At some point during the last 100,000 years, humans began exhibiting traits and behaviour that distinguished us from other animals, eventually creating language, art, religion, bicycles, spacecraft and nuclear weapons – all within a heartbeat of evolutionary time. Now, faced with the threat of nuclear weapons and the effects of climate change, it seems our innate tendencies for violence and invention have led us to a crucial tipping point. Where did these traits come from? Are they part of our species' immutable destiny? Or is there hope for our species' future if we change?
The grown-ups' edition is also available.
Jared Diamond is the author of the bestselling Collapse and Guns, Germs, and Steel. A professor of geography at UCLA, he has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society. He is a MacArthur Fellow and was awarded the National Medal of Science
Rebecca Stefoff is the author of more than 150 books and has adapted the works of historian Howard Zinn, science writer Charles C. Mann and ethnic studies pioneer Ronald Takaki for young audiences. She lives in Portland, Oregon.