Sapiens

By: Yuval Noah Harari

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

The Sunday Times best seller.

Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it. Us.

We are the most advanced and most destructive animals ever to have lived. What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us sapiens?

In this bold and provocative audiobook, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here, and where we're going.

Sapiens is a thrilling account of humankind's extraordinary history from the Stone Age to the Silicon Age and our journey from insignificant apes to rulers of the world. For more, visit www.ynharari.com.

©2011 Yuval Noah Harari (P)2015 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Interesting and provocative.... It gives you a sense of how briefly we've been on this Earth." (Barack Obama)

"Jaw-dropping from the first word to the last.... It may be the best book I've ever read." (Chris Evans)

"Sweeps the cobwebs out of your brain.... Radiates power and clarity." (Sunday Times)

Life changing book

It's hard to clearly articulate how profoundly this book (and it's sequel, Homo Deus) has changed my life. I have a much firmer understanding of the history of our species, the origins of our religions and our belief systems, and our possible futures. Anyone who wants to think deeply about life's important questions and be involved in our destiny should read or listen to this book.

We must know ourselves

This is a very deep and winding journey of the events and more importantly the feelings and experiences that have made up the stories of humans and other animals so far on earth.The author poses some enormous questions that we would all be sorry not to be considering and thinking about on a daily basis.

Excellent and very easy informative book

Loved this book. Beautifully written with facts and philosophical arguments while keeping it very entertaining to read. Can’t wait to read the other books of this author.

eye-opening

this should be the mandatory book in schools. it's basically Humanity - the story so far. where we came from and what are we capable of.

Superb!

Immensely thought-provoking, written in a beautifully clear and witty manner. The Audible reading is excellent, and works even better at 1.2 5X speed.

This book should be read by everyone

You might think that you know a lot about Humans until you read this book. this might be the best non fiction I ever read.

Terrific read !

Thought provoking, challenging and enjoyable account of the history of man. Particularly liked the views on happiness. Looking forward to the next book in the series

I loved it!

The book is really interesting and easy to follow as an audiobook version (which isn’t always the case). Performance is awesome!

One of the most important books of our time

Definitely among the best 5 books I’ve ever read, in terms of increasing your understanding of being.

hard hitting

I read Homo Deus first, so Sapiens was a little less thought provoking in that it picked on subjects and topics that are less unique or specific to the author. That said, the author has no trouble rushing into controversial, disruptive and hard-hitting territory. I like that he does so mostly as a perspective rather than an opinion and keeps himself personally out of danger from being seen as biased or prejudiced. The book is likely to challenge the reader's preconceived ideas of herself at the most basic level and provides much needed perspective and education to the average ignorant person of our day.

I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. The story line is engaging and it's the kind of book that I wanted to make time to read...and then end up extending my listening time often. The one thing that did disappoint me a little bit is how the author at (very few) times fails to meet the minimum level of logical credibility when either challenging long-standing perspectives or offering un-intuitive new ones. It's obvious that this is done to prove to the reader just how easily perspectives that are seemingly cast in stone can be invalidated - but he does not always succeed as some of these arguments are just a little bit too weak. This does not take away from the argument he wants to make and the impact of his critical approach succeeds nevertheless.

I wanted the book to carry on...and felt like it ended too early - both because I was enjoying it so much but perhaps also because Homo Deus is a MUST READ once you have completed Sapiens.