As humans, we like to think that we're radically different than other animals. When it comes to our closest living relatives, however, it is often quite challenging to articulate our precise differences. Tomasello dives into the vast pool of fascinating experimental academic research in this area, taking us through stages of human and ape cognitive, social, and cultural development through childhood to illuminate uniquely human traits and their importance is our rise to global dominance.

Tomasello deftly marries readability with academic rigor, which I've found to be extremely rare. It doesn't hurt that the experiments themselves are ingenious and often accompanied by hilarious quotes from small children. If you're at all interested in child development, evolution, or cognition, this is a must read. Highly recommend