Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was fascinating and gave me a lot to think about. Do I agree with all the conclusions about Sapiens and humanity? I don't know yet. But did I enjoy considering all of them and reconsidering who I am and why I am who I am? Absolutely.

I originally rated this as 4 stars, because sometimes this is overwhelming. Upon looking back, it's probably my fault that I was overwhelmed, not the book's fault, so I've upped my score to 5 stars.

Also, I think it deserves the 5th star, because it's kind of amazing how it really does deliver on the title, in a way that is pretty cohesive. I definitely learned a lot, most of which I will probably forget again, but it was worth it to understand the journey of how we got from there to here.

It was also worth it to have some of my ideas about humanity be challenged, and to take a hard look at what the truth is behind human behaviors and actions. I've reached a point where it's rare for me to hear so many new or unexpected things in one book, and it reminds me that there is so much I just assume rather than actually know. I liked having to stop and questioning things that I've never questioned before. 5 stars for stretching (or attempting to stretch) my brain.

Book 14 read in 2019

Pages: 443

Cro-Magnon: How the Ice Age Gave Birth to the First Modern Humans, by Brian Fagan

This book offered many interesting details not only of Cro-Magnons, but of Neanderthals as well. The differences in the mode of dress (Cro-Magnons wore what looks much more like clothes, whereas Neanderthals wore heaps of furs), artistic tradition (cave paintings in France), and technology (the invention of the needle really was incredibly important), all make for an interesting read. One drawback for me was that the author took some artistic license in describing some aspects of Cro-Magnon life that do not yet have a solid scientific base. But you do get to hear about the Cro-Magnon version of the Louvre and all about their diet: marrow, dried fat, and rendered fat to drink!
audio: 10 hours
print: 320 pages