This was a great book. The information was fun and easy to understand due to the graphic novel format. It reminded me quite a bit of the children's graphic novel series Science Comics and I mean that in the best possible way. Adapting non-fiction books to graphic novels is a great way to make the topic more accessible to all. This is a must-buy for public libraries.

This book is an entertaining and more easily digestible version of Harari's original book. I easily finished this book in the course of a weekend and am waiting for the subsequent volumes. To be aware, the font used in the text bubbles is not the easiest to read.

For those of us wanting a quicker read than the full version of Sapiens, this graphic novel version will still delve into the history of humankind in a fun format that is easy to follow without letting go of the history or content. Non-fiction tends to intimidate me, even though I read a lot, so this was a way for me to read a book that I have had on my to-read list for a long time.

Yuval Noah Harari's adaptation of his novel Sapiens to graphic novel is a delight. The illustrations take the reader through the evolution of humankind in an extraordinary way. In graphic novel form, I believe it will appeal to a wider age group.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an unbiased review.

Although I love history, I have never been very interested in the origin story of us: homo sapiens. However, I loved the graphic novel adaptation and read it quickly. And found our history, and the science behind it, fascinating.

I expected the graphic version of Sapiens to be dramatically streamlined and simplified compared to the text version. That's not the case! The graphic version packs it all in. Having Harari as the central narrator, with various guest stars to lead us from section to section, is an effective narrative structure. It's cute without being too cute to take seriously.

The ideas put forward by Harari in Sapiens have disseminated into popular culture. However, as a headline or blog level understanding of such complex ideas can get things wrong, this is a great way to delve into the topics presented for a better understanding without committing to Harari's original book. I'd read the original book and found this to be a delightful (and slightly updated) way to refresh my memory of the information presented and his thesis.

I found the ebook version difficult to read. It'd probably be fine on a larger tablet or if you're willing to do a bit of zooming.

The source material for 'Sapiens: A Graphic History' has been on my wish list for a while. I still plan to read it, but for now, the graphic version will suffice. I found a lot of the book fascinating. However, sometimes the storyline seemed awkward and unnecessary, and the interludes slowed down the book. I can't say if these were included in the original work. If so, it may work better in that format. I plan to read the volume of the graphic series. I just hope it's lighter on the fluff.

“To the extinct, the lost and the forgotten. Everything that comes together is bound to be dissolved.” -- book dedication, Yuval Noah Harari

Sapiens: A Graphic History, is the graphic novel adaptation of the book of the same name by Dr. Yuval Noah Harari. Sapiens explores how homo sapiens became the only human species to inhabit Earth when one hundred thousand years ago, there were at least six different species.

This combination of science and history was such a wonderful read. I really appreciated the humor embedded in the text, especially when revolving around such scientific subject matter that is out of my comfort zone. I am not well versed in science but I found the explanations to be very accessible. While the art style wasn’t the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, the illustrations complemented the content of the graphic novel. My only real complaint is the size of the text, however, this could just be because I was reading the digital version - the physical version may be bigger.

I am so glad that Sapiens was adapted into a graphic novel because I’m not sure that I would have gotten around to reading it as quickly in the original format. I was definitely intrigued by the content of the original work, the illustrations make this text more accessible, for myself, as well as for readers of all ages (I’d guess late middle grade and up due to the academic discussion of sex) and reading abilities. I’m looking forward to reading the next installment and continuing my education.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Publishing for an e-copy and Harper Publishing for a paperback copy in exchange for an honest review.

TITLE & AUTHOR: SAPIENS: A GRAPHIC HISTORY by Yuval Noah Harari

SUMMARY: This is the graphic adaptation Harari's #1 New York Times and international bestseller, Sapiens. Full-color illustrations and concise, easy-to-read text makes the complicated scientific concepts easy to digest and comprehend. In this volume, Harari tells the story of humankind's creation and evolution, examining the role humans have played in changing the ecosystem, and challenges readers to reconsider beliefs and reexamine ideas. In 256 pages, this graphic novel makes the text more accessible to all.

NOTE: The book is marketed as being for readers of all ages. However, there are frequent mentions of sex, as well as strong counter-religious viewpoints. Something to consider before purchasing. I would middle grade could read this text with parental consent, and certain sections can be read to younger children, but it is definitely more of a graphic novel for older audiences.

THOUGHTS: I tore through this book so quickly and I do not read graphic novels. I was in a reading slump, stressed and overwhelmed, and this book was the perfect escape. I learned so much, laughed a lot (I was surprised at how comical this book was!), and enjoyed every second.

I can't wait for volume 2!

Dr. Yuval Noah Harari has adapted his book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011) into a graphic novel. This book is perfect for anybody new to the evolution of Homo sapiens and its impact on the world around them. For anyone who has already taken or knows anthropology I would suggest the original book, because the author expands on ideas in 443 pages.

This book is laid out in the traditional comic book style with boxes and speech bubbles. The artwork is minimal with neutral colors. The format and comedic style reminded me of Larry Gonick, a cartoonist known for his History of the Universe book series. Both authors introduce topics (that can be considered boring) in a quirky fun manner.

