The Book of Humans: The Story of How We Became Us
Adam Rutherford sets out to explain what it is that sets us apart from other animals
When I was a kid I always imagined that our pet dogs were talking to each other in some undetectable pitch or set of noises that I couldn’t understand. It’s clear they communicate in some way – they get annoyed with each other and growl, they play – but it’s hard to understand as a child how other animals can get by without language. For me it was much easier, and more fun, to imagine them chatting away when I was out of the room.
In The Book of Humans Adam Rutherford sets out to explain what it is that makes humans different to other animals. Or at least, that’s what I was led to believe from the summary on the inside front cover. However, I finished the book not really quite grasping what Rutherford was trying to achieve.