Mothers and Others

This book explores the unique ways in which human emotional evolution has been shaped by the primatologically unique length of human childhood. Starting somewhere in Africa more than a million years ago, we discover how new forms of care for offspring led to new ways of engaging with and understanding each other. Ultimately, the anthropological research shows that it takes an entire village to raise a child and how this gave our ancestors the first push towards becoming emotionally modern humans. This well-researched and compelling book is an intricate argument that sheds light on the origins of human capacity for empathy and understanding.