Synopsis:
Most of us take for granted the features of our modern society, from air travel and telecommunications to literacy and obesity. Yet for nearly all of its six million years of existence, human society had none of these things. While the gulf that divides us from our primitive ancestors may seem unbridgeably wide, we can glimpse much of our former lifestyle in those largely traditional societies still or recently in existence. Societies like those of the New Guinea Highlanders remind us that it was only yesterdayin evolutionary timewhen everything changed and that we moderns still possess bodies and social practices often better adapted to traditional than to modern conditions.
The World Until Yesterday provides a mesmerizing firsthand picture of the human past as it had been for millions of yearsa past that has mostly vanishedand considers what the differences between that past and our present mean for our lives today.
This is Jared Diamond’s most personal book to date, as he draws extensively from his decades of field work in the Pacific islands, as well as evidence from Inuit, Amazonian Indians, Kalahari San people, and others. Diamond doesn’t romanticize traditional societiesafter all, we are shocked by some of their practicesbut he finds that their solutions to universal human problems such as child rearing, elder care, dispute resolution, risk, and physical fitness have much to teach us. A characteristically provocative, enlightening, and entertaining book, The World Until Yesterday will be essential and delightful reading.
Review:
A fascinating survey of a rapidly fading world (Economist)
Jared Diamond is one of the few people who have changed the way we see human nature and our history (Independent (BOOK OF THE WEEK))
Fascinating... a clear-eyed examination of life in traditional societies (Sunday Telegraph (BOOK OF THE WEEK))
Moving, well-told and fascinating.... The wide scope of the book means that almost everyone will find something of interest (Financial Times)
In The World Until Yesterday, Diamond cements his position as the most considered, courageous and sensitive teller of the human story writing today.... Diamond offers inimitable insight into our cultural history through the study of tribal communities, and an entertaining account of the human struggle.... Essential reading for anyone interested in the genesis of modern life (Independent on Sunday)
Fascinating... thought-provoking... A broad sweep through all humanity (Daily Telegraph (FIVE STARS))
The world has been waiting for this book (Times Higher Education)
One of the most interesting and arresting writers of our age.... The vast scope of his analysis, coupled with a lifetime's worth of personal insights, makes it fiercely persuasive (The Mail on Sunday)
Diamond's latest foray into a field that he has virtually made his own will be eagerly awaited by a global army of loyal readers (Observer)
A warm and reflective study... [Diamond] is a master of at least nine academic disciplines, from anthropology to ornithology, and the subject of his books is never less than everything (Bryan Appleyard Sunday Times)
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