The Third Chimpanzee for Young People: On the Evolution and Future of the Human Animal by Jared Diamond

The Third Chimpanzee for Young People: On the Evolution and Future of the Human Animal Reviews

• 
  Bill Sleeman

  …Small bands [of “uncontacted” peoples]…continue to turn up. But at some point within the early twenty-first century, we can expect the last first contact, and the end of the last separate experiment at designing human society…that last first contact won’t mean the end of cultural diversity…but the shift from isolated groups to global population does mean a drastic loss of [some types] of diversity. That loss is to be mourned…

  
  Reading this ARC copy of Jared Diamond’s The Third Chimpanzee (for young people) was an interesting and informative read. Having read other works by Diamond I was a little worried about the level that this book might be written and while the text is simple it is hardly simplistic. This YA adaption reflects well on Diamond and its adapter Rebecca Stefoff. Like many of Diamond’s other works this title is a manifesto of sorts of what has gone awry in our environment and how it might be corrected that is unburdened by the day-to-day politics (both academic and legislative/electoral) that tend to get in the way of any sort of reasoned discussion about climate and environmental change. The work is challenging, balanced and engaging and pitched perfectly for YA readers. To prove that last point I will add that I left this copy sitting out on the coffee table at our house and my middle school son picked it up to read and asked if he could have it when I was finished. My copy goes to him tonight and I am looking forward to talking about it with him. Perhaps The Third Chimpanzee (for young people) will help him and his generation better understand the state of our world (and the sad condition of our closest kin in the animal world) and guide them to fix the mess we are in.
  
• 
  Vinayak Mishra

  This book describes the history of humans from an evolutionary perspective, and talks about where we're likely to end up on our current path (spoiler alert: extinct).
  
  I'm glad I read this - It's easy to simplify evolution as "survival of the fittest", but there's so much more to it. Humans are a unique species, yes, but it was fascinating to learn the animal roots/evolutionary benefits of some of our peculiar behaviours (monogamy, addiction, genocide etc.)
  
  What I loved:
  1. The author's tone and pace: reading the book almost felt like listening to a very patient professor taking great pains to explain a complicated concept, in as interesting a manner as possible
  
  2. The photos and illustrations, especially the 1-2 page deep dive examples: Kudos to the co-author for making it so easy to connect to what the main author describes using words!
• 
  Μιχάλης Δαγκλής

  Για όσους φοβούνται τα βιβλια-κτήνη του Diamond, το παρόν βιβλίο ειναι η απόλυτη επιλογή σε μια hardcover εικονογραφημένη έκδοση.
  Συγκλονιστικό ανάγνωσμα όπως πάντα.
• 
  Skjam!

  Disclosure: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.
  
  This is a young adult version of Jared Diamond’s The Third Chimpanzee, originally printed in 1992. I have not read that book, so will not be making direct comparisons. I have, however, read Guns, Germs & Steel, which has some overlap with this volume.
  
  Mr. Diamond is a biogeographer and evolutionary biologist. In this book, he discusses the information (current as of 1992) that scientists have about the evolution of humans, who share about 98% of their DNA with chimpanzees. This segues into an examination of human behavior, how it is (and is not) unique among the world’s animals; and winds up with some thoughts about what this might mean for humanity’s future.
  
  The language is clear and should be suitable for strong readers from 10-11 up; there’s also a helpful glossary at the back along with an index. There is no bibliography, presumably because the sources would not be written for young adults. There are several illustrations and sidebars to break up the text.
  
  Parents of sensitive tweens should be aware that the book covers some “heavy” subjects, such as war and genocide. There’s also some discussion of the probable evolution of human sexuality.
  
  A couple of chapters recap the information from Guns, Germs & Steel about why some human societies developed technology more quickly than others. Mr. Diamond frequently uses “narrative causality”; trying to find the most logical sequence of cause and effect without being able to fill in all the links in the chain.
  
  The final chapters deal with the looming specter of environmental destruction and mass extinction of animal species. (But not anthropogenic climate change.) Mr. Diamond is pessimistic about the chances of alien contact. He does believe, however that conservation and population control can mitigate the worst effects of human behavior. After all, while evolutionary biology explains many things about human behavior, it is not the only explanation. We have free will.
  
  This would be a good general introduction to anthropology and biogeography for middle schoolers and non-science majors. Some of the information is out of date, due to it being more than two decades since the original book was written–serious students should review the recent research as well. As Mr. Diamond repeatedly reminds us, his opinions influence his interpretation of the available evidence.
• 
  Charles

  We received this book as part of the Goodreads giveway earlier this summer. I have read all of Jared Diamond's books before and was interested to see what he would do with the topic of evolution for a young adult audience. Overall I enjoyed it and thought that he had hit the right level of detail for both the topic and the audience. I also asked my 12 year old to read it and she enjoyed it to a point so perhaps it was hitting an audience somewhere between the two of us.
• 
  Jethro Kuan

  An interesting perspective at all things human. Language, genocides, tools, sexual behavior, race etc. logically explained from a evolutionary biologist's POV. Some points may be convincing, but the data provided can be slightly out of date, and more importantly cherry-picked. The influence of opinion is great here; making it more of a social science book than a science book itself. Nonetheless thought-provoking and a pretty readable book.
• 
  Cassie

  *This book was a book choice for a college course.
  
