Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

This innovative account of humanity's origins and evolution—a #1 worldwide bestseller—by a distinguished historian delves into the ways that history and biology have shaped who we are and have improved our comprehension of what it means to be “human.” There were at least six distinct human species living on Earth 100,000 years ago. However, there is now just one—Homo sapiens. How did the others fare? And what may occur to us? With this very unique book that starts around 70,000 years ago with the emergence of modern cognition, Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mould of most works on the history of humanity, which take either a historical or a biological approach. Sapiens blends history and science to challenge conventional wisdom, make connections between historical trends and current issues, and analyse particular events within the framework of bigger concepts. Examples of these connections include analysing the role that developing humans have had in the global environment and tracking the emergence of empires. Dr. Harari also forces us to look forward, since in recent decades, people have started to deviate from the four billion-year-old rules of natural selection that have guided life on Earth. We are learning how to construct not just the environment we live in, but also ourselves. What do we want to become and where is this going? This thought-provoking and perceptive work, which includes 27 photos, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, is bound to ignite controversy and is a must-read for fans of Robert Wright, Sharon Moalem, Matt Ridley, James Gleick, and Jared Diamond.