I've been struggling for two weeks, trying to figure out what to say about Behave. Sapolsky is one of my all-time heroes: kind, wise, eloquent, a great teacher. This is possibly his most important book, at least in the sense of material that everyone should know. Unfortunately, it's not his most readable one. It's dense, so rich in information that it's overwhelming—and I say that as someone who is already familiar with much of this material and who likes to stay informed. He writes clearly; humanely; but it's just too much at once.

And despite that, I'm going to urge you to read it anyway. Take your time. Have a highlighter handy, be willing to dog-ear copiously. Go back and reread when you feel lost. And don't feel obligated to learn it all: you'll pick up enough along the way and, perhaps, change a little of how you see yourself and your fellow humans.

As a side note, I read this while also reading Parker Palmer's [b:Healing the Heart of Democracy|10836406|Healing the Heart of Democracy The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit|Parker J. Palmer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347421252s/10836406.jpg|15750551] and am dumbstruck by the parallels. Heartened by their common message of compassion and understanding.