This fascinating collection of essays exposes us as the animals that we are while explaining behaviours that are deeply & recognizably human. The first section, ' Our Genes & Who We Are', focuses on our genetic endowment & the forces it creates in our lives, such as our need to seek out beauty. Another essay explains the invisible genetic warfare that takes place between men & women as they conceive a baby, which continues as the foetus develops.

The second part of the book, ' Our Bodies & Who We Are', ponders such diverse topics as why dreams are in fact dream-like; why we are sexually attracted to one another; why Alzheimer's disease tends to be a post-menopausal phenomenon; & why grandmothers buying groceries for their grandchildren are part of nature's Darwinian logic. In the third section, ' Society & Who We Are, ' Sapolsky takes his interdisciplinary curiosity out into the wilds of civilization & poses such interesting questions as when & why our preferences in food become fixed. Or, why do desert cultures tend to be monotheistic & sexually repressed whereas rainforest dwellers tend towards sexually-relaxed polytheistic cultures? Why do people from the lower economic classes have more health problems?

In each of these investigations, we see Sapolsky's brilliant mind synthesizing a wealth of research in a thoughtful, engaging way that satisfyingly reveals the enormous complexity of simply being a human animal.



...

Benjamin Malauss-ne, the Belleville scapegoat, & his family of half sisters & brothers are once again the target for a series of increasingly catastrophic mishaps which culminate in his imprisonment on 21 counts of murder. Meanwhile, the real serial killer remains at large. In this sprawling novel, which brings the Belleville Quintet to a close, Pennac has allowed his unique imagination to run riot. The result is an increasingly huge cast of unforgettable characters & a series of inter-related plot lines which curl around one another before finally unravelling. From the art of the tattoo to cinema history, & the intricacies of cutting-edge surgery to the wonders of the wines of Jura, there is something for everyone in this extraordinary tale. ...

With Sancho Panza, a deposed Communist mayor, his faithful Rocinate, an antiquated motorcar, Monsignor Quixote roams through modern-day Spain in a brilliant picaresque fable. Like Cervantes' classic, Monsignor Quixote offers enduring insights into our life & times. ...

Jake wants to play with Mum but first Meg, his baby sister, needs a nap.
But Meg doesn't want to sleep. She grabs at Jake's
...