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Humans are stupid. Not us, of course (those who read AND/OR write this blog.) But those other guys. Always F’ing things up for the rest of us. We’ve F’d up things all throughout history. It’s sort of our thing (you know, “our” as in those other guys. Not us.) War, famine, global financial crisis, and man-made climate change (don’t even @ me.) If only we had a book that documented these blunders and packaged them neatly in a cautionary, cuss-filled collection of historical essays. Maybe those dufus “other guys” could read those stories and learn from our collective mistakes throughout history. Done, says Tom Phillips! Here is my Humans: A Brief History of How We F’cked It All Up book review.
Humans: A Brief History of How We F’cked It All Up Summary
Humans: A Brief History of How We Fcked It All Up by Tom Phillips is a humorous, critical exploration of humanity’s long history of disastrous decisions, mishaps, and spectacular failures. Phillips, a journalist and former editorial director of BuzzFeed UK, examines how even our best intentions have sometimes led to terrible outcomes, illustrating the unique human ability to mess things up on a grand scale.
The book covers a range of historical blunders, from ancient civilizations to modern times. It touches on famous (and infamous) figures, nations, and common folk alike who made decisions with unintended, often calamitous, consequences. Each chapter focuses on a particular category of failure—whether in science, politics, or exploration. Phillips highlights that our mistakes are as much a part of our history as our successes.
Phillips combines sharp wit with well-researched storytelling. He recounts tales of bad ideas gone worse, like emperors who made bizarre decisions, explorers who got tragically lost, and scientists whose oversights had serious repercussions. The tone of this book is both comedic and cautionary. It acknowledges humans’ ingenuity and resilience while acknowledging that, as a species, we often learn the hard way. (A.K.A. Humans are stupid.)
Who is Tom Phillips?
Tom Phillips is a British journalist, author, and humorist known for his witty takes on history, science, and human screw-ups. He began his career in journalism and eventually served as the editorial director of BuzzFeed UK, where he gained recognition for his comedic approach to news and cultural commentary.
His books include Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up (this one), Truth: A Brief History of Total Bullsh*t and Conspiracy: A History of B*llocks Theories, and How Not to Fall For Them. (Yes, cussing book titles are sort of his thing.)
Phillips’s writing style is conversational and filled with dry humor, appealing to readers who enjoy a lighthearted yet thoughtful take on history and human behavior. You can find out more about Tom Phillips on his website. You can also sign up for his newsletter: The Doomscroll Archive! Per Tom regarding the newsletter:
“…mostly history, jokes, internet culture, and thinking out loud.“
Now onto the rating! Humans: A Brief History of How We Fcked It All Up book review:
My innovative system for rating humor books is explained here
Wholesomeness Score: 2/5
I mean, the title says it all, right? It’s not that the content itself is excessively crass, vulgar and gory. OK, sometimes it is crass, vulgar and gory. Humans is not a particularly family friendly read due to the language alone. F-bombs and other graphic language are present throughout. In fact, the PROLOGUE starts with:
“The Dawn of F*** Ups”
Otherwise, Humans wasn’t overtly distasteful. I have to reserve my .5, 1, 1.5 Wholesomeness ratings for the really abhorrent material. I’ve read stuff that should have a negative Wholesomeness rating. I probably won’t even publicly review that one here on my blog. Yikes.
Hilarity Score: 2.5/5
The crass and vulgar language is precisely what makes this book funny. Sometimes f-bombs (and other foul language) are completely unnecessary to the material. But other times, when delivered by an especially snarky British audiobook narrator, those f-bombs are hilarious. This book was one of those times.
Tom Phillips dedication at the beginning of the book was also pretty funny:
“Given the subject matter, dedicating this book to my family could be badly misinterpreted.
So instead, I dedicate this to anybody who as ever f’d up really badly. You are not alone.“
Overall Book Awesomeness Score: 3/5
I enjoyed it. But didn’t love it. It was another Pop History/Pop Science work that infused humor while thoroughly describing historical blunders. Individual anecdotes were fascinating. But consuming these back-to-back-to-back were a bit disheartening to me. Man, humans are stupid!
Things I liked:
- Snarky British guys dropping f-bombs
- Learning while laughing
Things I didn’t like:
- Confirming that humanity is doomed through our own stubbornness and stupidity. Eventually.
Conclusion: Final Thoughts on Humans: A Brief History of How We F*cked It All Up
I read Humans: A Brief History as an unintentional series of disaster/humanitarian catastrophe books infused with humor. First was How to Survive History. Then came Humble Pi. The first two books detailed man-made calamities, blunders and outright idiocy. I think by that point, I had temporarily lost faith in humanity. Yet Humans was entertaining and educational. Humans further diminished my faith in humanity. But it did make me want to consume more from author Tom Phillips. His snarky, British F-bombs are somewhat cathartic and reassuring as we face the impending demise of humanity.
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