“Sapiens” is the entire history of humankind. The book is thick and rich with history and predications for the future of our species. I enjoyed Yuval Noah Harari’s depth and thorough explanation of religion, politics, culture, identity, and every other nuance of our species. Overall, the book was powerful and made me think more critically about why humans do the things we do. It was very much told through the lens of a biologist crossed with a historian. Everything was explained as if humans were just another animal being studied. The book gives a broad flyover of humans as if viewed by an alien race. Just as one might read a textbook about frogs, “Sapiens” is a textbook about humankind.

I especially enjoyed the first half of the book that explained the early history of humans. I found it to be careful and deliberate – largely from the perspective of a scientist, which was easy for me to understand. The second half of the book as Harari begins talking about recent history and modern humans felt more like a historical account and seemed to lack the scientific objectiveness I enjoyed from the beginning of the book. While I enjoyed the descriptions of wars, historical events, cultures, religions, etc Harari described, it read more like a history book without the same scientific explanations that made the first half so enjoyable for me. That said, I did learn a great deal and the information was presented clearly and in a way that kept me interested even though history is not a subject I excelled at.

The conclusion of the book looks to the future of humankind and how our species may change in the near future. This was another highlight for me. I found it incredibly fascinating how Harari brought in the concepts of intelligent design and how humans are now at the level of an intelligent creator, able to influence the evolution of our own species and others. Certainly an intriguing book that will make you think.

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Created Jun 15, 2019 at 11:28am • Submit your own review...