I could just write, wow, and stop this post, but I think I owe to all of us to pen a few paragraphs on this fantastic book.

As a writer, slash, blogger, slash,, reader, slash, person, I love books! A few years back I turned to books that taught you something. This wonderful moment conveniently coincided with my studies, a time that I had a reading list. Being able to choose where my education came from was quite liberating. After disappearing for many years into the great, (and not so great, but albeit it entertaining), works of fiction, factual books came as quite a surprise.

Who knew books could educate as well as entertain?

I picked up Sapiens after Chris Evans recommended it on his breakfast show, the regular morning school/work run auditory choice. Moving to Radio 2, after many years as an avid Radio 1 listener has been a rite of passage. Banging house music at 8am does become tres drole in your 40’s, after all. We like the slower pace of Radio 2, we like Evans chatter, we like his nonsense, and his sense. We listen, and laugh, and sometimes sing along to the long forgotten tunes of our youth, (and sometimes, our parent’s youth). It makes for a pleasant trip.

Sapiens on the other hand, makes for an exhilarating ride through history. A veritable education on all things anthropology, human and habits. It poses the questions; Why are we here? Why do we want to be here? And answers brilliantly; THIS is how we became who we are today. It’s the best piece of research material i’ve read in years. A page turner of the highest order, gripping you with facts, and drenching you with knowledge.

I am a fan of Irish writers and can easily lose myself on a rainy day, sipping coffee, and slipping into life in Sligo. But this time, I found myself lost in a time machine of homo sapiens, neanderthals, animals, and lands long extinct. It’s the closest you will come to stepping into a dolorean.

Do you want to know why we have the society we do? Why we worship the way we do? Why we work the way we do? It’s all in here.

And the questions it poses – Why? Time and again: Why this? Why that? It gives you answers to questions you didn’t know you wanted to know. Or needed to know. And that is the point of this book, I find, You need to know these things, you need to look up from your laptops, cappuccinos, box sets, and daily grind, to find your answers. And you will most definitely find some within these pages.

To do anything with conviction, you need to be educated and well researched. So, research your humanity, research your life, research the Sapien journey. It’s a whole bunch of enlightening, humorous fun!

11/10