# Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

13 Hacker News commenters recommended Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari and 9 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Engaging, sweeping history of humankind that readers say changed how they see civilization and belief. Critics say it is loose with facts, especially on prehistory.

## Why people recommend it

- Engaging narrative of human history (4 comments): "A fascinating look at how humans built civilizations, beliefs, and the modern world." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48485595)) "I really like the narrative in the book Sapiens" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48303958)) "That book is great as it is unsettling." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49047862))
- Widely recommended to others (4 comments): "a must-read, probably the book I've recommended more than any other" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46182111)) "I think you'll find a lot of answers in Sapiens and Nexus" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48530063)) "I highly recommend reading Sapiens if someone hasn't." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47307479))
- Explains shared beliefs and religion's role (3 comments): "It talks about the history of "shared delusions" as you call them, as a critical piece for development of society." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46344312)) "he may contribute a more nuanced view on the role of religion in human culture" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48902961)) "to know more about the history of religion too" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46261863))
- Readers wish they'd read it earlier (3 comments): "It would have changed the course of my life." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47936072)) "I wish I’d read it 20 years earlier." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46347303)) "Wish I’d read it when I was 18." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48114038))

## What people warn about

- Loose with facts and inaccuracies (5 comments): "There is some pretty dubious stuff in it. I think he is more interested in telling a good sounding story than looking at the research." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46182371)) "Sapiens is super loose about interpreting facts carefully, particularly the prehistory part." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49517241)) "it has been heavily criticized by the scientific community as having lots of inaccuracies" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49781088))
- Weak prehistory and romanticized past (4 comments): "The author romanticized past life and made claims that life was leisurely until agriculture came along" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46377485)) "A book for which literally zero professional archaeologists or anthropologists were consulted" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46182244)) "Sapiens is super loose about interpreting facts carefully, particularly the prehistory part." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49517241))
- Prefers story over research (2 comments): "There is some pretty dubious stuff in it. I think he is more interested in telling a good sounding story than looking at the research." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46182371)) "more fact based AND have a positive outlook than sapiens" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49050964))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow](https://hackerapproved.com/p/dawn-of-everything.md): 23 recommend
- [Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cadillac-desert.md): 18 recommend
- [The Box by Marc Levinson](https://hackerapproved.com/p/box.md): 16 recommend
- [Chip War by Chris Miller](https://hackerapproved.com/p/chip-war.md): 13 recommend
- [Showstopper! by G. Pascal Zachary](https://hackerapproved.com/p/showstopper.md): 12 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0063212234?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780063212237) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari", https://hackerapproved.com/p/sapiens/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).