Interesting read

An interesting read about our beginnings as humans and possible future for our species and Earth. Read by an engaging and clear narrator.

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3 people found this helpful

Great book

Folloowing me listening to “Guns, Germs and Steel”.
Both books are simply some of my absolute favourites.
The evolution of our species and then culture/civilization with its clashes, horrrors, and challenges.
A must read for any enthusiast on human evolution.

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Everyone MUST listen to this book!

this book was incredible: Moving and thought provoking, dealing with the harsh truth our impact and has had on this planet throughout our entire existence and also where it may take us.

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3 people found this helpful

Absolutely brilliant!!

This book is for people who enjoy the scientific method, executed with much rigor, demonstration looking at evidences and possible causes and - based on reason- come down to plausible explanations. Sometimes you will hear things that you don’t want to hear, especially if you are from a part of the world where a group of people has exterminated, enslaved or waged war or genocide against another… but it doesn’t mean this book is not worth listening

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A nice precursor to Guns, Germs and Steel

Diamond's treatise on the evolution of man is a compelling presentation. Repeatedly citing how minimal the percentage difference in the genes from which ourselves and our closest primate cousins are made (it has been since proven that the difference is larger than Diamond thought - this doesn't impact on the thrust of his argument, however), he argues that so much of what makes us different is, in fact, so little of what we are. In his attempt to highlight the similarities he introduces lucid and persuasive arguments about sexual behaviour, language, other forms of communication, agriculture and conquest, all of which serves to provide the reader/listener with an good holistic understanding of the factors that influenced our development.
This title is a good precursor for his superior later work Guns, Germs and Steel.
Good narration, easy to listen to - though the quality of what's being said really helps the actor along.

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6 people found this helpful

Excellent

This book should be mandatory reading for all starting with people in the richest & most powerful county in the world. I wonder how many influential lawmakers not just in the US but around the world have read this book.As the author mentions, One of the few unique things about humans is the ability to learn from past and present and plan for future. Not a lot of these people in high places or people like us are putting this to good use. In every country around the world, there is somebody in charge of every trivial thing except for the future of this planet. Before we give traction to the idea that we ought populate other planets, we ought to give our best efforts to save this one, given the extremely low odds(1/10^......) of intelligent species/ or even conditions. currently that could sustain life as we know it, in the parts of the universe studied so far.

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2 people found this helpful

Some outdated science but a mostly valuable listen

There's some parts of this book that have confirmed things that are described as theories, and disproved other comments the author thinks are unlikely (e.g. humans and neanderthals DID interbreed- whereas the author suggests this is unlikely).
That said, science progresses quickly so the dated information is to be expected, and isn't anything too drastic. Occasional word choices catch on the modern ear - for example Native Americans are described as Indians... I thought at first he was talking about people from India 😄

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Great book

Loved this book really fascinating and intriguing facts - couldn’t put it down

Narration was perfection

Well done

5 Stars

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An important work

Diamond is a titan. This is the kind of work that should be in everyone’s library. Wonderful narration too- well prepped and calmly authoritative.

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closer to chimp then to gorilla => we are chimp

One of the books that did not age well.
It's funny that he has 2 sons but mostly mentions only one...

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