Reading Map: Sapiens (with review)

Translated into over 60 languages and written by one of the world’s most influential public intellectuals, Sapiens is a best-seller for good reason.

The book follows a narrative history of humanity, unpacking massive ideas such as capitalism as the most successful religion, treatment of animals in modern agriculture as the worst crime in history, and modern humans being more powerful but no more happy than our ancestors.

What sets Sapiens apart from other non-fiction books is the way it is both highly intellectual and compulsively readable. At times controversial, this book would appeal to readers interested in history, anthropology, and evolution.

Using features from this book, here are a few suggestions for readers looking for their next nugget of wisdom.

If you enjoyed the thought-provoking aspect of Sapiens, try The Gene: an Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee.

If it was the scholarly tone that appealed to you, try Civilization: the West and the Rest by Niall Ferguson.

Maybe history writing is your thing. If so, try A Promised Land by Barack Obama.

Evolution piqued your interest? Try The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking.

For a mix of them all, try This Time is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly by Carmen Reinhart, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan, Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes, or The Structure of Evolutionary Theory by Stephen Jay Gould.

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