Book cover of Becoming Human: A Theory of Ontogeny

Book description

A radical reconsideration of how we develop the qualities that make us human, based on decades of cutting-edge experimental work by the former director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Virtually all theories of how humans have become such a distinctive species focus on evolution. Here, Michael Tomasello…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Becoming Human as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Michael Tomasello and his research colleagues have developed a theory of human nature development based on a wealth of empirical material, and they explain in detail in what ways we differ from other species in nature.

A fascinating fact is that the evolution of the human species, as far as it can be reconstructed, can also be traced within child development with things like learning how to communicate, cooperate, and eventually think morally as mature human beings.

Given this grand overview, it becomes easier to understand why some societies are more appreciated by their members than others.

If you love Becoming Human...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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Courting the Sun by Peggy Joque Williams,

Can a free-spirited country girl navigate the world of intrigue, illicit affairs, and power-mongering that is the court of Louis XIV—the Sun King--and still keep her head?

France, 1670. Sixteen-year-old Sylvienne d’Aubert receives an invitation to attend the court of King Louis XIV. She eagerly accepts, unaware of her mother’s…

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Whispers on the Wind by Elizabeth Revill,

Wales between the wars, a place of poverty and a world full of anguish. Yet, there is hope. Within family, within community, and most of all in the brave heart of one young girl.

Set in the lush Dulais Valley; Carrie is fated to a life of hardship and sorrow,…

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