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Sapiens

By: Yuval Noah Harari
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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Publisher's 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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Editorial 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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Life changing book

It's hard to clearly articulate how profoundly this book (and it's sequel, Homo Deus) has changed my life. I have a much firmer understanding of the history of our species, the origins of our religions and our belief systems, and our possible futures. Anyone who wants to think deeply about life's important questions and be involved in our destiny should read or listen to this book.

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We must know ourselves

This is a very deep and winding journey of the events and more importantly the feelings and experiences that have made up the stories of humans and other animals so far on earth.The author poses some enormous questions that we would all be sorry not to be considering and thinking about on a daily basis.

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Excellent and very easy informative book

Loved this book. Beautifully written with facts and philosophical arguments while keeping it very entertaining to read. Can’t wait to read the other books of this author.

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eye-opening

this should be the mandatory book in schools. it's basically Humanity - the story so far. where we came from and what are we capable of.

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Superb!

Immensely thought-provoking, written in a beautifully clear and witty manner. The Audible reading is excellent, and works even better at 1.2 5X speed.

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This book should be read by everyone

You might think that you know a lot about Humans until you read this book. this might be the best non fiction I ever read.

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Terrific read !

Thought provoking, challenging and enjoyable account of the history of man. Particularly liked the views on happiness. Looking forward to the next book in the series

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I loved it!

The book is really interesting and easy to follow as an audiobook version (which isn’t always the case). Performance is awesome!

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One of the most important books of our time

Definitely among the best 5 books I’ve ever read, in terms of increasing your understanding of being.

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hard hitting

I read Homo Deus first, so Sapiens was a little less thought provoking in that it picked on subjects and topics that are less unique or specific to the author. That said, the author has no trouble rushing into controversial, disruptive and hard-hitting territory. I like that he does so mostly as a perspective rather than an opinion and keeps himself personally out of danger from being seen as biased or prejudiced. The book is likely to challenge the reader's preconceived ideas of herself at the most basic level and provides much needed perspective and education to the average ignorant person of our day.

I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. The story line is engaging and it's the kind of book that I wanted to make time to read...and then end up extending my listening time often. The one thing that did disappoint me a little bit is how the author at (very few) times fails to meet the minimum level of logical credibility when either challenging long-standing perspectives or offering un-intuitive new ones. It's obvious that this is done to prove to the reader just how easily perspectives that are seemingly cast in stone can be invalidated - but he does not always succeed as some of these arguments are just a little bit too weak. This does not take away from the argument he wants to make and the impact of his critical approach succeeds nevertheless.

I wanted the book to carry on...and felt like it ended too early - both because I was enjoying it so much but perhaps also because Homo Deus is a MUST READ once you have completed Sapiens.

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