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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
A brilliant eye opener!!! You won’t see the world the same way after reading this book. I wish I read this book when I was 15 (yes, even before it was written).

Brilliant!!!

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I now need to buy and read this excellent insight into humanity. The last chapter came as a complete surprise. Having analysed the 21 lessons I now need to understand my mind, and my motivation for living. Even though scientists know a little how the brain works it knows virtually nothing about the mind. Despite everything that the author has written in the previous chapters make absolute sense. This book should be mandatory reading for all politicians and leaders. Finally, the book is not about dogma or religion. It is just about common sense.

Absolutely brilliant.

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Sapiens and Homo Deus were triumphs. There is clear daylight to the quality of this third installment, largely as it lacks a comprehensive framework as the others did. however, still worth a read, and arguably an easier book to skim or selectively read than the first two. I am much wiser for having read these books, so for that am thankful.

The weakest of three terrific books

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I absolutely love Yuval's work in cutting through the stories we tell ourselves and each other to bring clarity of thought the world around us (or perhaps within us?). Sapiens still rates as one of my top reads of all time. In contrast, 21 Lessons feels like more of a re-telling of material from both Sapiens and Homo Deus.

Perhaps I am being overly critical given the extremely high bar set by his previous 2 books in this series, as this is still a highly thought provoking read, but there you have it, that was my experience...

Great, but Sapiens still the standout

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Sometimes daunting ideas are just what I crave, especially when observation is what's really essential.

More insights, varied angles

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