Book Review - Sapiens : A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Name : Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Author : Yuval Noah Harari
Publisher : Vintage Books
Pages : 500
Genre : Non-Fiction, Popular Science
Language: English

Sapiens :A Brief History of Mankind is a popular non fiction books by Israeli historian and professor Yuval Noah. With compelling storytelling even in non fiction, using profound examples as well as fact, Sapiens has turned out to be International Bestseller.

Book Blurb :

100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens. 

How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations and human rights; to trust money, books and laws; and to be enslaved by bureaucracy, timetables and consumerism? And what will our world be like in the millennia to come? 

In Sapiens, Dr Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical – and sometimes devastating – breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions. Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, paleontology and economics, he explores how the currents of history have shaped our human societies, the animals and plants around us, and even our personalities. Have we become happier as history has unfolded? Can we ever free our behaviour from the heritage of our ancestors? And what, if anything, can we do to influence the course of the centuries to come? 

Bold, wide-ranging and provocative, Sapiens challenges everything we thought we knew about being human: our thoughts, our actions, our power ... and our future

Theme
 The book, as the blurb and name suggests, tells the story of how we Homo Sapiens has evolved over time, overtaking other species, from being on bottom of the food chain to being apex one. With a knack of storytelling, the book doesn't feel like non fiction at all but more like a long, beautifully told story , that is supported by facts all along. It tells the story of sapiens from originating in Africa to Cognitive Revolution, start of Agriculture and Capital and finally what the future holds  for Sapiens as a species and what are we to do if we are to continue dominating without hurting the

Writing

The writing is smooth and descriptive. The author has used examples and metaphors a lot to make the readers visualise complex concepts ranging from Anthropology, Economics, Biology and so on. But at places , the writing seems repetitive and a simple thing is overstated. Due to this , it does feel monotonous at some times. Nevertheless, the book provides knowledge in a clearly understandable way that someone having little or no knowledge of science can also read and enjoy it.

My Rating

Cover : 4
Theme : 4.5
Writing 3
Overall : 3.5

Recommendations

Well, anyone who has an interest in understanding Human History whilst also gaining insights from sectors like economy and politics or religion should definitely read this masterpiece.