Origin Story, David Christian
Origin Story, David Christian
21 Rating(s)
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Origin Story
A Big History of Everything

Author: David Christian

Narrator: Jamie Jackson

Unabridged: 12 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 05/22/2018


Synopsis

A captivating history of the universe -- from before the dawn of time through the far reaches of the distant future. Most historians study the smallest slivers of time, emphasizing specific dates, individuals, and documents. But what would it look like to study the whole of history, from the big bang through the present day -- and even into the remote future? How would looking at the full span of time change the way we perceive the universe, the earth, and our very existence? These were the questions David Christian set out to answer when he created the field of "Big History," the most exciting new approach to understanding where we have been, where we are, and where we are going. In Origin Story, Christian takes readers on a wild ride through the entire 13.8 billion years we've come to know as "history." By focusing on defining events (thresholds), major trends, and profound questions about our origins, Christian exposes the hidden threads that tie everything together -- from the creation of the planet to the advent of agriculture, nuclear war, and beyond. With stunning insights into the origin of the universe, the beginning of life, the emergence of humans, and what the future might bring, Origin Story boldly reframes our place in the cosmos.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bill on May 21, 2018

We all have an origin story. In some societies, they manifest as creation myths. In others, they look more like history textbooks. For example, as a kid in the United States, I grew up learning about the group of rebels who stood up to their British overlords and founded our country. It’s human natu......more

Goodreads review by J.L. on December 08, 2018

David Christian's Origin Story: A Big History of Everything was my first go at 'big history' (13.8 billion years of it). Christian looked at threshold events the way futurists look at trends and singularities. These thresholds were like transitional mile markers differentiating one order (perhaps by......more

Goodreads review by E.T. on October 27, 2018

The first thing I have done after finishing the book is to unlike Bill Gates' review (4/5) of it. I also suspect if he reviewed and recommended this not because he personally found it great, but because he wanted others to read it as a good, lucid introductory book on Big History. The first half of t......more

Goodreads review by Maria on November 01, 2019

Rumo a uma Unificação do Todo Humanos, bactérias , babuínos, pedras, oceanos , auroras, luas , meteoros, planetas, estrelas, quarks, fotões, supernovas , buracos negros, lesmas , telemóveis... — o desfile é rico, colorido e cacofónico — pequenas células, fragmentos que interagem num Todo Misterioso q......more

Goodreads review by Maria on November 06, 2019

The Implications of the Unified Whole Bacterias, baboons, rocks, oceans, auroras, meteors, planets, moons, stars, quarks, photons, supernovas, black holes, slugs, cell phones... — they are all part of the Enigmatic Whole — the infinite parts of Infinity, interacting and making History in a Cosmic Web......more