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21 Lessons for the 21st Century

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21 Lessons for the 21st Century

By: Yuval Noah Harari
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The audiobook edition of 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari, read by Derek Perkins.
**THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER**

In twenty-one bite-sized lessons, Yuval Noah Harari explores what it means to be human in an age of bewilderment.

How can we protect ourselves from nuclear war, ecological cataclysms and technological disruptions? What can we do about the epidemic of fake news or the threat of terrorism? What should we teach our children?

The world-renowned historian and intellectual Yuval Noah Harari takes us on a thrilling journey through today's most urgent issues. The golden thread running through his exhilarating new book is the challenge of maintaining our collective and individual focus in the face of constant and disorienting change.

Faced with a litany of existential and real crises, are we still capable of understanding the world we have created?

'Fascinating... compelling... [Harari] has teed up a crucial global conversation about how to take on the problems of the 21st century' Bill Gates, New York Times

'Truly mind-expanding... Ultra-topical' Guardian

'21 Lessons is, simply put, a crucial book' Adam Kay

© Yuval Noah Harari 2018 (P) Penguin Audio 2018

 Civilisation Future Studies Philosophy Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences Society World Thought-Provoking Socialism Inspiring Middle East Capitalism War Imperialism Iran Military 21st Century Africa Latin America Russia Soviet Union

Critic Reviews

Truly mind-expanding… Ultra-topical… Harari’s big selling point [is] the ambition and breadth of his work, smashing together unexpected ideas into dazzling observations.
There is surely no one alive who is better at explaining our world than Yuval Noah Harari - he is the lecturer we all wish we’d had at university. Reading this book, I must have interrupted my partner a hundred times to pass on fascinating things I’d just read. Harari has done it again - 21 Lessons is, simply put, a crucial book. (Adam Kay)
Erudite, illuminating, vivid. [Harari’s] lessons suggest new ways of thinking about current problems… a splendid, sobering, stirring call to arms.
Fascinating… compelling… [Harari] has teed up a crucial global conversation about how to take on the problems of the 21st century. (Bill Gates)
The great thinker of our age.
Harari… is a rare voice of calm reassurance, slicing through the chaos and uncertainty of the modern age. (Allan Hunter)
Harari thrills his readers because he addresses the biggest possible topics with confidence and brio. Compared with the subjects he tackles, anything else we might read looks piffling and parochial.
Harari’s genius at weaving together insights from different disciplines, ranging from ancient history to neuroscience to philosophy to artificial intelligence, has enabled him to respond to the clamour to understand where we have come from and where we might be heading… 21 Lessons is lit up by flashes of intellectual adventure and literary verve.
Modern life can seem overwhelming. Fortunately, Yuval Noah Harari's new book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, is on hand to guide us through it. Poolside reading with purpose.
[Harari’s] purpose is to reveal the hard-learned lessons we have all already encountered this century… the persuasiveness of Harari’s philosophical analysis, and the engaging quality of his writing, is hard to deny.
All stars
Most relevant
Growing up in a society where children, especially girls, are not meant to question or challenge, I was constantly frustrated and even punished for analysing and questioning my society's norms rather than just believing and following like everyone else around me. No one seemed to appreciate that I was giving it some serious thought, which meant if the answers were compelling, I would believe and follow even more than the others.
I bit my lip everytime - from contradicting scriptures, to people arguing about number of limes to use in a religious ritual, to gender based stereotyping & grooming which didn't explore the true abilities of all kids to the political debates.

It is encouraging to finally hear from someone who has similar questions and freely explores these ideas. Really enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

A great read.

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Great to listen to while laying in bed, and re listen ... very enjoyable

highly recommended

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this is the Third of Yuval's books I have listened too and they are all fantastic

excellent book and narrated very well

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I simply have no words to describe how significant this book is, in philosophical terms. The only thing I can say is: if you value the development of your self-awareness and the awareness of reality around you, this book is a must.

I am speechless

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This book was amazing. It gives a great insight into what might be in the future

Amazing book

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