Author:Kitty Ferguson
In 1963 Stephen Hawking was given two years to live. Defying all the odds, he died in March 2018 at age seventy-six as the most celebrated scientist in the world. This carefully researched and updated biography and tribute gives a rich picture of Hawking's remarkable life - his childhood, the heart-rending beginning of his struggle with motor neurone disease, his ever-increasing international fame, and his long personal battle for survival in pursuit of a scientific understanding of the universe.
From more recent years, Kitty Ferguson describes his inspiring leadership at the London Paralympic Games, the release of the film The Theory of Everything, his continuing work on black holes and the origin of the universe, the discovery of 'supertranslations', and the astounding 'Starshot' program. Here also are his intense concern for the future of the Earth and his use of his celebrity to fight for environmental and humanitarian causes, and, finally, a ground-breaking paper he was working on at the time of his death, in which he took issue with some of his own earlier theories. Throughout, Ferguson summarizes and explains the cutting-edge science in which Hawking was engaged and offers vivid first-hand descriptions of his funeral in Cambridge and the interment of his ashes in Westminster Abbey.
This is an amazing and revealing tribute, assessing Hawking's legacy in and out of science.
This isn't your grandfather's Sudoku book. Rather, it's a puzzle compendium put together by the organisation that made the Bletchley Park breakthroughs - quizzes, bewilderments and brainteasers to challenge even the sharpest of minds
—— The Gentleman's JournalThe fiendishly difficult puzzle book is back. This is the perfect gift to fuel his ludicrous presumption that he could have definitely been a spy - even better if he's already dog-eared the first version
—— Huffington PostWhat’s unique about Harari’s take is that he focuses on the power of stories and myths to bring people together... I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a fun, engaging look at early human history... Harari tells our history in such an approachable way that you’ll have a hard time putting it down
—— Bill GatesWhat makes it so interesting and provocative is that because it’s such a condensed sweeping history it talks about some core things that have allowed us to build this extraordinary civilisation that we take for granted, but weren’t a given, and it gives you a sense of perspective in how briefly we’ve been on this Earth
—— Barack Obama , CNNSapiens is the sort of book that sweeps the cobwebs out of your brain. Its author, Yuval Noah Harari, is a young Israeli academic and an intellectual acrobat whose logical leaps have you gasping with admiration...Harari's writing radiates power and clarity, making the world strange and new
—— John Carey , The Sunday TimesUnbelievably good book. Jaw dropping from the first word to the last.
—— Chris Evans, BBC Radio 2A rare book...thrilling and breathtaking
—— ObserverHarari is able to be as refreshingly clear in his discussions of biology, of evolutionary anthropology and of economics as he is of historical trends… Stick with him and you learn a lot
—— Daily TelegraphReading it is like having a mental massage, cold shower and brisk workout, and all in the comfort of your own home
—— Esther Rantzen , Mail on SundayFull of shocking and wondrous stories
—— Sunday TimesConsistently engaging…Harari writes prose that leaps from the page. His broad sweep, collating philosophy, science, history and economics, creates moments of eyebrow-raising revelation for a reader from any background
—— New StatesmanSapiens is a fast-paced, witty and challenging romp through 70,000 years of human history...I did love it, and if you are interested in the whole story of humankind, I'm confident that you will love it too
—— Literary ReviewProvocative and fascinating and opinionated…it makes the familiar seem unfamiliar. It altered how I view our species and our world.
—— Mohsin Hamid , GuardianHarari delivers a boldly synthesized account of Homo sapiens' rise through the hominin ranks...A view of our ascent as nasty, brutish, long - and endlessly fascinating
—— NatureHarari can write. Not in the sense that most authors can...But really, really write, with wit, clarity, elegance and a wonderful eye for metaphor
—— The TimesProvocative, thrilling erudite… One of the year’s most talked-about books
—— MetroIts breadth is startling... It changes the way you look at the world and few books tick that box.
—— Simon Mayo , Daily ExpressProbably the most ambitious history book of the year. Certainly the most thought-provoking
—— Dan Jones , Evening Standard - Books of the YearAs a writer, Harari is superbly clear. He’s also a formidable polymath and a wonderfully elegant thinker... He is a brilliant analyst with a storyteller’s gift
—— William Leith , Evening StandardI have just read Yuval Noah Harari's book Sapiens. It is brilliant. Most likely the best - and I have read very many - on the history of humankind. I have never read anything better
—— Henning MankellWe usually think that we are an outcome of our personal history, where we grew up, the way our parents educated us, etc. In Sapiens, Harari delves deep into our history as a species to help us understand who we are and what made us this way. An engrossing read.
