Origin Story: A Big History of Everything
This New York Times bestseller elegantly weaves evidence and insights . . . into a single, accessible historical narrative (Bill Gates) and presents a captivating history of the universe -- from the Big Bang to dinosaurs to mass globalization and beyond. Most historians study the smallest slivers of time, emphasizing specific dates, individuals, and documents. But what would it look like to study the whole of history, from the big bang through the present day -- and even into the remote future? How would looking at the full span of time change the way we perceive the universe, the earth, and our very existence? These were the questions David Christian set out to answer when he created the field of Big History, the most exciting new approach to understanding where we have been, where we are, and where we are going. In Origin Story, Christian takes readers on a wild ride through the entire 13.8 billion years we've come to know as history. By focusing on defining events (thresholds), major trends, and profound questions about our origins, Christian exposes the hidden threads that tie everything together -- from the creation of the planet to the advent of agriculture, nuclear war, and beyond. With stunning insights into the origin of the universe, the beginning of life, the emergence of humans, and what the future might bring, Origin Story boldly reframes our place in the cosmos.
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Community Reviews
This book wasn't on my radar, but showed up as an Audible Daily Deal, so I decided to give it a try. Despite its subtitle, the book is not that big in size, but nearly infinite in scope, beginning with the birth of the universe and sweeping through what scientists believe will be its presumed death, a period that covers hundreds of billions of years. This dash through the cosmos slows briefly to examine the evolution of life on earth and the development of civilization.
Christian borrows the notion of projecting the history of the universe on a calendar--in this case, 13 billion years of history projected onto a 13 year calendar. Much of the book is a rehash of what's covered in [b:Cosmos|55030|Cosmos|Carl Sagan|https:images.gr-assets.com/books/1388620656s/55030.jpg|3237312] and [b:A Short History of Nearly Everything|21|A Short History of Nearly Everything|Bill Bryson|https:images.gr-assets.com/books/1433086293s/21.jpg|2305997]. However, Christian brings up up-to-date on many topics. For instance, when I took AP biology in high school (way back in the mid-1980s) the topmost level of classification was the "kingdom." I learned in this book that is no longer the case: "Domain" has succeeded kingdom for the top spot, with three domains of life defined by scientists today.
There is a focus on the economics of energy with respect to life that I found fascinating. It was an angle to history and biology that I had never seen presented before and it rears its head throughout the boo.
While I didn't think Christian's examples and illustrations were as illuminating or humorous as Sagan's or Bryson's, I found the book to be a good, quick layperson's refresher on the current state of modern cosmology and our place in it.
Christian borrows the notion of projecting the history of the universe on a calendar--in this case, 13 billion years of history projected onto a 13 year calendar. Much of the book is a rehash of what's covered in [b:Cosmos|55030|Cosmos|Carl Sagan|https:images.gr-assets.com/books/1388620656s/55030.jpg|3237312] and [b:A Short History of Nearly Everything|21|A Short History of Nearly Everything|Bill Bryson|https:images.gr-assets.com/books/1433086293s/21.jpg|2305997]. However, Christian brings up up-to-date on many topics. For instance, when I took AP biology in high school (way back in the mid-1980s) the topmost level of classification was the "kingdom." I learned in this book that is no longer the case: "Domain" has succeeded kingdom for the top spot, with three domains of life defined by scientists today.
There is a focus on the economics of energy with respect to life that I found fascinating. It was an angle to history and biology that I had never seen presented before and it rears its head throughout the boo.
While I didn't think Christian's examples and illustrations were as illuminating or humorous as Sagan's or Bryson's, I found the book to be a good, quick layperson's refresher on the current state of modern cosmology and our place in it.
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