Summary

The article "The Best Books I’ve Read Ever: Part 1" discusses the author's personal impact from reading "Sapiens" by Yuval Noah Harrari and "The Future We Choose" by Christiana Figueres & Tom Rivett-Carnac, emphasizing the significance of these books in shaping the author's worldview and actions regarding climate change.

Abstract

The author of the blog post shares insights into two influential books that have significantly shaped their perspective on humanity and climate change. "Sapiens" provides a narrative on the rise of Homo sapiens as the dominant species, delving into topics such as cooperation, agriculture, storytelling, and gender dynamics. The book left the author with a deeper appreciation for humanity and a critique of human-made systems. "The Future We Choose," on the other hand, addresses the complexities of the Paris Climate Agreement and the actions individuals can take to combat climate change. The author has personally adopted lifestyle changes and encourages readers to take action, despite acknowledging the debate on the responsibility of governments and industries. The post also mentions the use of Jasper, a writing tool, and invites readers to subscribe for more content.

Opinions

The author found "Sapiens" enriching, opening up new perspectives on humanity and leading to a greater care for life over human-made systems.
While the author appreciates "Sapiens," they note a pessimistic tone in the book.
"The Future We Choose" had a significant impact on the author's lifestyle, prompting them to consider the environmental impact of their spending and to sacrifice certain luxuries.
The author believes in individual action on climate change, despite recognizing the importance of governmental and industrial responsibility.
The author recommends Jasper as a valuable tool in their writing process, suggesting it can improve SEO and writing quality.
The author encourages readers to engage with their content by following them and considering a Medium subscription for access to a wide range of writers.

The Best Books I’ve Read Ever: Part 1

This series is about some of the best books I have ever read & had an impact on my thinking. This post covers Sapiens & The Future We Choose

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one — George R.R. Martin. Photo: Pexels-Skitterphoto

I’d always wanted to write about the books that had the most impact on me. Many times as I read through the book, my mind says ‘This book is fantastic, I should write about and it let other people know’. But my fingers were too lazy to write or type, and the thought eventually died. That was all before I started writing, now I don’t lose even one idea!

Books shape our thinking; some do more than others. This post is a tribute to some of the ones that shaped my perspective of the world!

This series (yes, there will be more than one) is about what I got out personally/professionally reading these books. I’m not trying to sell or recommend these books. Please make your own decisions on what to read and as any wise person would do, do not take free advice from the internet!

This is the first part, the full list is here if you want to read more about other significant books that have influenced my thinking.

Sapiens — Yuval Noah Harrari:

For Whom: Anyone interested in reading the story of how we (Homosapiens) came about becoming the most dominant species in the known universe.

Highlights for me:

What set us (Homospaiens) apart from the other human species that were roaming around at the same time
How did we learn to co-operate in large numbers
The Age of agriculture, how it changed the way we live
How we transcended time and pass on learnings from one generation to another
How we have weaved stories that we all believe in — Money, Country, Religion etc
How Male was the dominant sex and not the female, while it could have been the other way as well

The book made me feel enriched, opened me up to perspectives on humanity that I didn’t have before. I have become more caring about humanity and life in general than any human-made systems (country/religion etc.). There are a few things I disagree with, and the author constantly maintains a pessimistic tone (in this book and the subsequent books). I read the entire book in about a day and half, literally carried it to the toilet and read every single minute I wasn’t sleeping!

The Future We Choose — Christiana Figueres & Tom Rivett-Carnac

For Whom: Anyone interested in the topic of Climate Change and understand what one can do about it.

Highlights for me:

The complexity around getting the Paris Climate Agreement, getting as many countries to agree on one thing is a challenge, but this gives a few more insights!
The debate on who should pay the price for the change — the biggest polluters historically or the big polluters now? Should we choose Climate Change and potentially put millions back into poverty?
What are the potential scenarios in a couple of decades- if we acted, ignored, and partially did something?
What can you do about it?

This book has made a significant impact on how I live now. I do think about how my money is spent and have sacrificed a few luxuries, and I do recommend people do what they can.

I do hear an argument that says these behaviors tend to shift the responsibility towards ordinary folks rather than the governments and industries. I do agree with this but still would urge action in whatever way you can. Read my post on the topic here.

I have a long list of books that I plan to write about, watch out for more posts (& follow me if that helps)

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one — George R.R. Martin

The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest (people) of the past centuries- Descartes

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