Recommendations based on The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestryby Bryan Sykes

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Your Inner Fish: a Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body

    by Neil Shubin
    Exploration of human evolution through the lens of anatomy, revealing our connection to our ancient ancestors.

    Why do we look the way we do? What does the human hand have in common with the wing of a fly? Are breasts, sweat glands, and scales connected in some way? To better understand the inner workings of ... (Goodreads)

  2. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

    by Jared Diamond
    Tracing the origins of human civilizations through the lens of geography, technology, and biology.

    "Diamond has written a book of remarkable scope ... one of the most important and readable works on the human past published in recent years." Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a national bestseller: ... (Goodreads)

  3. A Brief History of Time

    by Stephen Hawking
    Exploring the depths of time and space and the emergence of the universe.

    In the ten years since its publication in 1988, Stephen Hawking's classic work has become a landmark volume in scientific writing, with more than nine million copies in forty languages sold ... (Goodreads)

  4. Genome: the Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters

    by Matt Ridley
    A journey through the genetic code of humanity, uncovering our evolutionary history.

    Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters, is a 1999 popular science book by the science writer Matt Ridley , published by Fourth Estate. The chapters are numbered for the pairs of human ... (Wikipedia)

  5. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales

    by Oliver Sacks
    A collection of case studies, illustrating extraordinary neurological phenomena.

    If a man has lost a leg or an eye, he knows he has lost a leg or an eye; but if he has lost a self—himself—he cannot know it, because he is no longer there to know it. Dr. Oliver Sacks recounts the ... (Goodreads)

  6. A Short History of Nearly Everything

    by Bill Bryson
    A captivating overview of the natural sciences, spanning the history of the universe.

    In Bryson's biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory ... (Goodreads)

  7. Travels with Charley: In Search of America

    by John Steinbeck
    A road trip across America, exploring the culture and landscape of the country.

    A quest across America, from the northernmost tip of Maine to California’s Monterey Peninsula To hear the speech of the real America, to smell the grass and the trees, to see the colors and the ... (Goodreads)

  8. Cosmos

    by Carl Sagan
    Voyage through the vastness of space, unlocking the mysteries of the universe.

    Cosmos has 13 heavily illustrated chapters, corresponding to the 13 episodes of the Cosmos television series. In the book, Sagan explores 15 billion years of cosmic evolution and the development of ... (Goodreads)

  9. The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality

    by Brian Greene
    An exploration of space and time in the physical world, looking at the fundamental laws of the universe.

    From Brian Greene, one of the world’s leading physicists and author the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Elegant Universe , comes a grand tour of the universe that makes us look at reality in a completely ... (Goodreads)

  10. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

    by Jung Chang
    A family memoir spanning decades of Chinese history, exploring the power of resilience.

    The story of three generations in twentieth-century China that blends the intimacy of memoir and the panoramic sweep of eyewitness history—a bestselling classic in thirty languages with more than ten ... (Goodreads)

  11. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating

    by Elisabeth Tova Bailey
    A journey into the natural world and exploration of a small creature's extraordinary life.

    In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, Elisabeth Bailey shares an inspiring and intimate story of her uncommon encounter with a Neohelix albolabris —a common ... (Goodreads)

  12. Walden

    by Henry David Thoreau
    A reflective journey into nature, exploring the power of contemplation and simplicity.

    Originally published in 1854, Walden; or, Life in the Woods, is a vivid account of the time that Henry D. Thoreau lived alone in a secluded cabin at Walden Pond. It is one of the most influential and ... (Goodreads)

  13. Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General

    by Bill O'Reilly
    Investigation into the mysterious death of General George S. Patton, and the implications of its cover-up.

    Readers around the world have thrilled to, Killing Lincoln,, Killing Kennedy, and, Killing Jesus,—riveting works of nonfiction that journey into the heart of the most famous murders in history. Now ... (Goodreads)

  14. Bad Science

    by Ben Goldacre
    A critical look at the misuse of scientific fact and the implications of bad science.

    Full of spleen, this is a hilarious, invigorating and informative journey through the world of Bad Science . When Dr Ben Goldacre saw someone on daytime TV dipping her feet in an 'Aqua Detox' ... (Goodreads)

  15. How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe

    by Thomas Cahill
    Recounts the history of how Irish monks preserved civilization during the Middle Ages.

