the-obsidian-soul:

Hey guys, I thought I’ll share with you the books I’ve read during this quarantine.

Before that a quick background description about me : I wasn’t a very enthusiastic learner while in school ( let’s just say I was lazy) but there were also other factors like I’m from a middle class family with very little access to internet and a good library ( books are really expensive). It’s only after I started college that I made friends with people who are avid readers and they introduced me to this whole new world of books. They’ve got an amazing collection and that rekindled my fascination for reading (as a child I read books by Enid Blyton , Harry Potter and Hardy boys) .

The reason I shared all of this is because I’m a tad bit embarrassed that I didn’t read these books sooner 🙈

Book 1 : Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

A Catholic girl reading a book written by a Jew gay man!!! Sacrilegious ( Forgive me father for I have made an attempt at humour and failed miserably 😅). But in all seriousness this book was an eye opener. He take us on a journey from the time we were apes to the modern beings we are now and at each point explaining the possibilities of how that may have happened (reminding us that historians don’t know everything and there is more to discover and learn). He also debunks pseudoscience that human beings use to hate on different races, he calls out on the bigotry that several religions hold on too. Other topics he elucidates includes climate change, capitalism , science to name a few. There were also parts in this book that made me squirm in my chair, like when he compares human rights to religion and says they are similar in the sense that these are concepts made by us humans.

This book while answering many questions also sprouted out new doubts in my head and I think that is the very essence of it.

It did take me a long time to read ( nonfiction was never my forte) , yet I enjoyed every bit.

“This isn’t a lie. It’s imagination. Like money, limited liability companies and human rights, nations and consumer tribes are inter- subjective realities.”