"Behave"

(The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst)
-by robert m. sapolsky
2017
Reading this, you might wonder whether it's the greatest book ever. Such over-the-top enthusiasm is forgivable, as greatness does indeed spill from the pages. This qualifies as a magnum opus, and one that wasn't necessarily expected. Sapolsky has been a delightful author for years - incisive, funny, redoubtably readable. He's one of the few scientists whose writing rises to the level of his academic expertise (in primatology and neurobiology). Perhaps this book shouldn't be surprising though, as the combination of those two fields gives him a profound leg up in chasing humyn nature.
See sapolsky go for the big grab...and largely succeeds! Competition, aggression, hierarchy, tribalism, nature via nurture, free will...he approaches all these from multiple perspectives and time frames, always coming back to the touchstone - what's going on in our brain synaptically when we show compassion, hatred, or indifference? When ought we pat ourselves on the back, and when not? Can we rise above our worst impulses, to become not just better individuals, but a better species? Sapolsky gives a resounding yes, showing the plasticity of our brains and astounding moral leaps of which we're capable. To journey through these pages is to feel yourself getting smarter. Humility is always called for when approaching such weighty topics, for there is still more we don't know than we DO...but sapolsky embraces that, while making you feel proud of how not-stupid we humyns almost are. The book is as dense or light as you need...he appendicises the most gnarly academic parts, inviting you to skip, skim, or swim.
Sadly, i lost the copy i'd been reading, and with it all the bookmarks for specific revelations that might astound or delight, like the horrific inhumynity and incomprehensible moral courage that were both shown at the My Lai massacre. Even now, i cry.
But that just means you'll get the pleasure of uncovering all that yourself...