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reviewed Kindred by Rebecca Wragg Sykes

Rebecca Wragg Sykes: Kindred (Paperback, 2022, Bloomsbury Sigma) 4 stars

Bringing life to Neanderthals in a way I've never previously experienced.

5 stars

Have been reading this as an audiobook, and I have learned so much, but my favourite thing is that all humans alive today have something like 3% Neanderthal DNA.

The author is also the narrator and they have brought Neanderthals to life in a way no-one has ever done before, in my experience. She talks about knapping quite a bit, coz it's an important technology, and I was amazed that I found it so engaging. I knew stone tools were very hard to make (I did 1st year archaeology at Uni and it's one of the first things they get you to try to do), but the complexity and different types of tools and the knowledge behind them, was breathtaking.

The author gives the Neanderthals a thinking, breathing, presence, and you get to learn about their world and the challenges they faced, using the latest discoveries and the new insights …