Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari - ★★★.¼

-
AUTHOR: Yuval Noah Harari
GENRE: Nonfiction.
PUBLICATION DATE: January 1, 2011
RATING: 3.25 stars.

Assume that you are a huge coffee lover, and you are served a cup of tea. You refuse at first, but are then informed by all and sundry that it is no ordinary tea, but a delightful masala chai, exotic and exquisite, innovatively prepared like never before... All these raring compliments convince you to give it a try. Still slightly wary, you take a tentative sip. "Well, it does seem pretty good for tea", you think, and end up drinking the whole cup. You relish the flavour and appreciate the chai-maker for converting something mundane into something so pleasing to your senses. You feel like complimenting him for not following the typical tried-and-tested recipe but taking a different approach towards instilling new flavours in the brew. However, a teeny tiny part of your heart is still not satisfied. Just because it was tea and not coffee.

"Sapiens" to me is that brilliant masala-infused chai. Almost all of the nonfiction I read tends to be science, economics, business or real-life narratives. So I was slightly apprehensive about taking up an anthropological book. But it seemed to have received glowing reviews from almost all quarters, so the temptation to try it was tremendous. A few chapters into it, I began relishing the journey. Sapiens is flavourful, it is offbeat, it is thought-provoking. It is a ray of sunshine in the bleak realm of human evolution books.

And yet, in spite of all this, by the time I reached the end, I was left underwhelmed. It was more a feeling of relief that the book was over rather than satisfaction on reading a thought-provoking book. Surprisingly to me, I enjoyed the cognitive and agriculture revolution sections of the book (they were really eye-openers) much more than the scientific and industrial revolution parts.

This doesn't take away anything from the book. It's still worth a read, and opens up your mind tremendously about who we are as a species and how we've reached this position in society. After all, covering thousands of years of human evolution within a single book is no mean task. Though Harari sounds a bit presumptuous at times, his knowledge does reveal itself in most cases without any ambiguity or bias.

Do I regret reading this book?
Definitely no regrets.

Did I enjoy the book?
Indeed, I did.

Would I recommend the book to others?
Certainly, I would.

Would I reread it anytime?
Absolutely not!

Why?
Because Sapiens isn't my cup of..... er... coffee.


------------------------------------------------------------

Since the above book, Sapiens has also been released in graphic novel form. So far, the first two sections of the book have been published in graphic format. Check them out:

Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 1 - The Birth of Humankind.

Sapiens: A Graphic History, Volume 2 - The Pillars of Civilization.

Comments

Post a Comment

Explore more posts from this blog:

Violent Advents: A Christmas Horror Anthology - Edited by L. Stephenson - ★★★.¼

-
Image
  EDITOR: L. Stephenson GENRE: Christmas Horror Anthology PUBLICATION DATE:  December 12, 2024 RATING: 3.3 stars. In a Nutshell: A short-fiction anthology filled with Christmassy horror. Some really good stories here, though I wish there had been more variety in the “source of the evil.” A good option for those who are fed up of saccharine seasonal stories. This is the time of the year when readers are torn between spooky season and Christmas season. Here's a book that combines both. 😉 This indie anthology contains twenty-six stories by twenty-six writers. There’s no editor’s note, but the title and the tagline make the theme clear – it is a “Christmas horror” anthology. The stories are mostly fast-paced, which works well in this genre. After the first few stories, I wondered why a majority of them were using the Christmas tree as the horror device-of-choice. It occurred frequently enough for me to start eyeing every Christmas tree in the stories suspiciously. Only after...
Read More»

The Little Christmas Library - David M. Barnett - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: David M. Barnett GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 10, 2024 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A character-oriented contemporary fiction with a strong Christmas spirit and a dash of Christmas magic. Excellent characters and a well-connected narrative linking them all. True to contemporary times in every way. Might get a bit too sugary, but works well for the genre. A fabulous and heartwarming option for the festive season. Plot Preview: When Molly McGinley moves from London to her Northern hometown of Merry-le-Moors, she feels like an utter failure. Ten years in the big city, and all she has to show is a broken relationship and no job. Her widower dad Jack is more than happy to have his daughter home, especially as he is still missing his wife who passed away a decade back. Jack now whiles away his time driving the town’s mobile library and he insists that Molly accompany him on his rounds instead of moping alone at home. As the two take the library bus t...
Read More»

Somebody I Used to Know - Wendy Mitchell - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: Wendy Mitchell GENRE: Memoir PUBLICATION DATE: June 5, 2018 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: The memoir of a woman who unexpectedly became the face of young-onset Alzheimer’s in the UK. Ghost-written with the help of a journalist, this book covers her diagnosis, reaction, coping strategies, everyday experiences, and her plans for the future.. The writing is filled with pain and frustration as well as hope. Much recommended. Do note that it might be triggering for Alzheimer’s patients and also caregivers. A reading challenge I am participating in needed a book penned by a ghost-writer. I was very clear that I didn’t want to opt for any celebrity memoir, most of which are sanitised fake versions of their lives. Nor did I want to try fictional novels that straddled the line between pseudonymous and ghost-written. ( The Nancy Drew series, for instance. ) Google led me to Wendy Mitchell’s memoir. One look at this book’s blurb, and I knew I finally found the right option for the...
Read More»

Making Up the Gods - Marion Agnew - ★★★★.¼

-
Image
AUTHOR: Marion Agnew GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 15, 2023 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An indie drama with some quirky characters and a great setting in Lake Superior, Canada. Mellow in tone, genuine in content, thought-provoking in themes. I enjoyed this unusual novel. Plot Preview: Simone, almost 70, is a retired widow who lives an isolated life in her cottage on the banks of Lake Superior and still misses her husband, though he’s been dead for five years. While she is now active in her local church and finds solace in baking for those grieving, she is fiercely protective of her privacy. But when the local reverend asks her to take care of nine-year-old Chen while his widowed mother goes on a much-needed trip, Simone finds it tough to refuse a fellow-mourning widow. Just before Chen arrives, a stranger named Martin knocks at Simone’s door, claiming to be her cousin. Simone is suddenly handling two strangers at once, and she worries that they will dis...
Read More»

The Night Counsellor - L.K. Pang - ★★★★

-
Image
AUTHOR: L.K. Pang GENRE: Historical Mystery PUBLICATION DATE: October 17, 2024 RATING: 4 stars In a Nutshell: A historical mystery with a mental asylum as the dominant setting. Intriguing characters, creepy vibes, good handling of the two timelines. A great option for readers who enjoy gritty historical narratives. Plot Preview: 1953. Jane Galloway, in a new role as a counsellor, has just been assigned a new patient at The Beaumont, a mental asylum trying to shed its dark tag but not doing a great job of it. This patient, dubbed Patient A, was found wandering naked and covered in blood on the outskirts of Yorkshire. She doesn’t talk or respond in any way to anyone. The mystery gets even darker when Jane learns that this patient is a murder suspect. The hospital staff is firmly opposed to this new method of using conversations as therapy, but Jane is determined to make a difference. Can she help Patient A before it is too late? Is Patient A really guilty of such a heinous crime? The...
Read More»