An outstanding, thought-provoking read on an impressive range of subjects. It is clear that the future of humanity matters to Harari.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

My head hurts. In a good way. Harari's book tackled some topics I am pretty sure I didn't even realize existed and/or brought up topics that I am aware of but never would have thought about on my own. Of course, now that Harari has introduced them into my thinking life I am much more aware of those topics in my news feeds, etc. The read of this title is what I call a warm-up read for me. I'm going to need to read it again at some point so that my brain can really grab on. This read my brain was just trying to keep up. Some of his thoughts on the future of humankind and technology like AI were disquieting to me, either I'm extremely naive (which I'm not necessarily disputing) or I'm much more hopeful than Harari is about the humanity of humans. His chapters on God and Secularism were incredibly good and so interesting. Ending the book talking about meditation was an interesting way to wrap up this very heavy and somber look at where we are and where Yuval thinks we are headed. If I understood correctly, meditation is the way Harari remains hopeful in the midst of heaviness which is why he chose to end the book with it as well.

Didn't like this.
Couldn't force myself to finish it.
Sorry, but that's my review.
I thought I might get something out of this book.
It obviously was not aimed at a "regular" person, but perhaps at someone in a position of power.
My 1 star goes against the 4+ stars it has received.

I did not have a chance to read this book, but it is effecting my feedback rating. I am giving books 5 stars that I haven't read to improve my feedback rating. I am not recommending the book for my classroom or students since I have not read the book. There needs to be a better system of leaving feedback for books not read.

Not as good as his first two books but another insightful read by one of my favorite authors. Can't wait to read his next book. Thank you so much for letting me read an advance copy.

An exploration of current affairs and the future of our society. A series of essays from religion to terrorism and everything in between. Fissions of social, legal and economic challenges that will have you discussing this at the dinner table and with friends.

This is an extremely thoughtful, well-argued book looking at the themes and stories that have driven humanity to where we are now, and how to attempt to wrangle the positive and negative aspects of that to help steer us towards a future that will probably have very different needs than the ones that we have developed through the evolution and natural selection adaptations up until this point.
Several sections are very thought-provoking, especially with regard to AI/robotics and genetic/cyborg enhancements that may enable those in power to even further solidify their position apart from the general public that has so far been achieved through current structural differences such as wealth, education, access to higher-level health care and nutrition, and other advantages.
Occasionally, the author lets some more personal agendas show, such as the sections about organized religion and other areas, though clearly his experience being marginalized and feeling persecuted due to the ancient attitudes towards homosexuality that still pervade fundamentalist and some conservative branches of religion and the pain that that caused him growing up clearly helps him empathize with other marginalized peoples, and put the Judeo-Christian narrative in a greater perspective.

Harari has done it again - he focuses on 21 issues that the world is currently facing and dissects them in a fashion that is digestable and makes any reader believe that they can be solved. Each chapter is thought provoking and kind of made me want to make a pivot in my life, but in a good way.

Yuval Noah Harari’s 21 Lessons for the 21st Century builds upon 21 ideas of how we can positively move into the future. Each chapter is deep and thought-provoking.
A great read and highly recommended. It really left me contemplating the path my life can take.
*I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I like this: "Questions you cannot answer are usually far better for you than answers you cannot question."
This made me feel a bit better of my reading of this book: "If you are left with the nagging feeling that this is too much, that you cannot process it all, you are absolutely right. No person can."
Honestly, this was one of the most depressing books I have ever read. It was very hard to get through.

I received a free e-galley from netgalley.com.

What can I say? In spite of saying ‘Hmmm...’ to myself a few times where I thought the author might be grasping or going off the rails, I loved it!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, i jumped at the chance to preview this book.
Harari is a favourite author of mine, and I never miss an opportunity to ponder his insights and ideas.
Highly recommended.

This book is quite difficult to review.

I enjoyed Part 1 about the technological challenges humans will be faced with and how we can adapt. It reminded me that I need to read Homo Deus which hopefully will satisfy that craving for me.

The rest of the book was more political, religious and philosophical than I usually go for. The title misrepresented the content of the book as there are 21 chapters, not 21 lessons.

Overall learned quite a bit but I much preferred his other work.

