Shadows of forgotten ancestors : a search for who we are

"Dazzling...A feast. Absorbing and elegantly written, it tells of theorigins of life on earth, describes its variety and charaacter, and culminates in a discussion of human nature and teh complex traces ofhumankind's evolutionary past...It is an amazing story masterfully told." FINANCIAL TIMES (LONDON) World renowned scientist Carl Sagan and acclaimed author Ann Druyan have written a ROOTS for the human species, a lucid and riveting account of how humans got to be the way we are. It shows with humor and drama that many of our key traits--self-awareness, technology, family ties, submission to authority, hatred for those a little different from ourselves, reason, and ethics--are rooted in the deep past, and illuminated by our kinship with other animals. Astonishing in its scope, brilliant in its insights, and an absolutely compelling read, SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS is a triumph of popular science.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member robrod1

One of his best books. Thoughtful and to the point. A must read.

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LibraryThing member eheleneb3

Fascinating and well-written, this is the book that helped me finally feel like I understand evolution. I think it is the “evolution for dummies” book that everyone should read to understand how we got here and where we came from. Excellent!

LibraryThing member starcat

A look at the evolution of humanity, spending quite a bit of time on the mechanisms of evolution, then on the capabilities and social lives of our closest primate relatives. A bit dated in places, such as his plug for group-selection, but overall rather good. Perhaps I find the topic a bit

overdone, and so I was never really that enthused by the book. Solid, though, and thought provoking in many places.
3.5 oc

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LibraryThing member Paul_S

Mostly about monkeys. Nothing controversial, I refuse to believe it was controversial when it was written. Unless you refuse the claim that people are animals.

LibraryThing member LGCullens

To my mind, this is a five out of five star book. That despite considering its writing subpar. I found the writing poorly organized, overly verbose, and tortuous, except in the last several chapters.

Nevertheless, I would recommend the reader hang in there through all the verbosity and extraneous

content (to me) in order to fully appreciate the last several chapters. They are the meat of the book that should be absorbed by all that have the open-mindedness and backbone to look at the reality of human existence.

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