Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Author: Yuval Noah Harari
Title: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Published: 2011
Publisher: Vintage
Pages: 512
Genre: Nonfiction

     Planet Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it. Us. We are the most advanced and most destructive animals ever to have lived. What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us Sapiens? In this bold and provocative book, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here and where we're going. Sapiens is a thrilling account of humankind's extraordinary history - from the Stone Age to the Silicon Age - and our journey from insignificant apes to rulers of the world.

     I am always one to find out new things, it is a gift to be able to expand our knowledge on any given subject. And there is a great deal to be learned about this little planet we call home. From the latest recipe to what holds this world together. But This time around I wanted to look at something a little closer to home. This book was a gift and has been sat on my to be read pile for quite some time. I suppose it's been there for so long, mostly due to its sheer size. I kept picking it up and then putting it back. It is one of those books you need to devote a fair bit of time to. Well, there is no good reason to put off those long books anymore.

     We take our selves for granted in a great many aspects. We assume we know what there is to know about our selves. I mean not only do we inhabit these bodies but we are taught from an early age about where we come from and what makes us, us. But here is the problem with that, I don't feel we do. It is hard to be subjective when it comes to looking at our own essence. We are far more programed than we would like to believe. For most of us, our world views a based on those around us. Which as I was to discover can be more than a little off shall we say. We are at the mercy of our times. It shapes everything around us. But this does not mean that's how our ancestors though or looked at there world. If you go back a hundred years the world we live in now would be the realm of science fiction. But for us, they are all things we take for granted. This I think was the author's aim in writing this book. It was to show us that everything is in a state of flux. Today's retro was once upon a time state of the art. 

     With each chapter, Harari sets out to show that from the dawn of Sapiens we have always had an impact on the world at large. And while we like to think of all the positives we have achieved there is a downside to our conquest of the world. Our ancestors where never really that bothered about greenhouse gasses or what it meant to hunt a species to extinction. For them, it was merely survival and god help anyone or thing that got in our way.  We have pillaged and plundered our way across ever know land since we first picked up crude weapons. But it was also interesting to read how the outlook of our leaders has shaped this a great deal. For instance, Europeans have looked at distant lands as something to take and make our own whilst certain Asain countries looked at as a means of trade. It is hard sometimes to square the actions of those who came before us with what we know now. But as they say, hindsight is a wonderful thing, and to say we are still not making those same mistakes now and will continue to do so might just be a little foolish. 

     But it is a great thing to see our history splayed out across these pages. Harari gave me a much better understanding of such a large subject it bite-size pieces. All the while keeping my attention firmly glued to the pages. Maybe this is in part to never staying on one subject too long. For me it felt like a starting point, A here are the key facts now go and look for your self. It is a book that I was happy to spend time with. Having come out the other side, I feel much better educated it just how much of us as a species exists simply because that the way it is. We believe in something so it becomes manifest. Whether this makes life any easier I would not like to say but it might just explain a few things.