A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, How to Argue With a Racist & The Book of Humans

Adam Rutherford 3 Books Collection Set brings together three works that explore genetics, human history and the ways scientific ideas are used in public debate. Across the collection, Rutherford draws on modern research to examine what our genomes can reveal about who we are, and how we understand ourselves as a species.

The set includes How to Argue With a Racist, The Book of Humans and A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived. Each title approaches its subject from a different angle, from the realities of race and racism in contemporary discourse to a wide-ranging look at humans within the animal kingdom, and a genetics-led view of our shared and individual past.

Included titles

• A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived
• How to Argue With a Racist
• The Book of Humans

Key details

• Three-book collection set by Adam Rutherford
• Includes How to Argue With a Racist, The Book of Humans and A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived
• Explores genetics, human history and scientific discussion of race

Synopses

How to Argue With a Racist

Race is described as real because it is perceived, and racism as real because it is enacted. The book addresses the growing use of appeals to science to support racist ideologies in public discussions around politics, migration, education, sport and intelligence. It also considers how stereotypes and myths about race can be repeated by well-intentioned people, and notes that some scientists feel uneasy sharing research-based views when the topic is race.

The Book of Humans

Presented as a tour of the animal kingdom, this book tells the story of how humans became the creatures we are today. Drawing on recent scientific discoveries, it is described as a compendium of what fixes us as animals, while also setting out how humans are extraordinary among them.

A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived

Framed as a story about you, this book explores who you are and how you came to be, both as an individual and as part of a collective human history. It suggests that each genome carries the record of the species, including births, deaths, disease, war, famine, migration and sex.

Through a journey across genetics, it sets out what genes can now tell us about human history, and what history can tell us about our genes.