  Synopsis:
  This adaptation by Rebecca Stefoff of Jared Diamond's book on evolution tailored to young readers explores how the slight difference in human DNA from our closest relatives has allowed us to become the species we are today. Diamond's experiences, research, and insights into the history and pattern of human behavior are illustrated through thought-provoking points and demonstrations of other species in the animal kingdom. This book encourages the rising generations to take a look at what we've achieved and what we are destroying.
  
  Personal Reaction:
  I really enjoyed the history, science, and discussion surrounding this topic. I felt it was informative but also pushes young readers to be aware and proactive of how they live on this earth. My only concern is the accuracy of those facts included. The back cover includes a big quote proclaiming, "This is exactly the kind of book that should be a 'set text' for a reinvigorated science curriculum . . ." to which I agree, but it's not hard to believe that schools have dry textbooks because they are more reliable. The spread for Part Two in this book is a photograph of "Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints . . ." from the 1900s. The person the author is referring to in the caption died in 1844, so the photograph is actually of Joseph F. Smith, one of the prophets of the religion and Joseph Smith's nephew. With almost the exact same name and position in the religion, it is easy to make that mistake, but it is just as easy to fact-check it and anything else mentioned in the book.
  
  Content:
  Evolution
  Sexual Selection
  Race
  Genocide
  Languages
  Environmentalism
  
• 
  Jane

  I loved this book, it is one of my favorites. Unfortunately, most of the data I already knew from Sapiens by Harari (otherwise it would have been a revelation) and I did a stupid thing. I had this book, been wanting to read it for a long time when I was looking through it one day I noticed that on the cover it also writes “for young people”. And I said, ok, there must be an original one, hm, never mind, I will read this one. It was easy to read because it is for children and teens, and I could read a lot even though I was tired. But, now I have to read the original also because I looked through it and it is more complexly explained in the one for adults. I should have read the original one from the start, but well, I do many weird and stupid things. Anyway, I am impressed by any teen or child who has read it, I wished I had access to such a book when I was a child. Really. It is amazing, the perfect book. I am fascinated by this subject, we all should be.
• 
  Profe Keith

  As a teacher currently working in Shanghai (2021-22 school year) I only had access to the "Young People" edition of the book. While I would like to read the original text, as a person trying to build an English language library, this text is perfect. At no time did the text feel like it was being overly simplified, nor did I as a reader feel talked down to. The ideas in this book are challenging and important for our survival as a species in a world increasingly at risk due to the choice of our species. Making the language more direct doesn't limit it, rather it makes it more accessible to a broader audience including second language learners. I would most welcome a copy of this book being donated to my library.
  
  Biblioteca de Inglés
  (English Library of Fortin)
  Fortin de las Flores, Veracruz, Mexico
  
  https://librosfortin.libib.com/
• 
  Allen Hall

  Material is a bit outdated
  
  I read Guns, Germs & Steel years ago so was drawn to this title. The very early ideas about human evolution from Ape to Homo Sapien are well thought out and persuasive. Recent changes in the theories about the Younger Dryas era and recent archeology findings in North & South America contridict the old Ideas about the mega fauna extinctions and the peopling of the Americas.
• 
  Ane Liv

  Not fully for me. However, I was really intrigued by the points Jared Diamond makes towards the end of the book, and he makes compelling arguments for a lot of elements of human evolution and what shaped us, that I had not thought off before.
• 
  Cecily Herondale

  $2 from an op shop to fill up some time while camping. It was really interesting.
• 
  Dr. Sarah

  Read with my kiddo. Super interesting
• 
  Accang Santiago

  "Another way to think about future extinctions is to understand the ways we exterminate species. Our growing population drives species to extinction in four main ways: overhunting, species introduction, habitat destruction, and ripple effects. Let’s see if any of these has leveled off."
• 
  Tim

  I didn't realize that there was a more expansive version of this book wfen I picked it up. I'm glad I picked up the shorter, "Young People" version, because I have limited reading time and I want to get through two of his longer books in the next few months.
  Now I can certainly recommend this book to younger readers, and olders folks too.
• 
  Amy

  This was an interesting look at Jared Diamond's view on the evolution of people. It was a bit dry but I kept returning to it. Overall I'd say if you're interested in biology or sociology it's a good read. I haven't read the adult version yet.
  
• 
  Lavina

  I'm a big fan of Jared Diamond.
• 
  Roadie

  Great for middle and high school students. Its at a reading level they can understand while still illustrating the authors points and using great and scientifically relevant examples.
• 
  Sam Torode

  Jared Diamond's books are excellent but too long for me, so I appreciated this condensed version. What a great job by the adaptor--I'd love to read more like this...
• 
  Gervy

  Brilliantly clear science communication.
• 
  Nwaf

  I'm really like this book written by jerry diamond very entertaining and simple for understanding evolution.
• 
  Hanna Bjone

  4.5
  
• 
  Sue

  Wow, this book contained a lot more information than what the title or cover depicts.
• 
  Metin Bahar

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