Sapiens: THE MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLER

BookReviewsFromHeart @ Blogger It's quite rarely when you came across a person or a book which just amazes you and a part of it just housed into your mind and brain. By the way , What do know about Humans(us) ? I was taught,like many others, in school that Homo Sapiens is the scientific name for Humans. Homo Sapiens -the species Sapiens(Wise ) of the genus (Homo) and is the only living human species on earth but none of them debriefed us anything about the conditions in which we actually arose . Were there exist only Homo Sapiens or there exist other human species too ? 100,000 years ago,at least, six human species inhabited the earth. Today, there's just one. Us. And What injected in the minds of kids at a very young age , including me, is that it's the climate which causes the extinction of many animal species . But is it a complete truth ? Few tried to find . Honestly, I didn't but this book answered so many answers to the questions which were not even budded in our brain . Magnum Opus this book is a wide-ranging and bold work of non-fiction which challenges everything we thought we knew about being human from our thoughts to our actions and even our future . Sapiens tabled the answers of intricate questions raised from curiosity while studying the history of our own species. Book is divided into four major parts- The Cognitive Revolution, The Agriculture Revolution, The Unification of Humankind & The Scientific Revolution . Every Part is further divided into subparts & gives ample description on the mentioned topics. In the first section, The Cognitive Revolution , Author talks about the existence of other human species that exist before Homo Sapiens and how Homo Sapiens turned out to be the environment serial killer which had annihilated many species including his own siblings and many other animals.This section also reveals the way of living of our ancestors and the little myths they create to bind the humankind. Next comes , The Agriculture Revolution, which explains that how our ancestors who were foragers and had the only aim to hunt and live renounced their practice of living a nomadic life and settled to sow and grow . How this decision of settling at a place for farming turned out to be the most decisive moment in the history of humankind which changed the aberrated the history and most importantly how Agriculture turned out to be the biggest fraud of history . our ancestors who usually stay in a band of 15-20 eventually start living in a group of 100s when the agriculture flourished , And after the agricultural revolution, human societies grew ever larger and more complex .Myths and fictions accustomed people, nearly from the moment of their birth, to think in a certain way and to observe certain rules. They thereby created artificial instincts that enabled millions to strangers to cooperate effectively and this network of artificial instincts is called 'Culture'. The Unification of Humankind holds the contents which were put into action many years ago to unite the mankind either with the help of 'Culture' or 'Religion' or 'Nations'. This section also enlightens about the crucial role played by different religions sprouted in the different part of the world to add more and more strangers in a community. Harari in this section depicts how Mythology helped in maintaining law & order while money gave us something we can really trust. And the last section , The Scientific Revolution, which stretched for about 2nd half of the book gave us a clear glimpse of the beginning of the scientific revolution which introduced humans to their actual capabilities of being the wisest species on earth. Samen which lands us on the moon to manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. So Sapiens is a must read , thrilling and breathtaking account of our extraordinary history - from insignificant apes to the rulers of the world. It's quite rarely when you came across a person or a book which just amazes you and a part of it just housed into your mind and brain. By the way , What do know about Humans(us) ? I was taught,like many others, in school that Homo Sapiens is the scientific name for Humans. Homo Sapiens -the species Sapiens(Wise ) of the genus (Homo) and is the only living human species on earth but none of them debriefed us anything about the conditions in which we actually arose . Were there exist only Homo Sapiens or there exist other human species too ? 100,000 years ago,at least, six human species inhabited the earth. Today, there's just one. Us. And What injected in the minds of kids at a very young age , including me, is that it's the climate which causes the extinction of many animal species . But is it a complete truth ? Few tried to find . Honestly, I didn't but this book answered so many answers to the questions which were not even budded in our brain . Magnum Opus this book is a wide-ranging and bold work of non-fiction which challenges everything we thought we knew about being human from our thoughts to our actions and even our future . Sapiens tabled the answers of intricate questions raised from curiosity while studying the history of our own species. Book is divided into four major parts- The Cognitive Revolution, The Agriculture Revolution, The Unification of Humankind & The Scientific Revolution . Every Part is further divided into subparts & gives ample description on the mentioned topics. In the first section, The Cognitive Revolution , Author talks about the existence of other human species that exist before Homo Sapiens and how Homo Sapiens turned out to be the environment serial killer which had annihilated many species including his own siblings and many other animals.This section also reveals the way of living of our ancestors and the little myths they create to bind the humankind. Next comes , The Agriculture Revolution, which explains that how our ancestors who were foragers and had the only aim to hunt and live renounced their practice of living a nomadic life and settled to sow and grow . How this decision of settling at a place for farming turned out to be the most decisive moment in the history of humankind which changed the aberrated the history and most importantly how Agriculture turned out to be the biggest fraud of history . our ancestors who usually stay in a band of 15-20 eventually start living in a group of 100s when the agriculture flourished , And after the agricultural revolution, human societies grew ever larger and more complex .Myths and fictions accustomed people, nearly from the moment of their birth, to think in a certain way and to observe certain rules. They thereby created artificial instincts that enabled millions to strangers to cooperate effectively and this network of artificial instincts is called 'Culture'. The Unification of Humankind holds the contents which were put into action many years ago to unite the mankind either with the help of 'Culture' or 'Religion' or 'Nations'. This section also enlightens about the crucial role played by different religions sprouted in the different part of the world to add more and more strangers in a community. Harari in this section depicts how Mythology helped in maintaining law & order while money gave us something we can really trust. And the last section , The Scientific Revolution, which stretched for about 2nd half of the book gave us a clear glimpse of the beginning of the scientific revolution which introduced humans to their actual capabilities of being the wisest species on earth. Samen which lands us on the moon to manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. So Sapiens is a must read , thrilling and breathtaking account of our extraordinary history - from insignificant apes to the rulers of the world.

This book can very well be reviewed and summed up in one sentence: We (Home Sapiens) have screwed this planet big time and unfortunately there is no going back hence it all is coming to an end - very soon. I do not like reading horror at all and this unfortunately is one of the scariest books I have ever read in my life - it scared the shit out of me big time the way Yuval has covered the History, where and how it all started to the present and a glimpse on the future too as in which direction we are heading. I am sure if you have read this book - you will totally agree with me here. Totally loved the clarity of his thoughts and how subtly he has put his point forward - kudos to him. For some reason I have postponed my reading of Darwin's "Origin of Species", got it like two years back, still has it on my Kindle, have read couple of books inspired by his theory yet I am yet to read the one which started it all I guess. I have even read Matt Ridley's "The Red Queen" which talks about the similar subject but isn't scary like this one. And let me finish this by saying that I am NOT AT ALL looking forward to Yuval's next "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow" that title itself is telling the whole story and imagine how scary it will be :). As I picked up this one which came highly recommended from loads of people, found it a little boring and a kind of a slow starter. I always thought Yuval must be a Japanese, Chinese or a Korean may be but to my shock and surprise he turned out to be an Israeli. Wow! I guess this is my first from someone from that part of the world and its incredible. The kind of research he must have done to come out with this perfect book which should be kept in a indestructible titanium box (should be Nuclear resistant too), so once the Homo Sapiens disappear from the face of this planet like the Dinosaurs did and a lot of animals and birds are getting extinct by the day do too - whoever finds this planet later should get an idea who we were and what we did to this planet. He hasn't left anything that needs a mention and has covered so much in those little over 400 pages that I found it incredible. The book after a boring and slow start just keeps getting better and by the time it ends - I actually wanted it to go on and on and I believe thats what he did with the sequel which I vow not to read as I have such a fragile heart and just cant take chances. This book should be made a mandatory read in school and colleges right before the next generation comes out and does exactly the same thing what we did and joins our hands in further destroying this planet. Although he doesn't offer any kind of solution in this one but at least we know what we are doing wrong now. But the $ million question remains unanswered - Are we listening to him and the likes? Is there a way all this can be stopped? Terrific book and a must must read for all. A definite 5/5 from me with a double thumbs up recommendation. If you have read it already - do let me know how you liked it and are you planning to read the sequel? :)

Great book. Makes us understand the basics of all the concept from money to religion. Digesting all the knowledge is tough in one read and so I'm definitely gonna give it a reread multiple times in the following years or decades. At last Harari also shares his philosophical pov on what has happened to humans and it's impact at last to our happiness and also leaves us with a intriguing question in the last to end the book with 😄. In terms of packaging and quality, the hardcover version is just 5 on 5, no neeed to worry about the quality.

Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens is one of those rare books that changes the way you see the world. It’s not just history — it’s a mirror that reflects who we are, why we live the way we do, and what it might mean to be human. What struck me most was Harari’s ability to strip away the familiar and reveal the strangeness of our everyday beliefs, values, and habits. Harari brilliantly distinguishes between natural orders and imagined orders. Natural laws, like gravity, exist whether or not you believe in them. But ideas like equality, freedom, or money are imagined — they only work if we all collectively believe in them. His example of money as a psychological construct — a system that “converts matter into mind” — was especially powerful. It forces you to see that much of civilization runs on shared stories rather than physical truths. The book also satirizes our modern consumer lives. On page 129 (Hardcover), Harari points out that vacations are a form of romantic consumerism — in ancient Egypt, no man would think of fixing a relationship by taking his wife on holiday to Babylon. Instead, he might build her a lavish tomb. Today’s pyramids aren’t stone monuments but suburban homes with lawns or glittering penthouses. We rarely question why we desire them, only that we do. Equally fascinating is his take on knowledge and exploration. Harari contrasts medieval certainty with the modern embrace of ignorance. Columbus thought he already knew the world, even when he stumbled on a new continent. The real breakthrough came with Amerigo Vespucci, who had the humility to admit, “We don’t know.” That simple admission of ignorance was the true dawn of modernity. Harari sees poetic justice in the fact that two continents bear Vespucci’s name, honoring not conquest but curiosity. The book also dives into faith, science, and morality with unforgettable examples. Biblical lines like “the poor you will always have with you” and “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” highlight timeless tensions in wealth and ethics. Meanwhile, Harari draws on Harlow’s famous monkey experiments to show how emotional bonds outweigh mere survival needs — even in animals. Toward the end, Harari asks the deepest questions: what is happiness? He rejects the idea that it’s simply a balance of pleasure over pain. Instead, happiness is about seeing life as meaningful. Our values shape whether we see ourselves as “slaves to a baby dictator” or as parents nurturing a new life. He draws on Nietzsche’s insight — “if you have a why to live, you can bear almost any how” — and Buddhism’s warning that suffering comes not from pain itself, but from the restless craving to prolong pleasure and avoid loss. Harari suggests that happiness may simply be synchronizing our personal illusions of meaning with the collective ones around us. Sapiens is extraordinary because it doesn’t just tell you history — it rewires your sense of history, meaning, and self. From pyramids to consumerism, from empires to money, from happiness to suffering, Harari invites us to question everything we take for granted. This is not just a book; it is a lens through which life itself looks different.

Such a grand presentation of scientific knowledge !! The book provides a wonderful understanding of the evolution of humans. The lates discoveries and the interpretations of them is worth-praising. This is a scientific book essentially and for some common readers technical terms might appear as irritants, but if one moves ahead with patience, the reader is able to understand even those terms which he/she had never countenanced. This indeed is a book worth-reading couple of times to nourish one's knowledge about himself/herself.

Awesome book. The storytelling and sequence in which the author creates a full image of us humans is just remarkable. Never had been so hooked reading such a long novel before.

Everyone should read this book atleast once as it covers wide array of topics with great depth, anysis and information.

