'Sapiens' is a short telling of the entire human history, from pre-anatomically modern humans through the agricultural and scientific revolutions and to the present. Or so it attempts to be.
Unfortunately, this enormous task is the book's own undoing. There is no room for any indepth discussions about the various complex issues, and no room to discuss the evidence. The book is filled with assertion after assertion, and virtually nothing to back them up. I looked in the reference section and I was shocked to see how few citations there were. Such a massive subject derserves ten times more citations. If you think you're getting a good scientific description of the facts, don't buy this book. This book is essentially his opinions, and not much else.
Any person who has strong knowledge within any of the subjects in the book will quickly realise that Harari is not an expert on much of what he writes about. He does not just make many claims. He makes many wrong claims. And many, many more misleading ones. It's one of those books that are popular with the layman, but not so much with the expert.
When he leaves the topic of evolutionary biology, premodern history, and starts talking about modern history the book gets slighter better. Or is that just because I'm not as well-versed in those topics? Do I just not see his errors there, just like a layperson would not see his errors in his account of evolutionary biology, intelligence research, and more? I won't know. The problem is I can't put much trust in him, because there are so many things wrong or misleading stuff elsewhere. And he doesn't provide sufficient evidence.
Even in the better parts of the book, it is ultimately somewhat dull. Not much new to learn for me, unfortunately. There are so many books about humans, many of them much better than this.
I wouldn't claim that this is the worst book ever, obviously. But to say that it is overhyped is to put it mildly. If you want to read a story, then perhaps you might find it interesting. If you want a factual account that is supported by an honest look at the available evidence, then go somewhere else.
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The Booker Prize 2022
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Sapiens, the most destructive force the animal kingdom ever produced
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 December 2021
This well written and easy to read book covers the evolution and distribution of the human species, our rapid rise to dominance and attempts to explain all the whys and wherefores that have led to our current dire situation. Right at the beginning, Harari doubts whether Homo sapiens will still be around a thousand years from now. I think one more year would be too much. Refreshingly, there are some nice misanthropic turns as he catalogues the horrors that Sapiens has released upon the world. Expressions such as ‘banana republic dictator, tolerance is not a Sapiens trademark, Sapiens the most destructive force the animal kingdom ever produced, guilty as charged, ecological serial killer, we are the culprits and causing immense misery to other animals’ give a clue as to some of his conclusions. Indeed, I might find something of interest in there for my book on Africa I’m writing at the moment. I just loved this quote: A Message for the Moon… ‘Don’t believe a single word these people are telling you. They have come to steal your lands.’ The human race in a nutshell!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 December 2021
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