i got a review digital copy of this book. This book is out at the right time. All of us need to read this and understand how our belief systems work and how they can be and are being manipulated by everyone around.

All in all, a great read! Most recommended!!

I generally liked the book although it looked to me in some moments like a pure research paper. The information presented is very interesting and the topic is very important. I believe understanding the way people think, biases and other factors that influence the way we live, communicate and interact at different levels. If the reality is the same them why we can't agree on this? - this is the core of the book for me.

This is an informative and interesting book for those curious how it is people can have such diametrically opposed opinions, beliefs and perceptions of the same event or idea. I appreciate the various studies to support the claims made and the explanation of neurobiological mechanisms, such as gephyrin, which influences the ways in which we make decisions. This book is largely devoid of over-generalizations and the author does a superb job at supporting the purpose of this book, which is to educate his readers on this fascinating topic.

Sigh.. Such a good topic, but such an incredibly boring book. Without fail, it put me to sleep every night in about 5 minutes. The material is organized in short chapters which feel an awful lot like a textbook. The direction isn't clear, and after the author's done talking about how beliefs work, it's just a short rundown of the European history, through the lens of how beliefs shaped it. Ironically, the appendixes were much more interesting than the book itself and they are the reason I'm giving it 3 stars instead of 2. The appendixes talked about propaganda, evolution and DNA, even artificial simulated organisms and their evolution.

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

I had high hopes for this book but those hopes were dashed on the rocks of reality when I actually read this tome. The author recites psychological study after study which quickly became inbearable. Mr. Giovannoli should seriously consider another line of work.