Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman

This book looks at the basic Hobbesian premise that human beings are simply brutish and bad (war, prejudice, dehumanization of others, etc.) and posits that that just isn’t true. The author looks at evolutionary psychology, famous social psychology experiments, and huge social movements of the 20th century and argues that what we think we know about “human nature” is based on incomplete and faulty information. My dry description is not doing the book many favors, but trust me: “Humankind” is funny, the author is witty and engaging, and this book leaves you much more optimistic about your neighbor and the future of society in general.