Goldsy

Who would have thought that a synopsis of human evolution could have been so riveting? An excellent telling of our history as a species that was entertaining while informative. I was especially enthused by the connections drawn between our evolution, environment, societal norms, etc. I do not doubt that many facts and "truths" were stretched to fit the narrative that Harari was developing, but I have not heard many sources outright contest the validity of his book in entirety. It has been some time since I read this, but now that I am writing this review, I am tempted to revisit it or explore his and other works.

Really wanted to like this more, but I just struggled to become enthralled by the story. There were parts of this book that were gripping, suspenseful, horrifying, inspiring, etc. but they were few and far between. Aspects seemed to drag and perhaps that is what emphasized the parts that were intense.

I will say that Hemingway produces one of my favorite quotes where I least expected to find it. "Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today." I read this book about four years ago and to say I have changed and grown since then would be underselling it. I imagine it entirely possible should I go back to read it again, I might enjoy it more.

Great message and a couple interesting demonstrations of her thesis, but really the book could have been a chapter long. By the end, the reader could be likened to a dead horse beaten over the head by too many variations of essentially the same story.

Perhaps this was the product of having read many similar books leading up to this one, but I did not feel like much of this was profound or different. I appreciate these books and I can understand the impact that this particular book could have on an individual, I just do not think I personally gained much. I will concede that the book applied wholistic approaches to business that I may not have considered before, however I thought much was rather obvious.

I can understand why a friend of mine placed this book in his all-time favorites! Doerr delivered an excellent multi-perspective WWII story that was profound, heartbreaking, suspenseful and on and on... Witnessing the terrors of Germany while gutted for the quasi innocence of Werner. I really was most fascinated by Werner's path, but Marie's story was compelling and fulfilling in her own way.

By far my favorite assigned reading from high school! I was not expecting to enjoy this story so much. I know some people do not like this book and if I went back and read it as an adult I may understand why, but I refuse to do so! The ending was great for young-adult me and I will not say more for fear of spoiling it for others!