Non-fiction book report

How is this book organized? Why do you think the author organized the material this way?

The book is organized by subjects and time. Each subject supports the hypothesis that human civilization accelerated human evolution. For each supporting subject, the authors write in a chronological fashion, providing the general background of the topic (ex. history of hunting and gathering to agriculture). As a result, the reader understands how the authors came to their conclusion and how the facts they presented supported the hypothesis.

How did the table of contents and index help you use this book?

The table of contents and index was helpful when locating a certain topic in the book. In addition, there was a glossary that was very useful. The book used many biology terms that I did not understand, so it was useful being able to locate any vocabulary I did not know in the back of the book.

What sections of the book did you want to read first? Why?

At the first glance of the table of contents, I wanted to read, “Medieval Evolution: How the Ashkenazi Jews got their Smarts”. This chapter interested me the most because the title made me wonder if the Ashkenazi Jews were a lot smarter than the rest of us.

What part of this book could the author have left out without changing your understanding of the topic?

Every part of the book is essential to understanding how human civilization accelerated human evolution. The book covers topics such as: the human expansion out of Africa, the replacement of Neanderthals, speech capabilities/advantages, gene mutations and gene flow. The topics cover the main aspects of human civilization from the beginning to the modern times. Each aspect covered explains how it encouraged gene flow, therefore advantageous ...

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...in northern Europe. I also learned that with the domestication of animals, Indo-European languages spread. The proto-Indo-Europeans were the first raise cattle for milk instead of slaughter. They were able to conquer neighboring people and spread their language because dairying instead of slaughtering cattle produces five times as many calories per acre. So, the Proto-Indo-Europeans were able to create more warriors on the same amount of land than other tribes. I also learned that some genetic mutations are a defense to certain diseases. For example, sickle cell anemia which deforms the hemoglobin is a defense against malaria, since malaria attacks hemoglobin. However, sickle cell anemia is dangerous in its own right.

What big question do you still have after reading this book?

What type of evolutions did Homo sapiens undergo before the expansion out of Africa?