There are some excellent points made throughout the novel, although, I'm not quite sure that calling them "lessons" would be entirely accurate for the demographic of readers who would likely pick up this book. It seems to me that many of us are well aware of these issues, but what we and, it seems the author, are not aware of are viable solutions to tackle the problems at hand. I will admit there were some enlightening facts sprinkled throughout and would say that overall, 21 Lessons is definitely worth a read. It's an excellent conversation starter.

As many other reviewers have stated, this is a thought-provoking book. It covers a wide range of topics including but not limited to work, war, justice, and education in our complex world. In his exploration of these major global forces Harari explores how they are shaping society and influencing our planet. The lessons found within this title are not conclusive nor are all completely agreeable to all readers. They shouldn't be. They are springboards for further reflection and points for meditation. This is a remarkable book that helps you understand and think critically about the world today to provide for tomorrow.

Thought provoking, sometimes frightening and sometimes hopeful. An incredibly detailed tome about future possibilities for many aspects of our lives. It will be interesting to see how accurate these predictions are.

Filled with very interesting ideas and predictions,I did this book a disservice but putting it down so often for my fiction books. Must reread soon.

Such a stunning book! I expected nothing less and yet here this book met all my expectations. A wonderful blend of the past, present and future, this book compels one to look beyond what we know and to embrace a future that we may never be truly ready for. A stunning book worthy of a read from everybody, regardless of the field they are in!
I highly recommend it to everyone!

I loved Yuval's style of writing. His ability to make a claim and mix personal examples, facts and interesting analogies is magnificent, and not to mention how well the book flows.

I'm not sure if I feel scared or comforted by this book.

"You might have heard that we are living in the era of hacking computers, but that’s not even half the truth. In fact, we are living in the era of hacking humans. The algorithms are watching you right now."

Harari is good at identifying and convincing us of global problems that are either already here or are lurking right around the corner.

For example, he tells us this:

"A common enemy is the best catalyst for forging a common identity, and humankind now has at least three such enemies—nuclear war, climate change and technological disruption."

The book is full of statements of fact and of reason and how these interface with emotions.

For example, "For better or worse, elections and referendums are not about what we think. They are about what we feel."

His focus in this book is on current affairs. He prompts us to consider and name the greatest challenges that face us. And then to think of them in a new way. He takes the global and makes it personal.

Here are a few more big ideas that he addresses among the 21 lessons:

".For the first time in history, infectious diseases kill fewer people than old age, famine kills fewer people than obesity, and violence kills fewer people than accidents. But liberalism has no obvious answers to the biggest problems we face: ecological collapse and technological disruption."

"Instead of humans competing with AI, they could focus on servicing and leveraging AI."

"In the twenty-first century, however, data will eclipse both land and machinery as the most important asset, and politics will be a struggle to control the flow of data."

Although the book is lengthy, it remains interesting. From subjects ranging from Artificial Intelligence to Immigration to God, Harari provides intelligent analysis and commitment to truth.

"If you really want truth, you need to escape the black hole of power and allow yourself to waste a lot of time wandering here and there on the periphery."

Even then, you don't have to agree with everything Harari says to still gain insights of your own based on his commentary.

As he says, "Fear of the unknown can paralyze us more than any tyrant. . . . Questions you cannot answer are usually far better for you than answers you cannot question."

My thanks to Net Galley for the review copy of this book.

Harrari’s 21 Lessons for the 21st Century follows his first two books, Sapiens and Homo Deus, and focuses on the present rather than the past or the future. Hararri blends a unique mix of history, philosophy, science, and anthropology—some of my favorite subjects. I was alternately entranced by his reasoning and aghast at his sweeping generalizations. At other times, I realized he’d given me a new paradigm for thought. The book reads as a series of essays and can easily be picked up and put down—though I had a hard time turning off the light and going to bed I got so involved in the book. I highlighted a number of cogent ideas in my Kindle. Harrari ranges widely, covering imperialism, fascism, communism, liberalism, and Trumpism, particularly warning that the liberal vision of life gradually improving as we give more freedoms to more people, has been devastated by Trumpism. I was intrigued by the idea of a universal basic income provided to every human being, and even more by the idea that the wealthy would pay this to protect themselves from the lower classes. I was also intrigued by the idea that workers may become obsolete as more advances are made in artificial intelligence and by the idea that data is the next realm of human resources to be exploited. An interesting read, only occasionally irritating, and often astounding.