Michael Puttonen has a lovely narrative voice. I appreciate how he approached this book with his performance.

However, the work itself was not engaging enough to keep my attention. Often the writer will arrive at a point, define the point with a more accurate linguistic term than what is commonly used, build up a detailed metaphor to show the term in practice and then repeat the thesis in a myriad of ways to drive that definition home. However, conclusions felt like an afterthought when those arrived and the meandering nature of this expository approach left me -- I really hate to say this -- bored.

For example, communities are interesting when described as "transacting swarms" and how that could be illustrated when it comes to insects and how they work in community, but that does not really delve into what that means for humans when those transactions result in the oppression of those without social advantage (i.e. how does a transacting swarm thrive when subjected to classism, racism, or sexism to oppress portions of the swarm for the short term benefit of a smaller portion of the swarm). If the point was made, then I missed it over the repetitive use of "transacting swarm" throughout the chapter as the point was driven home over and over again of how this definition works to help explain a facet of human nature.

In the books, I got as far as the concept of "fetish" as an alternate, non-sexual way of describing the mechanics of belief systems. It reached a passage about the value "fetish" attributed to money, where the narrator had to repeat several common sayings about money (i.e. "Time is Money." "It takes Money to Make Money", "Money is power.", etc etc.)... and that's when I realized I was bored. I could not make it past chapter 7. Perhaps there are great insights toward the middle and end of the book -- things that could connect these ideas to the seemingly chaotic nature of humans -- but I was not engaged in the meandering path enough to do so.

If this is a subject of study that interests you, if you are familiar with the author and his theories, if you have an objective, logical mind and wish for a new view on terminology in how some human concepts can be described in more interesting ways -- this may be the book for you. The narrator is certainly worth it.

However, if you see the fascinating cover and check it out as a subjective mood reader like me, you may be bored. This is not the sort of non-fiction book you'd read as you would an interesting podcast on an obscure topic. Nor are the concepts too complex to wrap your head around. It's simply... rather detached and meandering. It might leave you wondering what the point is to consider human concepts with different terminology.

I chose this book because it seemed really interesting, and certain sections of the book were compelling, but… I found it mostly really dry! I think part of that might have been the writing style, which was repetitive and sort of odd. In the first section the writer keeps saying “mound” and I found it really distracting. The author did make some strong points, and there were a lot of things I really agreed with, sort of universal truths about us right now, but I think it just wasn’t for me.

I loved this book so much. The narration was wonderful. I didn’t realize until the end that it wasn’t the author doing the narrating, but that didn’t matter. He was a great narrator. The substance of the book with fantastic this book is an absolute must read/listen to For anyone interested in how we are developed as people. Also great for anyone interested in philosophy .

This book started out interesting but I just got less and less into it as the book went on. I was listening to the audiobook version and I kept having to replay sections because my brain was refusing to focus on what was happening in my ears. I gave up when I got to a chapter about what the authors inner monologue would be like if he had some kind of leg/hip injury I just couldn’t take it anymore. I hope this book finds the correct audience but that audience apparently doesn’t include me. DNF at 36%

3.25 stars
🌕🌕🌕🌘

🎯 Target Audience
- People who are interested in what makes us human different from/similar to other species
- Folks who can be open-minded to hear controversial points

🧠 My thoughts
I chose this book because the topic was interesting to me. I have always wanted to read a book on this topic that isn’t really heavy and too much in-depth. This book satisfied the criteria. However, sadly, the book didn’t speak to me. The points the author made were pretty valid and worth my time but maybe the writing style disappointed me. Nevertheless, I had to admit that this author spoke the truth. The book was very open-minded and wasn’t afraid to make controversial points and I really appreciated that.

*Thanks NetGalley, Post Hypnotic Press Audiobooks, and the authors for a great advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!*

I received the audiobook of What is a human and gave it 3.5 stars. This book for me personally was just an OK book, I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it. I was really curious about this book from the title and description and decided to give it a go and while some parts of the book were interesting, informative and relatable to me, other parts of the book felt like they were dragging and didn't hold my interest as much as the other parts had. While I did like this book, it's not something that I would personally reread and I think that's because I just didn't vibe with the book as much as I thought I would. One thing I enjoyed about this was how James Paul Gee compared animals and humans in various ways such as interactions with one another, this for me was really interesting and I enjoyed this section of the audiobook and also learnt more about both animals and humans in how they interact which was fun. Overall, I would recommend people to check this book out because they could enjoy it more than me, but for me personally I just didn't like it as much as I thought as this to me isn't a book for everyone but maybe targeted towards specific readers and unfortunately that wasn't me. Thank you to Netgalley for sending me the audiobook of What Is A Human.

This is a highly entertaining and thought-provoking blend of memoir, science, philosophy, history, zoology, and many other threads that weave together into the question of what makes a human

Thank you, NetGalley and Post Hypnotic Press Audiobooks for this advanced audiobook. This was a fascinating study on what is it to be a human. James Gee gives thought to how humans relate to other animals. He also speaks on how we think of ourselves in relation to each other and how this then affects politics and our environment. He brought up that humans have always innately thought they were better than one another based on arbitrary things, like eye color or what sports team they follow. It was an interesting and fast read.

Well, James Paul Gee, what have we here. Gee is a well-known figure in game studies, for better or for worse. How does going meta fare for him, as he enters his twilight years ... after moving into the boondocks for a final stint in animal husbandry? Hit or miss, but somehow engaging and beguiling, despite. I'm hard-pressed to summarize what this is about. I still don't grasp Gee's version of "fetish," which he uses liberally throughout. People are flawed, people are weird, people are animals, both like and unlike any other. That last list ... a treatise for the greatest evil our world has ever seen ... (I mean we humans, of course) ... and so, where to from there? I look to the future with trepidation. And eye my casket of games in the corner. (I thought it was funny that he named-dropped Felicia Day.) I'm not sure if I learned anything new ... this is more pseudo-philosophical musings with a tinge of exasperation and no small amount of resignation.

This book challenges our understanding of human nature, drawing on cutting-edge research in biology, neuroscience, and social sciences. It argues that our current societal structures are built on outdated assumptions about human behavior, leading to crises like climate change and political instability. The author proposes a new understanding of humanity that embraces our collective and historical nature, urging readers to reexamine who we are and how we can create a more sustainable future.

This is a fascinating book that’s fun to read. It doesn’t really offer solutions, but it does ask some interesting questions. The audiobook narration was enjoyable.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was a very different book than I have ever read, even while studying in University. What Is A Human? by James Paul Gee is a rounded exploration to understand humanity through the lenses of multiple sciences, with a dose of “humans are stupid” and “religion is stupid” to begin. Narrated by Michael Puttonen, the book puts forward an argument that seeks to challenge conventional views of our nature as human beings and the respective society. Beginning with a comparison between the termite as a member of processes within a whole to the human as also a member of processes, Gee presents his theory on what determines humanity and makes us higher or equal to the other organisms upon this planet - or maybe just different. This book is for anyone interested in how science, culture, and social issues interact within people.
While I did not agree with all his conclusions, his research and articulation were spot on

**What Is A Human?** by James Paul Gee is a thought-provoking exploration of our understanding of humanity through the lenses of bioanthropology, evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and linguistics. Narrated by Michael Puttonen, the audiobook presents a compelling argument that challenges conventional views of human nature and society. Gee synthesizes cutting-edge research to reveal that our institutions and systems are misaligned with the true nature of humans, contributing to societal and global crises. This book is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersections of science, culture, and social issues. #WhatIsAHuman #NetGalley