Reading between the lines.. Literally

Happened to stumble upon this book called “Sapiens”. It was always on my eyeline and the fact that most of my friends have read that book was added incentive that I may like it. So finally decided to give it a try and started reading it. Within matter of ten minutes I finished 20 pages. Statistically that is the fastest I’ve ever read a book in recent times @ 2 pages per minute!!! The initial impression of the book is quite good and I really like the way the evolution and different species of humans are being referenced. The topic that triggered by these twenty something pages were quite different though. There was a recent conversation on including LGBTQ categorizations into the system to make provisions for registering their individuality. I felt very happy that as a thought process it felt very noble and encouraging and was a laudable effort in the making. There were certain sections on that book that made me realize, despite several thousand years of evolution, our thought process still remains the same. The early humans, homo sapiens, as we are all tagged, were not just homo sapiens alone, is what the book details and it also lists down various other types of “homo” groups that were prevalent at those times and how one group whitewashed everything else. There is no evidence of any ethnic cleansing and that was not what the book suggests (at least from these 20 pages and I know I am reading too much from this sample content alone) but the point being, there are very rare evidences of those rest of the “homo” clan across any of the digs that have happened so far and whatever bits and pieces that we have unearthed about our early ancestors. May be they got marginalized like how we are/were treating the LGBTQ community is what was the immediate thought process, when the dots connected. I even hate that abbreviation to address a group of people. I wouldn’t be too pleased to get myself addressed as a Mongoloid or Negroid or Caucasoid. Why the heck they should be clubbed like an “others” section is beyond me. But the point being, after all the years of discrimination and struggle, finally there seems to be some breathing space coming up for them legally as well, which is a good sign. Culturally it would be an all shocker for majority of folks, but for all logical and practical purpose, it was not their business at all to get shocked in first place. An interesting book, to finish of the year. Whether I will manage to finish the book or not remains on how the remaining 500 pages go.

Comments

Ramesh said…
Its a great book, but quite serious and long - you certainly won't keep up the 2 pages a minute speed !

Would love to hear your views after you finish the book. And if you like it, there's Deus to pick up next !
gils said…
Seems like it thala. Paapom
Savitha said…
I read it in 2019. Was an eye opener on several fronts. Started Deus, but there isnt much progress on it, yet.

Waiting for your review of Sapiens

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