Being Human, is the first of Lewis Dartnell's books I have read. With my academic background grounded in human evolution and a general fan of popular sciene and human biology I jumped at the chance to read this.

Dartnell, does a good job manging the line between engaging with difficult and highly complex topics interweaving them well, consistently - it did take me a while to read to ensure that I took everything on board. I was hesitant, I admit with some of the topics discussed especially around the topic of 'humaness' because, unpicking what makes us 'human' is an age old question. I think more could have been done, in my opinion, to tie claims of how biology shaped our world but maybe I have been spoilt by studying human evolution... are we our own destiny?

I will say that I think if you want to read an equally good book that primarily focuses on disease especially epidemics - Pathogensis by Jonathan Kennedy is a strong contender. I think whatever your background this book will teach you a lot you do not know.

This is a solid reccomadtion for all fans of non-fiction!

Another fascinating exploration of who we are and how we got here by Lewis Dartnell, and a great companion to Origins. Finds a perfect balance between accessible to those with little biology knowledge and those with more of a life sciences background, this is a well researched, intriguing and creative journey of how our genes, physiology and evolution have made us the amazing yet flawed species we are. A great read.

Thank you so much for allowing me an early copy of this, please give my personal thanks to the author as well as yourselves at the publishing company. As a nurse who has worked in emergency care, palliative care, and now intensive care, the book resonated well with me. I love learning and so passionate about gaining knowledge so this was a great book for me,

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

A fascinating, informative and intriguing book on the relationship between our anatomy and the history.
Well written and informative
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Being Human is a fascinating and surprisingly readable romp through the marvels and miscalculations of human evolution and the myriad miracles and pitfalls that befall our bodies and minds; it's both a celebration and an analysis of our issues as a species over the centuries - right up to present day. The chapter titles give an idea of the topics Dartnell focuses on: Software For Civilisation; Family; Endemic Disease; Epidemic Disease; Demographics; Changing Our Minds; Coding Errors; and Cognitive Biases.

In this book, the author takes a deep dive into human history and explores how our fundamental humanness has expressed itself in our cultures, societies and civilisations. How the different quirks of our genetics, biochemistry, anatomy, physiology and psychology have manifested themselves, and what the consequences and ramifications – not just in terms of singular, momentous events but for the over-arching constants and long-term trends of world history have been.

I must admit, I was concerned that it might be too similar to Yuval Noah Harari's 'Sapiens', which I thoroughly enjoyed, but, luckily, this explores different topics - these complement Harari's work exceptionally well and don't merely cover the same ground. Illustrated by a plethora of intriguing anecdotes, Dartnell weaves a coherent yarn presented in plain, layman's English which I feel sits closer to the popular science genre than academia and is packed with interesting information, facts and statistics. A corporeal delight which reveals the profound and often shocking ways in which intrinsic aspects of our anatomy, genetics, biochemistry and psychology have left their mark on human history.

An interesting read. Unfortunately I'd recently read a book about pathogenesis which covered a large portion of this book better. This book covers many interesting aspects of the human body from it's evolution to genetic failings. Certainly a 'I didn't know that' book. Despite the wealth of knowledge contain the book, it is in an understandable form.