought-provoking and highly informative book that I think everyone should read.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Oregon

Not worth your time

I suppose it's good to see the natural progression of evolutionary theory and unsubstantiated claims, from the very first page - chapter "An animal of no significance". p6 shows: "Our siblings, according to SPECULATIVE reconstructions" "it is doubtful whether Homo sapiens will be around a thousand years from now, so 2 million years is really out of our league" I stopped reading there, If you want some blatantly unscientific and depressing (and entirely naturalistic and borderline racist) view points then this book is the way to go.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

3 years ago
from AZ

Big disappointment

I was excited to read this book from the publicity that it got. I thought the table of contents was a great structure to tell a lot of world history but it was just a precursor to a book filled with disproven theories and a fraudulent sense of an all knowing perspective that left no room for any doubt or scientific reason.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

3 years ago
from Burlington, VT

Extremely biased, long nihilistic opinion

Nothing but overly simplistic, whiny, snobby, subjective, and pessimistic views of history. It feels like one big virtue signal to how primitive ancient people were compared to how contemporary people live now. The writer can’t seem to comprehend why ancient people might believe in religion for any reason, or why certain laws were put in place in different societies. The book has nothing but personal complaints between the writer and the views and actions of ancient people.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

4 years ago
from NH

Great start, fades out

Very interesting start, explains a part of human history often glazed over. Would recommend reading the first 100 pages and stop as soon as you get bored. Starts to show biases and becomes unstructured after that.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

4 years ago
from Chicago

I recommend this to everyone!

I thoroughly geeked about over the evolution of humanity and culture.

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

4 years ago
from California

Entertaining and thought provoking

Recounts our history in a easy to understand and entertaining tone that keeps you engaged and wanting to read more. Broadens your perspective exponentially

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com