a book

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Name: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Rating: 5 (83 reviews)
Author: Yuval Noah Harari
ISBN: 9780062316110

Yuval Noah Harari · 2015 · 464 pages

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. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become? Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem.

recommended by 83 people

sourced from public statements

Joe Rogan
“Really enjoying “Sapiens” by yuval_noah_harari It really puts in perspective how bizarre human beings are. It’s an awesome overview of our species.”↗
Reid Hoffman
“A grand theory of humanity.”↗
Lex Fridman
“Basically one of the things we've created here is we've imagined ideas that we all share.”↗
Peter Attia
“Q: Are there any books you haven’t mentioned that you feel would make your reading list? P.A.: I would also include the following books: The Emperor of All Maladies, Where Men Win Glory, The President’s Club, The Most Important Thing, Sapiens, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, 10 Percent Happier, The Rommel Papers, King of the World, The Corner and Good Calories, Bad Calories.”↗
Demis Hassabis
“Really great book”↗
Ashton Kutcher
“The brainy book I seem to be sharing or talking about the most lately.”↗
Chris Evans
“I’ve said it before and I’ll definitely say it in the future, the book Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is truly mind-blowing. It’s changed the way I look at almost everything. I can’t endorse it enough.”↗
James Cameron
“It explains human behavior and why we are the way we are in human civilization from soup to nuts. And I’ve read it now a couple of times. It’s a pretty astonishing book.”↗
Whitney Cummings
“A great book about how we’ve evolved and why we have anxiety.”↗
Daniel Ek
“One of the most talked about books of the last couple of years, and for good reason. Both sobering and conservatively optimistic in equal measure, it seems even more relevant for us at the moment to learn from our socio-anthropological history.”↗
Karlie Kloss
“It’s an amazing book on the beginning of humanity. It’s scientific but also philosophical. It’s written by Yuval Noah Harari. I heard him speak and it’s fascinating. It’s about humanity and how we came to be. It’s a book that I carried around for a while but it’s like 500 pages.”↗
Nir Eyal
“I couldn’t put Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari down. I found Harari’s writing to be engaging yet academic and authoritative—that’s not easy to do. It inspired me to see if my writing could have a similar impact.”↗
Ryan Shea
“One of the books I’ve given most as a gift.”↗
Changpeng Zhao
“3 books I recommended on Pomp's podcast. These books help you understand how our world works (or doesn’t work). This understanding is essential for success.”↗
Sebastian Junger
“I’m going to give Sapiens over and over again to everyone I know.”↗
Simon Mayo
“Love this book still”↗
Hrithik Roshan
“@joy_in_words Book - Sapiens, Movie - Aviator”↗
Jessica Alba
“American Like Me by @AmericaFerrera & Sapiens -A Brief History of Humankind @harari_yuval”↗
Trevor Sumner
“@JJFilson Great book and agree. But can wealth just be created by desire? It may not be a zero sum game but aren’t there some constraints? If we keep creating more and more wealth mechanisms, can we just buy more things with no downside?”↗
Mitch Joel
“Have you read the book, Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari? Great read. Here's his @TEDTalks on the topic. Mind=blown:”↗
Joe Gadway
“Wonderful book! Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari Francis Bacon said history can make us wise. Here is a history of the whole human race!”↗
Dan Snow
“I'm sitting on Miami Beach in the sun reading this excellent book, drinking rosé, listening to cheesy 90s R&B. 2016 has a kiss in its tail”↗
Greg Siskind
“Day 3: I’ve been nominated by @filadin to post covers of 7 books that I love with no explanations or reviews. Each time I post I will ask another to take up the challenge. Today I nominate @bluebirds4418”↗
Helen Zille
“@Savo_Heleta Just a little quote from Yuval Harari's Sapiens, one of the best books I read this year. Someone should have given it to you for Christmas, if you are prepared to look beyond your Fanon blinkers.”↗
Marcellus Wiley
““Sapiens” by Yuval Harari Great book!”↗
Akshay M
“@Trader_Calm Yeah, of the few books that you can feel yourself getting smarter as you read them :) I would put Taleb's Incerto series also in these category of books.”↗
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