The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection

Chatty, breezy, and capacious, this global history of humanity by journalist Ansary (Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes) focuses on the power of narrative to shape human behavior and on the interconnectedness of people across the globe. Ansary starts off with the beginnings of human societies, nimbly summarizing the development of tools, languages, trade networks, belief systems, and empires: a page on the religious beliefs of ancient Mesopotamians is followed by another on those of Egyptians, and cuneiform and hieroglyphics are summarized in several paragraphs. Next, he describes the West overtaking the East in ideological and technical innovations after 1000 CE; the eastern peoples crafted societal narratives focused on restoring their former glories, while Europeans’ narratives highlighted the benefits of progress. Their emphasis on Christianity and progress motivated, for example, the conquistadors to subjugate Native Americans. Western mechanical inventions in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries only increased the region’s power. Today, Ansary, concludes, humankind edges toward singularity—when humans and machines effectively merge—and nation-states’s primacy is eroded by globalization. This overview paints a cogent and superficially impressive picture of world history, but it doesn’t have much room for depth, complexity, and argumentation. Readers willing to take Ansary’s word for things, however, can sit back and enjoy the ride. (Oct.)