Synopses & Reviews
"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.
Synopsis
NATIONAL BESTSELLER - "Exciting and provocative . . . A tour de force of a book that begs to be seen as well as to be read."--The Washington Post Book World 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. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a thrilling saga that starts with the origin of the Earth. 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.
Sagan and Druyan conduct a breathtaking journey through space and time, zeroing in on critical turning points in evolutionary history, and tracing the origins of sex, altruism, violence, rape, and dominance. Their book culminates in a stunningly original examination of the connection between primate and human traits. Astonishing in its scope, brilliant in its insights, and an absolutely compelling read, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a triumph of popular science.
Description
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of Contents
On earth as it is in heaven -- Snowflakes fallen on the hearth -- What makest thou -- A gospel of dirt -- Life is just just a three-letter word -- Us and them -- When fire was new -- Sex and death -- What thin partitions... -- The next-to-last remedy -- Dominance and submission -- The rape of Caenis -- The ocean of becoming -- Gangland -- Mortifying reflections -- Lives of the apes -- Admonishing the conqueror -- The Archimedes of the Macaques -- What is human -- The animal within -- Shadows of forgotten ancestors.