Challenging (and Fun) Reading

I just finished two books by Yuval Noah Harari who teaches at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  Sapiens and Homo Deus were two of the most challenging books I’ve ever read.  They challenged my ideas about the history and future of humans.  Bill Gates said these are two of the most important books ever written.  He also called Sapiens “fun” and “approachable” and said these books would spark great conversations around the dinner table.  I can attest to that!

Sapiens is the history of our species, but it isn’t a typical history book.  It focuses on the major changes--such as the Agricultural Revolution and the Scientific Revolution--that moved civilization on to the next level.  I loved this book!

Homo Deus looks at the future of humanity.  The author contends that humans are learning to control famine, sickness, and war—the things that have seemed uncontrollable throughout history.  “Today, more people die from eating too much than from eating too little; more people die of old age than from infectious diseases; and more people commit suicide than are killed by soldiers, terrorists, and criminals combined.”  WOW.  The author asks questions such as, “What happens when technology makes a large portion of humans unemployable?” and “What happens to democracy and free markets when Google and Facebook know us better than we know ourselves?” 

OK, I know I’m a nerd, but these were two fascinating books that I can’t stop thinking about! I won’t recommend these for our monthly reads (I would be expelled from the club!), but I hope you’ll give Sapiens a try.