• Sapiens

  • A Brief History of Humankind
  • By: Yuval Noah Harari
  • Narrated by: Derek Perkins
  • Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (55,080 ratings)

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Sapiens  By  cover art

Sapiens

By: Yuval Noah Harari
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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Publisher's summary

From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity's creation and evolution - a number one international best seller - that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be "human".

One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one - Homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?

Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago, with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.

Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because, over the last few decades, humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become?

This provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem.

©2015 Yuval Noah Harari (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

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What listeners say about Sapiens

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A great listen!

This truly is a great work of summarizing the human history, and in explaining our place in the world.

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Thought provoking

Of course I don't agree with it all but makes it more interesting. Makes you consider things that we don't normally think about.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

mindblowing!

spetacular book! my best read this year. Aldo a great narration, belos on the experience.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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You should read it


Review Not as great as people would have you believe but it is a great overview over human history and present.

I read it almost immediately after Debt: the first 5000 years and it's interesting how two authors take a look at same or similar material and come up with a different conclusions. I prefer the Debt book over this one but both are very well worth a read.

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A Perfect 5

Simply the best book I listened to all year! I recommend this book to all Homo Sapiens 🙂

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A must

This book should be taught as a textbook in school. Very informative and inspiring. A must for anyone who has passion about science.

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very enjoyable

thoroughly thought-provoking enjoyable and all-around great book. I highly recommend anyone interested in human behavior check this book out

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guns germs steel 2.0

blew through this in 3 days, fantastic, great information. if you are not familiar with guns germs and steel, this will be a new look into civilizational development.

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It’s alright

I don’t see why this book got so popular. It’s alright as a summary of lots of history

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unexpected

this book was brilliant. it wove it's way through ideas and thoughts I did not expect and showed an unbiased picture of many things regarding the human experience. it's definitely in my top 3.

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