The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow
7.5 out of 10This book covers a lot of ground. Black Sea grain, Ohio mound builders, Louis XIV, and much more.
In the tradition of Jared Diamond and Yuval Harari, the authors attempt to apply some scientific rigor to history. Most history is told as a narrative with simplistic (sometimes false) assumptions. The truth is that individuals and societies from all over the world have successfully solved a wide variety of problems. Genetically, we are all very similar. But, we experiment and make different choices. There is tension between freedom and structure, as well as between hierarchy and egalitarianism. Ultimately, cultural evolution does not have much of an overall direction--though it does have many offshoots.