Us - by Jeremy Desilva (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"The best book on human evolution this century." --Agustín Fuentes, author of The Creative Spark

The award-winning author of First Steps returns with a revelatory tour of the latest scientific discoveries in paleontology and archaeology to challenge the idea of human exceptionalism, presenting a more complex--and fascinating--portrait of "us."

As our knowledge and understanding of the past has deepened, one thing has remained constant: our belief that we humans are special. But recent scientific discoveries in the fossil record challenge this notion.

Our species did not experience some magical leap forward from ape-like ancestor to sentient being, Jeremy DeSilva argues. In Us, he uses the latest fossil, genetic, and archaeological discoveries to dismantle the myth of human exceptionalism, showing how traits we prize as uniquely human--from creating art to feeling empathy--have deep roots in our extinct relatives and primate cousins. What makes us human is in fact a suite of characteristics patched together through cultural diffusion, biological evolution, and the genetic absorption of Neandertals, Denisovans, and other non-sapiens cousins into our gene pool. Some abilities we inherited; some were borrowed and refined. But very few are truly ours.

Witty and compelling, Us takes us to the discovery sites of extraordinary human fossils and the scientists who are unearthing them; to molecular laboratories squeezing ancient DNA from half-a-million-year-old fossils, and atom-smashing facilities where high-powered X-rays look deep within the bones of long extinct ancestors. It reveals how they communicated, worked together, and solved problems--strategies that helped them survive and that may provide important clues for overcoming our ecological challenges.

We are at a new dawn in understanding human evolution. Us brings us face-to-face with our ancestors as never before. It is a vivid, humbling, and profoundly connected view of who we are and where we come from: a new story of Us.

Review Quotes

"Us is a book of revelation, a bold and timely retelling of human evolution based on the latest evidence from the fossil record, archaeology, and DNA. As humans, we have become so accustomed to the linear story of our evolution: how a series of ancestors progressively gave rise to our species, Homo sapiens, whose big brains, keen intelligence, and artistic brilliance set us apart from other animals. Here, renowned paleoanthropologist Jeremy DeSilva exposes the true story: one that is richer, more complex, and gloriously surprising. With a scholar's authority and the deft and humorous hand of scientist who can write, DeSilva presents an engrossing and up-to-date story of our origins." --Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and The Story of Birds

"This is the best book on human evolution this century. Engaging, accessible and accurate, DeSilva combines science, heart, and storytelling to show how our story is a fun and fascinating journey, and why that matters."
--Agustín Fuentes, author of The Creative Spark

"A leading expert in the field of paleoanthropology, Jeremy DeSilva provides readers with a much needed and refreshing antidote to our current state of misinformation, tackling the human story in all its glorious complexity and ambiguity. In Us, DeSilva gives us the big and the small, delving deep into the history of paleoanthropology to contextualize developments in the field and sharing stories of his own fieldwork to help make concepts more accessible. This book is trustworthy, lively, and ultimately transformative, like taking a college course with your favorite professor: so fun that you only realize later how much it changed your perspective on life." --Jennifer Raff, author of Origin

"In his fascinating book Us, Jeremy DeSilva offers a long overdue reexamination of how humans became who we are. I was riveted by the tales of fossil discoveries and moved by the rigorous, imaginative work of learning to hear the voices, follow in the footsteps, and gather around the fires of our hominin cousins and ancestors--who it turns out are not so distant after all. DeSilva argues for an exciting and generous expansion of who counts as "us."" --Lizzie Wade, author of Apocalypse

"[DeSilva] lays out with flair and enthusiasm the many ways in which members of Homo sapiens resemble other hominins--upright walking apes--notably including Australopithecus and Paranthropus, who shared the Earth two million years ago. . . . [with] a gift for metaphor and apt pop culture references, [DeSilva] brings to life a world hundreds of thousands of years in the past populated by many different groups of human and hominin species . . . The author, whose area of expertise is the evolution of the pre-human and human foot and of bipedalism marvels at--and persuades us to marvel with him--how much knowledge can be gained from a single bone or tooth. With a sense of awe and wonder, he explores mysteries, such as why Homo sapiens should have survived when other hominins didn't . . . He moves deftly between the knowledge we have gained, and how much there is left to learn. An illuminating look at what we share with some now-extinct species." --Kirkus (starred)

"DeSilva's scrutiny of our evolutionary relatives reveals a propensity for aggression but also evidence of compassion, adaptation and movement, and resilience and persistence, all of which still reverberate in our species today." --Booklist