Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

• Genre: Nonfiction; broad survey of history and science
• Originally Published: 2011 (Hebrew; English translation in 2014)
• Reading Level/Interest: College/adult
• Structure/Length: 4 parts; 20 chapters; approx. 498 pages; approx. 15 hours, 18 minutes on audio
• Central Concern: Harari describes the development of the human species in 4 major revolutions—cognitive, agricultural, scientific, and industrial—and makes some sweeping predictions for the future. He suggests that humans’ ability to communicate and believe in irrational ideas allowed them to gain dominance over the planet.

Yuval Noah Harari, Author

• Bio: Born in 1976; earned PhD from University of Oxford in 2002; lectures in history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; with his husband, founded the organization Sapienship to focus attention on technological disruption, ecological collapse, and global war; has received the US Association of Foreign Press Correspondents Honorary Award (2021); his book Sapiens was a New York Times bestseller for many weeks and has been translated into over 60 languages
• Other Works: Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2017); 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018); Unstoppable Us: How Humans Took Over the World (first volume of middle-grade graphic novel series; 2022)
• Awards: Royal Society of Biologists Book Award (shortlisted; 2015)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit: