Books: January 2020 Update (Part 1)

Here are some more review from books that I read during the last few months.

Sapiens
When I make my list of top 10 books that I read in Senegal (which I will do at the end of my service), Sapiens will definitely be on it. This was simultaneously the most interesting and least dense history book that I have read in a long time. Harari's writing is straightforward, concise, and easy to process; his subject matter is grand: an overview of human history. Sapiens focuses on three major revolutions in human history: the Cognitive Revolution, the Agricultural Revolution, and the Scientific Revolution. Rather than tie a specific event in history to a few events that proceeded it and draw conclusions from that reasoning, Harari's book looks at all of human history with a scope much bigger than a bird's eye view. He covers it all--how Homo sapiens out-competed and/or hunted out all the other species of humans and large mammals; why our language is such a powerful tool; how the agricultural revolution came about and why it was a fraud; and how science, religion and empire evolved together symbiotically. Harari does not judge past or present humans for their actions or choices, just connects big-picture ideas with one another to show how our species transitioned from one way of life to another.

A couple years ago Harari did a great interview on the Rich Roll podcast. I think that his clear, undistracted writing style is due to the Vipassana meditation that he has done. I have another of Harari's books queued up on my shelf and I can't wait to start it.

Flatland
A short mathematics-informed book about worlds that could exist in different dimensions. The narrator is a square who lives in Flatland, a world where two-dimensional shapes exist and move about a large plane. Through the eyes of the narrator, the reader learns about daily life in Flatland. The narrator also journeys to Lineland, Pointland, and our three-dimensional world. It is just as inconceivable for us humans to picture a four dimensional world as it was for the square to picture the third dimension before he left Flatland. In addition to the interesting discussion of different dimensions, Flatland has a surprisingly large amount of implicit commentary about how society treats women and those who have ideas about the world that conflict with norm.

Eager
A wonderful book about beavers, the animal other than humans that has the greatest ability to change its environment. Goldfarb details the history of beavers and trapping the US and gives numerous examples of how landscapes across the North American continent (and Europe) have changed and degraded due to the absence of beavers in the last two to three centuries. Contrary to public perception, a healthy stream ecology in North America consists of a marshy, muddy area full of beaver dams and slow-moving water--not the rushing stony streams we know from pictures and movies. Healthy streams that hold a lot of water for the dry months and create habitat for numerous other species cannot exist without beavers. Yellowstone's reintroduction of wolves is credited with creating healthy streams in the park because wolves ate many of the herbivores that were overgrazing the flora; the untold story is that beavers were simultaneously introduced to an area just outside the park. Wolves played a role in helping Yellowstone's streams, but they could not have done it without the beavers. Beaver reintroduction is an important step we must take to recreate healthy wetlands and streams in North America. Throughout Eager, Goldfarb provides numerous examples of different beaver reintroduction methods. There are problems with each method, but the benefits greatly outweigh the costs. If you are interested in beavers and want to read an environmental book that will leave you feeling reasonably hopeful (considering the subject matter), pick this one up.

Timeline
A great Michael Crichton quick read. This thriller is about a group of anthropologists/historians who travel back in time to Medieval Europe where they get involved with two kings battling over an important castle. If you liked Jurassic Park (also by Michael Crichton) and historical fiction, this book is for you.

African Friends and Money Matters
Recommended for anyone who will be traveling and/or doing business in Africa. Maranz presents generalized wisdom about culture and money in African societies. He is well aware that generalizing about a whole continent has many flaws. Maranz is quick to admit this and presents his lessons as something to read as a cultural and business practice primer that is relevant to many cultures in Africa. I can only speak for Senegal, but much of the discussion in this book is very relevant to my experience here. African Friends covers cultural practices related to eating, gift-giving, ceremonies, banking, business, corruption, and much more. The Community Economic Development Peace Corps volunteers in Senegal are required to read this book during training. I would highly recommend this book to other Peace Corps Senegal volunteers, though it might be useful to have lived in site for at least a few months before picking this book up; some of the book was review, but it explained a lot of unanswered and unasked questions that I had about money in Senegal.

Dreams from my Father
I listened to most of the book months ago while going on long runs. It was a great change from podcasts and music. Obama explains his early life and continues telling his story up through how he got his start in politics. Race is a major theme in this book. It was interesting to hear Obama's 1995 thoughts about and experiences with race in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement (which had a lot of traction when I was in college) and my having been removed from reading much of the news for over a year. The end of the book was very emotional for me. Recommended if you are a fan of Obama's soothing voice.

Les Miserables
Although I read the abridged version of Victor Hugo's masterpiece, it was still a little over 300 pages long. I am a big fan of the musical Les Miserables and the book did not disappoint. This book is a pretty quick read full of suspense and 19th century romance. I especially recommend it if you are a fan of the musical.