Unstoppable Us, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the World

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From world-renowned historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari, the bestselling author of Sapiens, comes an exciting, illustrated book for middle school readers that looks at the early history of humankind.
A New York Times Best Book of 2022
"Gripping and thought-provoking." —The New York Times
Even though we’ll never outrun a hungry lion or outswim an angry shark, humans are pretty impressive—and we’re the most dominant species on the planet. So how exactly did we become “unstoppable”?
The answer to that is one of the strangest tales you’ll ever hear. And it’s a true story.
From learning to make fire and using the stars as guides to cooking meals in microwaves and landing on the moon, prepare to uncover the secrets and superpowers of how we evolved from our first appearances millions of years ago.
Acclaimed author Yuval Noah Harari has expertly crafted an extraordinary story of how humans learned to not only survive but also thrive on Earth, complete with maps, a timeline, and full-color illustrations that bring his dynamic, unputdownable writing to life.
From School Library Journal
Gr 4-7-A philosophical take on the history of hominids, covering the evolution of the genus homo from their shared roots with other hominids to the modern homo sapiens. Harari discusses many theories of what makes humans unique in the animal world, placing the most emphasis on the theory expressed in his previous works; humans are unique because their ability to tell stories enables us to work collaboratively in ways other animals do not. Much emphasis is placed on humans being the cause of mass extinction events of creatures, such as the mammoths and other megafauna, ending with a call to action for young readers to take better care of the planet and its nonhuman inhabitants. Science facts, anthropological theory, and Harari's own philosophy are mixed in this text with little delineation to help readers differentiate. Theories that are still hotly debated in the anthropology field are often presented as fact, and some facts may be misrepresented. For example, when explaining why Latin is used in scientific names, Harari writes that, "Latin sounds almost like magic," and Latin is chosen because it sounds more important. This is not the commonly held explanation, and simplifying for a young audience should not mean misrepresenting facts. Harari's statement as fact that the development of religious belief is a result of the intrinsic storytelling nature of humans may be a collection development concern, especially in communities with devout families. VERDICT Not recommended due to its potential misrepresentation of philosophies as scientific fact.-Jeri Murphyα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.