I tend to think of this book as a prequel to “Homo Deus,” simply because I happened to read them in the wrong order! In fact, “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” was written several years before “Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow.” Yuval Noah Harari, the author, is a professor of History and an intellectual polymath in the tradition of Bronowski, Issac Asimov and Carl Sagan. He has written several path-breaking books during the past ten years. This book is a sweeping dissertation on the history of mankind. On the very first page, we are told about the conceptual sequence of physics, chemistry, biology and history. Next, the author lists the three revolutions which have shaped the course of history: The Cognitive Revolution, the Agricultural Revolution and the Scientific Revolution. The book is divided into four sections, one for each of the three Revolutions and one serving as a bridge between the Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions. Let us examine these sections one by one. The section on the Cognitive Revolution begins with a “disturbing secret” – for a long time, Homo Sapiens was not the only human species. In the author’s own words, “The earth of a hundred millennia ago was walked by at least six different species of man.” The author says that more than one human species had learnt the use of fire. Homo Sapiens originated in East Africa and entered Eurasia through the Arabian Peninsula about 70,000 years ago. There are two conflicting theories about the interaction between Sapiens and the other species, known as the Interbreeding Theory and the Replacement Theory. The author speculates that the truth lies in between these two theories, although there is a strong likelihood that violence and genocide had occurred, as “Tolerance is not a Sapiens trademark.” The Cognitive Revolution comprises new ways of thinking and communicating, which arose between 70,000 and 30,000 years ago. Sapiens bonded with “gossip” and formed bands with upto 150 members. Beyond this limit, says the author, human cooperation becomes possible only through common myths, or imagined reality, leading to trade and cultural evolution. Further, “The wandering bands of storytelling Sapiens were the most important and most destructive force the animal kingdom had ever produced… The settlers of Australia, or more accurately, its conquerors, didn’t just adapt, they transformed the Australian ecosystem beyond recognition.” The combination of climate change and human hunting changed not only Australia, but also Siberia, North America and South America. Coming to the next Revolution, agriculture began around 9500 – 8500 BC in south eastern Turkey, and simultaneously in other parts of the globe as well. The author surprisingly describes Agriculture as “history’s biggest fraud” and justifies it by saying that “the extra food did not translate into a better diet or more leisure. Rather, it translated into population explosions and pampered elites. The average farmer worked harder than the average forager, and got a worse diet in return.” As the population increased and animals were domesticated, the possibility of returning to a foraging lifestyle diminished. Rearing of animals involved (and still involves) extreme cruelty. Eventually, as trade began and data arose, some rudimentary forms of writing began. Next, hierarchies came up based on imagined orders. Simultaneously, gender discrimination arose in various societies. The third section of the book is titled “Unification of Mankind,” which covers human culture. The author identifies three universal orders: economic, or the monetary order; political, or the imperial order; and finally, religious order exemplified by religions such as Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. There are detailed chapters on each of these. The fourth and last section of the book covers the Scientific Revolution. Beginning with the philosophical aspects of ignorance and the scientific temperament, the author presents another striking line of thought: “The feedback loop between science, empire and capital has arguably been history’s chief engine for the past 500 years.” The next few chapters are devoted to these topics. Subsequently, the author discusses the Industrial Revolution, along with energy, mass production and the social impact of technology. This is followed by a chapter focusing on the relationship between prosperity and happiness, followed by some speculations about the future. There can be no doubt that this book is a tour de force, which compels the reader to think. However, various criticisms can be levelled against Dr Harari. The foremost of these is that many speculations, theories and opinions of the author are presented as established facts. The other major potential for criticism lies in the selection of material and the relative emphasis on various topics. This reviewer, for example, feels that most of the chapters in the third and fourth sections of the book are too long and verbose. I cannot end this review without comparing this book with the author’s subsequent work “Homo Deus,” which I happened to read first. There is considerable overlap between the topics covered in the two books. The speculations about the past in this book are mirrored by speculations about the future in the other book. But there is an important difference: while this book leaves the reader with a sense of shame for belonging to Homo Sapiens, the other one gives hope that someday there will be a sense of pride arising out of being human. Finally, if one had to choose to read only one of these two books, I would unequivocally recommend “Homo Deus.”

To me the strength of any book is that it makes you THINK. And boy does this make you THINK. Sometimes you need to hear different sides of a argument to reinforce or dismiss your "beliefs" In both areas I was either happy to let go some "beliefs" and happy to hold onto other "beliefs" Prof Harari's style of writing is interesting. Throughout each book ( Sapiens and Deus) he will pick a subject eg Agricultural Revolution and give all of the pros of his argument, no cons. Each of his arguments sounding very convincing and very logical. As I was reading through it, I found myself disagreeing with some of his points. As you read on, he shapes his arguments / logic / power of persuasion onto the negative / other side of the argument or the side where I initially disagreed with him. Its as if he was listening to my objections and then he answered them. Initially I found his approach a bit frustrating but this probably turned out to be the books main strength. It gave very strong / powerful arguments (where needed) for both sides of the topic under discussion. He covers every angle, some at great length and just touches on others. The Agricultural Revolution was where it "began to go wrong" , not a statement I agreed with but it is very hard to disagree with his powerful arguments but I am sticking to my guns. I have rarely read a book that was so well researched. If I had my way I would make this book compulsory reading in every school in the World. It is an absolute joy to read. From a social point of view it will give you more than enough info to make intelligent contributions to discussions and not sound geekish. Go buy it! I hope this helps you P.S. I had a humourous thought when reading the first chapters of the book as to how a white supremacist KKK member would react when he found out that Sapiens originated in Africa and Dinosaurs did not play football with us.

Informative, interesting and simply written for those curious about evolution. To be read and reread

Brilliant!

I love this book as it has a lot of insight on many things that we may normally miss. It describes and breaks down human behavior and how it may have been developed and it sure DOES start RIGHT at the bottom. Very informative and I recommend this book!! The only thing that sometimes really throws me off is that (he may be right, but I doubt it) this man thinks he knows exactly how 'sapiens', or rather, those early stages of them, like neanderthals, used to act and behave all of those millions of years ago. That is, let's face it, completely impossible to EXACTLY know and/or interpret ... even for him. Anything could have happened back then. It can be compared to how people thought certain things about animals that in the end were completely different to what they actually did in the wild. I still recommend this book.

Sapiens explores the history of humankind, from early hunter-gatherers to modern societies. It explains how stories, beliefs, and systems shape civilizations more than biology alone. The book forces you to question what we consider “progress.” Who Should Read It - Curious thinkers who enjoy big-picture ideas - Readers interested in history, psychology, and society - Anyone who wants to understand why humans behave the way they do