Review of The Making, the Rise, and the Future of the Speakingman

Jane Ogwang · Post by **Jane Ogwang** » 20 Apr 2023, 08:41

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Making, the Rise, and the Future of the Speakingman" by Dan Mrejeru.]

4 out of 5 stars

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When addressing the effects of rapid technological advancement, we tend to focus on the loss of jobs and the ease of getting things done. However, we rarely think about the effect these advancements will have on the development and evolution of our brains. For example, will literacy and cognitive levels drop when we can quickly get most of our work done by computers? Will that then affect the size of our brains? These are valid questions that scientists are starting to explore. This book, The Making, the Rise, and the Future of the Speakingman, by Dan Mrejeru, delves into the evolutionary changes that have occurred in the human brain, shedding light on some of the factors that have contributed to that development and providing a glimpse into what the future holds.

The author presents a collection of articles uploaded on academia.edu in 2022 focusing on the often overlooked significant moments in human evolution. The first part addresses the timelines of changes in the human brain and their implications. Here, he also explores the changes that have, over the years, contributed to the modern brain. The author also talks about a series of adaptations and survival mechanisms by humans aimed at avoiding extinction. The next part then discusses migration, again giving timelines and possible answers to questions such as why migrating humans followed fault lines. In part three, he addresses biological events that shaped the modern brain. Finally, Dan analyzes the evolution and patterns of human thinking in part four and speculates its future in the fifth part.

I enjoyed reading this book because the author's arguments were compelling and well-presented. He seemed to know his subject topic, which, coupled with the visible extensive research, made the book insightful and informative. My favorite part of the book was the fifth one. His analysis of swarming and its physical generators was profound. I couldn't help but agree with almost all of what he said. I was also intrigued and more expectant of future work around this area. While the book is academic, I appreciated that the author tried to give vivid explanations and examples to make his points. With my little history background, I rarely found myself lost in the reading. The book's organization was also good; the author worked well to build every chapter continuously. Previous chapters laid good foundations for the ones that followed. He also presented and differentiated his opinions and determined facts quite clearly.

There were, however, some drawbacks to the book. The style of writing was, at times, too dry and academic. This made it feel like reading a textbook and, therefore, challenging to stay engaged for long periods. I should say that making the book fun was obviously not the author's purpose in writing, and I'll not factor that into my rating. Additionally, I noticed a fair number of errors that were sometimes distracting.

I, therefore, give the book a rating of four out of five stars. It is insightful, thought-provoking, valuable, and well-researched. More thorough editing would have easily earned it a perfect rating. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in evolution and human brain development. A strong background in those fields will give you a better reading experience.

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The Making, the Rise, and the Future of the Speakingman
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Kavita Shah · Post by **Kavita Shah** » 22 Apr 2023, 08:26

I am really interested in reading this book. The author aims to answer fair questions related to effects on brain development due to technological advancements. I really liked how you've presented the parts and clearly mentioned your likes. Thank you for the wonderful and informative review!

Trung Duong · Post by **Trung Duong** » 22 Apr 2023, 09:59

Đây là cuốn sách cực kỳ ý nghĩa đối với thế hệ trẻ thế kỉ 21, giúp cho độc giả mở mang tri thức

reviewerbook17 · Post by **reviewerbook17** » 22 Apr 2023, 20:02

This does look like a well researched book which just makes me want to check out the book even more.

Jane Ogwang · Post by **Jane Ogwang** » 24 Apr 2023, 09:32

Kavita Shah wrote: ↑22 Apr 2023, 08:26 I am really interested in reading this book. The author aims to answer fair questions related to effects on brain development due to technological advancements. I really liked how you've presented the parts and clearly mentioned your likes. Thank you for the wonderful and informative review!

I'm sure you'll enjoy reading it. Thanks for passing by.

Jane Ogwang · Post by **Jane Ogwang** » 24 Apr 2023, 09:33

reviewerbook17 wrote: ↑22 Apr 2023, 20:02 This does look like a well researched book which just makes me want to check out the book even more.

I'm confident you'll enjoy reading it. Thanks for the comment.

MsH2k · Post by **MsH2k** » 24 Apr 2023, 13:27

The art of writing with pen and paper is deteriorating (not to mention the decline of using cursive writing in the US) because we most often type our words. I can see humans getting lazy in other areas if we do not continue to use our critical skills. I will have to check out this read! Thank you for your thorough review and recommendation.

Anil G · Post by **Anil G** » 25 Apr 2023, 02:19

This kind of question occurs frequently in my mind. Do this technology is for the betterment of humans or it's making us so dependent that we'll be a slave to our own made technologies? This book caught my interest. Great review and observation!