Topics: Cognitive Revolution, Agricultural Revolution, Evolution of the Homo sapien, Objective Reality versus Imagined Reality, battle of the Homo species

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Perennial for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A brief history of the history of human kind, specifically the rise of homo sapiens and the fall of the five other species of humans in the era of the cave man.

I've been meaning to read the source material for quite some time, as I want to know more about the history of humankind, so this was a nice primer. I was engrossed and learned a bunch, and I'll definitely be tuning into the second volume...and the book.

While it was highly intriguing and very informative, I'm not sure who the audience was intended to be. Children, due to the presence of Yuval's niece Zoe? If so, the font was too small, too much and the drawings not the best. Additionally, some of the concepts were a bit too much for a child. Adults? Then some of the framing devices were a little...juvenile.

I definitely was not a fan of the artwork, although that might be polished up by the time this thing actually hits the shelves.

However, I did learn a lot, and I learned that while researchers know an awful lot, there is an awful lot they don't know as well.

But what they do know is that homo sapiens have always impacted the areas they enter on a biological, ecological and geographic level. Where humans tread, other species die.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review

Humans: Look at how far we've come. Yuval Noah Harari's eye-opening graphic novel, "Sapiens: A Graphic History" gives us an engaging, lighthearted look into tihe journey of human history. This graphic novel brilliantly and humorously tells the human story while exploring everything from how we ate, how we socialized, how we hunted, how we raised families and how we survived. It's science-based without being to wordy or boring. An ideal supplemental read for a college anthropology class. I thoroughly reading enjoyed this.

I have not read the original text-only version of this book so I am reviewing this graphic novel version as its own thing. Somehow I missed that this was a "vol 1" and not the complete graphic version of the original text. Not sure if this is going to end up being 2 volumes or more. If the creators are going for 2, I think they could have pared things down in this one in order to make it a single volume, but then again I suppose publishers will be making more money if there are more volumes.

I did find that the book got repetitive at times, even without some of the re-caps - and I also felt like there was too much filler at times. What that looked like was pages of dense text followed by pages of almost no text. I do like graphic novels to have a variety and rhythm of pattern, but I felt in this case some better editing could have benefited and I found myself skimming at times because I could tell that the information was redundant. It took me a month to read this thing!

The images were largely literal illustrations or metaphorical elements meant to make the information accessible and entertaining, but I was often wanting more informational visuals, such as more graphics showing us where we were in the timeline of sapiens history.

I wasn't always a fan of of the storytelling and visual choices, particularly a running gag called "Sapien Bill" which was meant to look kind Fred Flintstone / stereotypical 50s version of "cave people". Bill and his wife were portrayed as white people, and I think this was part of the stereotype joke that was attempted. The rest of the graphic novel portrayed Neanderthals and Sapiens as dark skinned people and attempted to be as accurate as one can be about beings for which we only have skeletons. I just found the "Bill" segments to be both jarring and unappealing in aesthetics and tone. I think a different gimmick would have worked better.

I did learn a lot, and some of the illustrative/narrative choices were whimsical and fun. The book is also very of-the-moment with a COVID-19 reference!



Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Sapiens, the book on which this graphic novel is based, and I think this book does a great job of showing some of the main topics covered in the book in a more easily digestible manner. If you can't find the time to read Sapiens, then this is definitely worth checking out.

Harari’s novel Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind was always too intimidating to ever attempt to read, but once I saw there was a much shorter graphic novel version I decided I’d give it a try and see what all the fuss was about. I found it to be an enlightening and overall enjoyable read. It could be dense in some parts even in this format, but for the most part it was very accessible. It is definitely worth checking out.

I haven't read the book this is based on, but I have heard about it. The graphic novel does a wonderful job on covering the topics and translating it into images. I was able to follow along easily and found the style appealing to myself.

This was a very enjoyable read. The information is well presented and interesting. Despite the large amount of information presented, I never felt overwhelmed or bogged down. There is also enough humor and warmth to keep things moving an entertaining.

The art style is quite simply for the most part but effective. The artist does a great job using the art to emphasize certain points or to clarify certain points. The inclusion on "comics" that have a very classic style is a nice touch. My one complaint is that sometimes the art style can be a little too bare, but overall that is not an issue and does not detract from the overall work.

Personally, I believe this is a great example of how graphic novels can be used to educate and entertain. Graphic novels are still sometimes viewed as not being serious literature, but works like this are helping change that.

Absolutely phenomenal! I'd not normally get near non-fiction about the subject, but graphic novels make so many subjects like this one accessible and understandable. Harari has taken a phenom book and really made it consumable for a new audience. I'd recommend this as a first purchase for librarians in high school or public libraries.

I have had a copy of Sapiens for over a year and haven’t found the time to read it. I was super excited that I was able to score a review copy of Volume 1: The Birth of Humankind. This was a wonderful introduction to Sapiens and how we became the human beings we are today, I learned so much and I loved all the illustrations.

I enjoyed that it wasn’t just a graphic novel, There is a story within the history which was very enjoyable.

This version made me even more excited to read the actual novel. I will have to get to it soon.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Vivid images with unique colors pulled me in right from the start.