A Book That Influenced You

The book that has had the biggest influence on me is “Sapiens” by Yuval Noah Harari, which I read about four years ago, during my second year at university. A friend lent it to me, saying it would change how I see the world, and I was sceptical at first, because it’s quite a thick non-fiction book. Essentially, it’s a history of humankind, from early humans to the present day, but what makes it unusual is that it focuses on big ideas rather than dates and kings. For example, Harari argues that humans became so powerful because we can cooperate in large numbers by believing in shared stories — things like money, nations and laws, which only exist because we all agree they do. The book influenced me in two main ways. Firstly, it made me much more curious about history, economics and psychology; I started reading far more widely afterwards. Secondly, and more importantly, it made me question things I’d always taken for granted. I became more aware that many of society’s “rules” are human inventions that can be changed. That idea actually played a part in my decision to study public policy, because I realised I wanted to be involved in shaping those rules.

Kitob g‘oyasini qisqa tushuntiring va ta’sirini 2 ta aniq yo‘nalishda ko‘rsating.