Comment

This monumental work presents a convincing challenge to much of what we have accepted to be the story of the origins of civilizations. The team of the late David Graeber, a self-professed anarchist anthropologist, and British archaeologist David Wengrow cover 30,000 years of human history to reach fascinating new conclusions about both human nature and how society could best be structured to accommodate the beings we are. Graeber met a tragic and sudden death while the book was underway but his collaborator was able to complete the text for a 2021 release. Graeber was an early organizer of the Occupy Wall Street movement, coining the slogan, "We Are the 99%," after a period of "academic exile" after being denied tenure at Yale University. This book will endure as a classic work in its field that will greatly influence our understanding of human history and evolution in perpetuity. Recommended for: Adults Recommended by: Steven Lavoie, Senior Librarian, Main Library