Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Reviews

• 
  Magnus Borg

  Excellent book on though topics. Of course there will be negative reviews as the stand on religion and other "sensitive" topics will be hard for many to swallow. But if you are only going to read one book in your lifetime make it this one.
• 
  Eff

  'Sapiens' is a short telling of the entire human history, from pre anatomically modern humans through the agricultural and scientific revolutions and to the present. Or so it attempts to be.Unfortunately, this enormous task is the book's own undoing. There is no room for any indepth discussions about the various complex issues, and no room to discuss the evidence. The book is filled with assertion after assertion, and virtually nothing to back them up. I looked in the reference section and I was shocked to see how few citations there were. Such a massive subject derserves ten times citations. If you think you're getting a good scientific description of the facts, don't buy this book. This book is essentially his opinions, and not much else.Any person who has strong knowledge within any of the subjects in the book will quickly realise that Harari is not an expert on much of what he writes about. He does not just make many claims. He makes many wrong claims. And many, many misleading ones. It's one of those books that are popular with the layman, but not so much with the expert.When he leaves the topic of evolutionary biology, premodern history, and starts talking about modern history the book gets slighter better. Or is that just because I'm not as well versed in those topics? Do I just not see his errors there, just like a layperson would not see his errors in his account of evolutionary biology, intelligence research, and ? I won't know. The problem is I can't put much trust in him, because there are so many things wrong or misleading stuff elsewhere. And he doesn't provide sufficient evidence.Even in the better parts of the book, it is ultimately somewhat dull. Not much new to learn for me, unfortunately. There are so many books about humans, many of them much better than this.I wouldn't claim that this is the worst book ever, obviously. But to say that it is overhyped is to put it mildly. If you want to read a story, then perhaps you might find it interesting. If you want a factual account that is supported by an honest look at the available evidence, then go somewhere else.
• 
  Harvinder Singh

  The paper and print quality are very poor. Sending fake printed books in the name of special collector's edition and that too without colours. I found a better book through different vendor as compared to this Harsh Books.
• 
  Connor

  Harari has a knack of weaving complex and interesting concepts into stories, which allows the reader to feel smarter for having understood him. The book is very interesting and despite its length, can be zipped through due to its easy reading style.Unfortunately, I also have to agree with many of the one star reviewers, that the books downfall is the almost constant speculation he engages in, without providing further evidence. As an example, he states 'the creators of the cave paintings at Chauvet, Lascaux and Altmira almost certainly intended them to last for generations.'This kind of statement is endemic of the sloppy thinking he engages in, where he will assume something for the sake of the narrative.This wouldn't be a problem if it were in isolation, but it is a pattern repeated throughout the book, where he will base a conclusion off an assumption, then proceed to build a whole story off it. This relegates the book to a speculation rather than a historical account.I would also advice Christians that he is rather condescending about religion in general and Christianity in particular. He describes Christianity as a 'myth' to be put in the same category as belief in Odin or in Wood Spirits. AS a Non Christian I was annoyed over his presumptive anti theism so I have no doubt that many believers will find him infuriating.To sum up, this is an interesting and infuriating speculation of the humankind. Take it all with a shaker of salt.
• 
  JD

  If you are a believer, this book is a total waste of time. It is not at all a history of humankind, as it follows the scientific route. Yet to find scientists who can provide something which, when they are dating something, confirms without any shadow of a doubt that it was there at the beginning!
• 
  goodreads Customer

  Of course when you're reading a book, you know the author's views & opinions will be biased, but when you're reading a book, the last thing you want is to be bombarded with strong opinions all the time, subtle hints here and there are good.I mean, you wrote a book about it, so I think people have a pretty good idea on where you stand, but the author smacks it in your face, and that ruined the book, which is a shame because it had the potential to be a great book, don't get me wrong, this was a good book, but not a great one.