While I appreciated the accessible way William Von Hippel talks about evolution, this book is almost too thin in providing any "new" light into who we are and where we came from. This book had its moments (Baboons and Elephants sticks out) and there were a handful of studies that were shared that were interesting. Unfortunately, there was a lack of balance in these insightful data collections and then super sweeping conclusions that I didn't (or rather couldn't) buy into.

There was also a consistent tone deafness to his personal touches that I would have preferred were not included. Lots of cringe-worthy jokes in the footnotes and personal stories that I believe were intended to make the author more relatable, but I found to be more alienating.

The last section on happiness kind of came out of nowhere and felt disconnected from the first two parts of the book. While his conclusions and recommendations around happiness align with other sources, I've found those other sources to be more interesting and understandable.