Book review: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.
Sapiens appears on many book recommendation lists, and I now understand why.
The author, Yuval Noah Harari, gives you a brief commented history of humankind. He explains how, as a specie, we arrived to where we are today and why we think the way we do1.
In each chapter, Yuval introduce and discuss an aspect of humanity, in a chronological order. For example, the birth of money, the difference between chimpanzee and us or the role of the state in the community. He remains very open on all subjects, often presenting a compelling idea followed by a counter argument as strong as the idea itself.
At first, it seemed like the author doesn't want to give his opinion. However, I believe the goal is to invite the reader to think and reflect on the idea; which he successfully did with me.
The book has more value in what is not written, rather than what is written.
Sapiens will remain a staple on my bookshelf; I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to history and anthropology: Sapiens was an excellent primer to both areas.
I highly recommend it.
I especially enjoyed the later chapters on the last four centuries, from the rise of science in Europe to the birth of capitalism and how it shaped the world as we know it today.
The second to last chapter on happiness was also a pleasant surprise. I did not expect it in this book. It is a subject I am curious about, and the content in the twenty or so pages about happiness were very thought-provoking.
Interestingly, the book was written in 2014 the last chapter is already feeling a tad obsolete2 as it praise how stable and peaceful the world has been in the last decade.