History that we studied was written by the Victors. History that is uncovered is the one written by the vanquished. History that is factual is the one written by the unbiased. One such unbiased history is this book ‘Sapiens’ written by Yuval Noah Harari. Instead of dwelling on the ‘What’ and ‘When’ it focuses on the ‘Why’ of History. Why we do what we did and why some of the truths that we have been told are subjective truths or utter lies.
This books mixes History, Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy and other dreary social sciences into such an eclectic mixture that it is difficult to put down this book without reading a complete chapter or topic laid out in this book.
While books are synonomous with learning this book involves unlearning various ‘truths’ and ‘beliefs’ that we hold dear. Paragraphs on religion, sexuality, politics and our way of life may make you uneasy not because it takes a stand but because it makes you question yourself and the world around here.
Books are the oldest time machines and this book is that time machine that not only runs you through history but takes you to corners that you never knew existed but also those corners from where the view of history appears very different from what we have thought. History is not a definite science…. It is open to interpretation and the book encourages you to read history from different perspectives
by Jonathanolivierjames
2 Comments
I’ve never read this book but “history that is factual is one written by the unbiased?” I’m so confused. What makes this book unbiased? Are you aware of what historians do other than write books? Is this a freshman English paper you’re trying to get tips on?
It might be a fine book, but it has a reputation. It’s to the point that if anyone mentions it to me, I need to stop and think cause I just want to run.
It’s like the Cryptonomicon. Engineers and tech bros read these and think they are enlightened. It’s like a genre of Joe Rogan. I can’t.