    From the fall of Rome to the rise of Charlemagne - the "dark ages" - learning, scholarship, and culture disappeared from the European continent. The great heritage of western civilization - from the ... (Goodreads)

  16. My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands

    by Chelsea Handler
    A humorous collection of stories about one woman's many misadventures with dating.

    You've either done it or know someone who has: the one-night stand, the familiar outcome of a night spent at a bar, sometimes the sole payoff for your friend's irritating wedding, or the only relief ... (Goodreads)

  17. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

    by Michael Pollan
    Exploration of the modern food chain, examining the impact of food choices on our health and the environment.

    What should we have for dinner? The question has confronted us since man discovered fire, but according to Michael Pollan, the bestselling author of The Botany of Desire , how we answer it today, at ... (Goodreads)

  18. Silent Spring

    by Rachel Carson
    Expose of the environmental damage caused by the widespread use of chemical pesticides.

    Silent Spring is an environmental science book. The book documents the adverse environmental effects caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading ... (Goodreads)

  19. Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War

    by Tony Horwitz
    Investigative report into the legacy of the American Civil War and its lingering presence in modern culture.

    When prize-winning war correspondent Tony Horwitz leaves the battlefields of Bosnia and the Middle East for a peaceful corner of the Blue Ridge Mountains, he thinks he's put war zones behind him. But ... (Goodreads)

  20. America

    by Jon Stewart
    A satirical take on American politics and democracy, filled with humor and wit.

    Jon Stewart, host of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning The Daily Show , and his coterie of patriots, deliver a hilarious look at American government. American-style democracy is the world's most ... (Goodreads)

  21. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

    by Marjane Satrapi
    Autobiographical account of a young girl's experience of the Iranian Revolution.

    Note: The summary of the English editions of the novel is divided into two sections, one for each book. Persepolis 1 begins by introducing Marji, the ten-year-old protagonist. Set in 1980, the novel ... (Wikipedia)

  22. Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

    by Thich Nhat Hanh
    A guide to cultivating mindful awareness and inner peace in the midst of everyday life.

    In the rush of modern life, we tend to lose touch with the peace that is available in each moment. World-renowned Zen master, spiritual leader, and author Thich Nhat Hanh shows us how to make ... (Goodreads)

  23. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

    by Jon Krakauer
    A gripping narrative of the 1996 expedition on Mount Everest that resulted in tragedy.

    When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. ... (Goodreads)

  24. The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution

    by Richard Dawkins
    A journey through the history of life on Earth, tracing the emergence of species.

    The renowned biologist and thinker Richard Dawkins presents his most expansive work yet: a comprehensive look at evolution, ranging from the latest developments in the field to his own provocative ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams

    by Deepak Chopra
    A concise guide to achieving success and fulfillment through spiritual principles and practices.

    This is a book you will cherish for a lifetime, for within its pages are the secrets to making all your dreams come true. Based on natural laws that govern all of creation, this book shatters the ... (Barnes & Noble)

  26. The Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science

    by Norman Doidge
    Exploring the brain's remarkable ability to adapt, heal and change itself.

    An astonishing new science called neuroplasticity is overthrowing the centuries-old notion that the human brain is immutable. Psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Norman Doidge, M.D., traveled the country ... (Goodreads)

  27. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain

    by Oliver Sacks
    Exploration of the power of music and its effects on the human brain.

    With the same trademark compassion and erudition he brought to The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Oliver Sacks explores the place music occupies in the brain and how it affects the human ... (Goodreads)

  28. An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales

    by Oliver Sacks
    Study of human behavior, exploring the complexities of neurological conditions.

    Paradoxical portraits of seven neurological patients, including a surgeon consumed by the compulsive tics of Tourette's syndrome unless he is operating; an artist who loses all sense of color in a ... (Goodreads)

  29. Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind

    by V.S. Ramachandran
    An exploration of the human brain, examining its functions and mysteries.

    Neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran is internationally renowned for uncovering answers to the deep and quirky questions of human nature that few scientists have dared to address. His bold insights about ... (Goodreads)

  30. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

    by Jared Diamond
    Study of past societies' successes and failures in terms of environmental, economic, and political decisions.

    Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid ... (Goodreads)