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Sapiens

By: Yuval Noah Harari
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us Sapiens?

One of the world's preeminent historians and thinkers, Yuval Noah Harari challenges everything we know about being human.

Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it: us.

In this bold and provocative audiobook, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here and where we're going.

ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21st CENTURY

'Interesting and provocative... It gives you a sense of how briefly we've been on this Earth' Barack Obama

'Jaw-dropping from the first word to the last... It may be the best book I've ever read' Chris Evans

'Sweeps the cobwebs out of your brain... Radiates power and clarity' Sunday Times

'It altered how I view our species and our world' Guardian

'Startling... It changes the way you look at the world' Simon Mayo

'I would recommend Sapiens to anyone who's interested in the history and future of our species' Bill Gates

©2011 Yuval Noah Harari (P)2015 Penguin Audio
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Editor reviews

Our species has only roamed the Earth for 200,000 years — but in that time, we’ve done more to change the face of the planet than any other creature in existence. In his provocative best-selling work Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari takes listeners on a journey through the history of mankind, from the Stone Age to today.

Over the course of this un-pausable audiobook, Harari examines how each generation of humanity left its mark on the planet - and how we’re still changing our world as each day passes.

Audie Award-winning English voice actor Derek Perkins skilfully navigates this thorough, research-driven work, setting the perfect tone for this riveting audiobook with his deep, intellectual delivery.

To put it simply in the words of one listener: 'Prepare to have your mind blown'.

What listeners say about Sapiens

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    3 out of 5 stars

Jared Diamond and a few extras.

interesting, but the concepts aren't really new. the first parts were more developed in the books of Jared Diamond, then light philosophy and very light Sci-fi. if you haven't read The 3rd Chimpanzee, it's probably cheaper than this. Start there...

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My kids hated it.

This book is brilliant. I listened to it during my work commute and upon returning home I couldn't stop talking about it. Really, really fascinating. Unfortunately it didn't hold my kids attention at the dinner table...

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One of my favourite books of all time

Every chapter is interesting, articulate, and flows seamlessly into the next topic. Countless facts, stories, and reflective questions I wish I could memorise by heart.

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1 person found this helpful

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A very unusal and interesting anthology of US

What did you like most about Sapiens?

I found the structure of the reasoning of the author logical and similar to myself relating to greed; money is king and the power over ALL however, I look at my life in 3layers where his book is in layer1 (physical) ; layer2 (inert); layer3 (divine). With most of our recent understanding focusing on the "real" we are blessed with a great deal of tomes of physical and definable text. Layer two and three are SOFT and Fluffy, they are words such as love, hope, care, and belief. This an area that has NO logic or physical presence and as such will always be impossible to define for us; perhaps one day I will find the answer.

Who was your favorite character and why?

us

Which character – as performed by Derek Perkins – was your favourite?

us

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Money make the world go around

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fascinating read

fascinating insight into a huge subject base. One thing I found frustrating was the lack of references. The author appears to often present his opinon as fact with little to back it up. Aside from that it was a very interesting and well written book.

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The story is very knowledgeable

its gives you great knowledge and loads of information and i would definitely download this book with another more funny one as this can get boring but worth learning about and picking up again i did enjoy it in the end i do recommend if you like learning

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Sapiens - us!

Well narrated, thought provoking and easy to listen to; covers the breadth of Sapiens existence and possible future which gives rise to some hard questions.

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what we are and why we are like how we are!

a brilliant book detailing everything about people. .well structured book with a superb narration by Derek. loved it.

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Exceptional

One of the most well researched and compiled investigations into human nature, and our evolution over the millennium. Extremely thought provoking, engaging and very approachable. Top recommendation.

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Outstanding book incredibly well narrated

Thought provoking book that puts life into perspective. If I was a history professor at school I would have definitely asked my students to read this and write an essay. Definitely a book I'd like to read again in a couple of years time

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