SAPIENS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF HUMANKIND | BOOK REVIEW | JULY 2017

SAPIENS BY YUVAL NOAH HARARI - BOOK REVIEW

I've always been interested in the history of our humankind, and since studying Sociology in A-level, and hopefully furthering that to University, my interest has grown more. Harari focuses on four parts of the human species and our development, in this novel; The Agricultural Revolution, The Cognitive Revolution, The Unification of Humankind and the Scientific Revolution. The explanation of each topic and chapter explains concepts of species development simply, and mainly through analogies which helped a lot (sometimes I can't understand the long words lol). What really stood out to me was the way Harari explained the way everything is a social construction; money, laws, human rights, ALL of it. Nothing is actually real, nothing but an allusion that we all conform to because of simply that's the way society works. Also Harari highlights how Homo Sapiens have overpowered any other species and animal. I think everyone needs to read this to understand the history behind our species, how we became the most powerful species in the world, killing other animals and the ecosystems. The revolutions that led to hundreds and thousands of deaths, wars and genocides resulting from the ideologies of a single person. The novel also includes diagrams and photographs so it's easier to understand and get to grips with our past. This novel, to me helps to make sense of what we can do to improve our society and planet, for e.g. the patriarchy, agriculture, and violence that power and greed brought to the species; from the Romans to World War II. Even though this book is a non-fiction, I think it is very important for us to recognise how we are the way we are, and how everything round us is very similar to our ancestors, from living in groups or 'families' and having an us and them attitude primarily linking to the nation state format of our society. I have always thought of why we have to live by certain laws, and how laws having even been created, how this extraordinary creation of money is how we judge each other, become friends with each other, marry each other and survive. Even though we all live on the basis of money, it makes me question why we do it? If our laws, money and arguably all social institutions are socially constructed. Why do we all conform to the ideas of working hard in a menial job to get money, but not really acknowledging our emotional and psychological well-being? This novel deserves all the recognition it is receiving and also to the author, Yuval Noah Harari. Harari recognises the importance of social bonds within people and how the constructions of society really don't matter. I'm looking forward to reading Homo Deus, Yuval's sequel to A Brief History of Humankind.