Join Oded Galor, a Brown University economist, as he sheds light on humanity's resilience through history, examining events like the Black Death and their impact on societal evolution. Pulitzer Prize-winner Andrea Elliott shares the inspiring story of Dasani Coates, a young girl navigating life in a homeless shelter, highlighting the harsh realities of childhood poverty. Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk discusses how crises shape narratives, especially around motherhood, in his latest work, 'Nights of Plague,' blending history and fiction to explore human behavior.
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Humanity's Resilience
Oded Galor's book, "The Journey of Humanity," offers an optimistic view of human history, even amidst catastrophes.
Galor argues that humanity consistently recovers from major setbacks with greater resilience, citing the Black Death and World Wars as examples.
insights INSIGHT
Interdisciplinary Approach
Oded Galor's interdisciplinary approach combines economics, history, cultural evolution, demography, and mathematics.
This broad perspective enables a comprehensive understanding of human development and inequality.
insights INSIGHT
Data Limitations and Stagnation
Pre-industrial data sets are limited, requiring researchers to rely on scattered evidence and logical assumptions.
Despite this, Galor confidently asserts that living standards remained stagnant for most of human history, with a significant increase only in the last 200 years.
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Invisible Child follows eight years in the life of Dasani Coates, highlighting her struggles with homelessness, education, and family dynamics. The book critiques social systems and explores themes of resilience and inequality. It is based on nearly a decade of reporting by Andrea Elliott.
Journey of Humanity
Oded Galor
Nights of Plague
Nights of Plague
Robert Finn
Orhan Pamuk
Orhan Pamuk's "Nights of Plague" is a novel that explores themes of isolation, fear, and the fragility of human connection in the face of a mysterious illness. The story unfolds in a small, isolated community, where the arrival of a disease throws daily life into chaos. The characters grapple with their fears and uncertainties, as they struggle to understand the nature of the plague and its impact on their lives. Pamuk's evocative prose and keen eye for detail create a sense of unease and suspense that keeps readers engaged. The novel is a powerful exploration of human nature and the ways in which people respond to crisis and uncertainty.
For the second instalment of our 12 Books of Christmas series, we hear from three more authors who have set the agenda for original thinking and progressive literature in 2022. Brown University economist Oded Galor discusses his book that takes an expansive view of global history, The Journey of Humanity. Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Andrea Elliott speaks with fellow author Alex Preston about her account of the homelessness crisis in New York as told in her book, Invisible Child, and Orhan Pamuk, one of the world’s best-loved novelists discusses his latest work, Nights of Plague.
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