Sapiens: A Brief History of Mankind
Author: Yuval Noah Harari;
Genre: History, Anthropology;
Format: Audiobook;
Narrator: Derek Perkins;
Publisher: HarperAudio (2017);
Rating: (3 / 5).
I took my time with this audiobook because I wanted to concentrate on the topic. Dr. Harari highlights the history of cognitive hominids, which is obviously a huge issue to cover in a little over 15 hours (or 464 pages in the paperback). But the subject is fascinating and the organization of the book is excellent.
As a Christian, I disagree with Harare’s bleak opinion of religion in general, but I’m willing to listen to the scientist’s viewpoint on anthropology and human evolution. My own opinion is there is a way to fuse both (or all) convictions, but this particular author doesn’t agree. He also appears to contradict himself several times throughout the book, and I would hate to be his neighbor, based on his opinion of human behavior.
Narrator Derek Perkins added a bit of mockery to his tone, which may or may not have been intended. It was annoying at times, but I stuck with it in order to absorb what the good doctor has to say about human history.