Define Regarding Books Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
| Title | : | Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors |
| Author | : | Carl Sagan |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 528 pages |
| Published | : | September 7th 1993 by Ballantine Books (first published September 15th 1992) |
| Categories | : | Science. Nonfiction. Biology. Evolution. History. Philosophy |
Carl Sagan
Paperback | Pages: 528 pages Rating: 4.25 | 5208 Users | 194 Reviews
Chronicle As Books Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
NATIONAL BESTSELLER - "Exciting and provocative . . . A tour de force of a book that begs to be seen as well as to be read."--The Washington Post Book WorldWorld renowned scientist Carl Sagan and acclaimed author Ann Druyan have written a Roots for the human species, a lucid and riveting account of how humans got to be the way we are. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a thrilling saga that starts with the origin of the Earth. It shows with humor and drama that many of our key traits--self-awareness, technology, family ties, submission to authority, hatred for those a little different from ourselves, reason, and ethics--are rooted in the deep past, and illuminated by our kinship with other animals.
Sagan and Druyan conduct a breathtaking journey through space and time, zeroing in on critical turning points in evolutionary history, and tracing the origins of sex, altruism, violence, rape, and dominance. Their book culminates in a stunningly original examination of the connection between primate and human traits. Astonishing in its scope, brilliant in its insights, and an absolutely compelling read, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a triumph of popular science.
Particularize Books Conducive To Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
| Original Title: | Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors |
| ISBN: | 0345384725 (ISBN13: 9780345384720) |
Rating Regarding Books Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Ratings: 4.25 From 5208 Users | 194 ReviewsRate Regarding Books Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
This is the fourteenth book I've read for my 52 in 52 project, and it's the only one so far that I finished reading in about one day. Saying that I could hardly put the book down is pretty accurate. But the authors, Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan made their writing and analysis so engaging and fairly easy to understand, that getting through was not a laborious task. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, as I wrote in one of my tweets tonight, puts the Bible to shame. The book is not a parody of the Bible,This book could in many ways be called the humanist Bible. In clearly understood scientific terms, the book explains the origins of the earth, the rise of life on our planet and the biological foundations for some of our deeply rooted drives including sex, politics and racism. This is a book I've re-read many times as a reference for my own writing. If you're interested in a clear-eyed, superstition-free understanding of our world and our species, I highly recommended SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN
This book could have had an alternate title of something like Life, Sex, and Getting Along. It is a genial introduction to the big questions: earths origins, biogenesis, DNA, and sex, with short detours along the way that use specific incidents and experiments to illuminate the larger issues. The style is clear and conversational, and the level is pitched toward people unfamiliar with the subjects. For instance, Darwin gets a good deal of space, starting with his illustrious ancestors, and going
I never thought I'd give a bad review of anything Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan wrote. The biggest problem I had with SoFA was threefold. Firstly, it cast an extremely wide net. The books begins by describing conversations between Sagan and Druyan about human nature and war and civilization and things like that. They believe that in order to get to the root cause of some problem, say the proliferation of nuclear weapons, they have to discuss how humans evolved. And that led to a topic further back
Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors: A search for who we are (1992) Carl Sagan and Ann DruyanCarl Sagan and his wife attempt to inform we (humans) as to just who we are, how we came to be here, and what the future may bring. They do an excellent job up until the end. Endings are hard. They rightly state at the end: We are almost ignorant of what is coming. Nothing is preordained. (p.415) This book should be required reading for high school social studies. One problem is, however, the argument they
I really wish Goodreads would allow us half stars. After a day or so of contemplation, I took away a star, but Shadows is, in truth, worthy of just over three stars. Not quite four, as Sagan goes to his special place with the obscurely listed DNA strand patterns that (for a layman like me) bamboozle and even bore for a much lengthier stint than is necessary. Even so, the poetry conveyed through his meticulous and impassioned ode to genealogical reason is inspired. As Jodie Foster whispers,
The book covers the basics, not the cutting edge of biology (genetics, history of life, mating competition, animal behavior examples etc.), but it is sumptously, poetically told in the trademark manner of Carl Sagan.
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