BOOK REVIEW

 

                                             

Author: Yuval Noah Harari  |  Book: Sapiens – A Brief History of Humankind  |  Genre: Non-fiction (Historical, Cultural Evolution)  |  Language: English  |  Pages: 498  |  Publisher: Harper    

 

                                                Blurb

“We cannot explain the choices that history makes, but we can say something very important about them: history’s choices are not made for benefit of humans” full of such eye-opening lines, this book from Yuval Noah Harari (a PhD in History from the University of Oxford, specializing in world history) is a treasure trove. It encourages us, whatever our beliefs, to question the basic narratives of our world, to connect past developments with present concerns and to decode probable future happenings.

 

                                                Review

1.      Language:- The language is probably not suitable for beginner readers. Once you cross the beginner level, you can easily devour it.

 

2.      Comprehension:- It demands a little bit of research and knowledge to comprehend all the statements written in the book. In a way, if you are willing, it can increase your knowledge by leaps and bounds.

 

3.      Pace:- It builds on you slowly. Don’t abandon it in the initial stages. It catches up brilliantly. The thrill keeps on mounting with every chapter.

 

4.      Connecting Power:- Most of the facts, figures and opinions passed on  are very fresh which makes it a hooking read.

 

5.      Impact:- It is bound to challenge even your basic perceptions about this world. At the same time, you might get enlightened about yourself - if you are sharp enough. Your horizons will widen, for sure.

 

                                                    X-Factor

1.      For such a fat book, every page is astoundingly fresh. Very rarely, you will stumble upon repetitive statements.

2.      It covers a huge number of topics providing us with loads of information and wisdom. From evolution of homo sapiens. To extinction of other human species. From pros and cons of agriculture revolution. To the meaning of happiness. From first script, kingdom, money. To the cause of all suffering. And much much more. It never stops surprising you.

3.     Each and every aspect is explained using daily life examples like an example of Peugeot Company to explain limited liability company.

4.      The use of diagrams make the reading experience more interactive.

5.    Innumerable wow moments such as this revelation – 90% of all money exists only on our computer servers!!

6. There is no conclusion. Most of the chapters end with a glaring question igniting your curiosity, eventually, egging you to think and search for answers by yourself.

 

                                      Fynally

              If it fails to stun you, nothing else will.

Right from the very first page which gives you a timeline of history, this book is full of shocking and wondrous stories. Masterfully buttressed with facts, figures and examples, apart from being an entertainer, it is stimulating too. 

Statements like these will hit you hard - The supreme commandment of the rich is ‘invest’, rest of us is ‘buy’. The cause of all suffering is craving. 

Questions like these will trigger your acumen - Does happiness really depend on self-delusion? Has all the modernization and advancement made us more content than our previous generations? Did we decrease the amount of suffering in the world?

The way issues like male vs female is discussed is jaw-dropping. Every now and then, you will bump into the issue which you never saw as an issue previously.

It leaves you with a feeling of enlightenment.

Pick it up without any second thoughts.

At the beginning you might feel, there are too many pages. At the end, you will surely wish there were more pages.