—— Dan Ariely, New York Times Bestselling author of Predictably IrrationalEloquent and wonderfully funny
—— iThis is mega-history of the best sort: sweeping but not simplistic, contemporary but not gimmicky, provocative but not contrarian. Almost everyone will want to argue with one part of this book or another, but working out which part and why will do us all good.
—— Dr Steven GunnFor its sheer originality and intellectual stimulation, I was captivated by Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens
—— Matthew d’Ancona , Evening Standard - Books of the YearAmbitious and invigorating
—— Charlotte Heathcote , Sunday ExpressHarari’s book is important reading for serious-minded, self-reflective sapiens
—— Avi Tuschman , Washington Post SundayBrilliantly done and endlessly fascinating
—— Reader’s DigestVast and intricate... Engaging and informative
—— GuardianA thrilling account of humankind’s extraordinary history
—— Jersey Evening PostThe book is maddeningly opinionated and insanely ambitious. It is also compulsively readable and impossibly learned. It is one of the best accounts by a Homo sapiens of the unlikely story of our violent, accomplished species
—— Michael Gerson , Washington PostAn enthusiastic and confident narrative that is relentlessly interesting from the first word to the last
—— UK Press SyndicationThe most exciting book I’ve read this year
—— Rory MacLean , GeographicalOne of the most talked about non-fiction bestsellers of the year... Harari is one of the very few thinkers around who’s really looking at what’s happening now. Sapiens is his attempt to tell the story of the past to understand the present: the great technological advances that we are all living through now
—— ObserverEloquent and provocative
—— Mail on SundayA headclutchingly provocative account of our species from the Stone Age to the present... Stunningly ambitious and compellingly written. They call it macro-history. They’re right.
—— David Sexton , Evening StandardFascinating
—— Chris Skinner , Financial Services Club BlogContains a remarkable piece of information on almost every page and reminds us that we should be grateful to be human.
—— Matt Haig , ObserverThought-provoking
—— Sunday TimesI would recommend Sapiens to anyone who’s interested in the history and future of our species.
—— Bill GatesRead with an open mind and you might look at life in a whole new way.
—— How it WorksA dark and thrilling epic.
—— Rachel Hadas , Times Literary Supplement, Book of the YearI have continued to be driven bonkers by my current obsession: Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, an extraordinary tome that charts the plight of the planet’s most destructive species since the dawn of time: us. Every paragraph gives you pause for thought, as it catalogues how nuts human beings really are… It may be the best book I’ve ever read; it’s certainly fascinating.
—— Chris Evans , Mail on SundayThis doesn’t make you feel clever; it makes you feel included. It’s written so brilliantly… He’s written about the human family as a family.
—— Marcus Brigstocke , ShortlistIt's one of the best books I’ve read recently and gives an excellent overview of how our species has developed and helps us understand why and who we are today.
—— Lily Cole , Hello!An intriguing, powerful book
—— Maddy Prior , Daily ExpressAbsolutely blown away by this epic, heartbreaking novel about us and trees
—— Emma DonoghueThis extraordinary novel transformed my view of nature. Never again will I pass great tree without offering a quiet but heartfelt incantation of thanks, gratitude and wonder
—— Hannah Rothschild , Waitrose WeekendA sweeping novel that skilfully intertwines many different stories of trees and people to create a paean to the hidden power and vital importance of the natural world
—— Country & Town HouseAbsorbing, thought-provoking and more than enough incentive to embrace your inner tree-hugger
—— Culture WhisperThe Overstory is filled with character and incident enough to engage anybody, but it's also filled with philosophy, science, poetry, and colour. It's a celebration of the world and humanity, but also tells of our coming doom. Perhaps above all it's a eulogy to trees. Eulogy is the right word because the novel celebrates the life, the beauty and wisdom of trees-but also their death. The novel also casts a cold-but loving-eye on humanity
—— Richard Smith , British Medical JournalThe Overstory has the mix of science and fiction that I so love; it widens my understanding and respect for the creatures who share this planet
—— KAREN JOY FOWLERStunning... It's been one of those rare books that has had a profound effect on me, and which has changed my perspective on life
—— Paul Ready , Yorkshire PostMind-boggling and visionary. The multi-stranded novel is a masterpiece in which science and poetry are deeply intertwined
—— Andrea Wulf, author of MAGNIFICENT REBELS , GuardianA compelling read is that is near impossible to put down
—— Adoption TodayThe Overstory is a prescient novel that urges us to take responsibility for our actions
—— Far OutA masterpiece of storytelling at its very best. Powers weaves together science, poetry, nature and humanity so beautifully that it makes my heart ache and my mind fly
—— Andrea Wulf , GuardianIntense and eye-opening.
—— Metro