The Humans

Product Information

Haig’s unexpectedly raw tale of love, belonging, and peanut butter… It’s funny, clever and quite, quite lovely. Sam Baker, The Sunday Times

The Truth Pixie Goes to School (Canongate Books, 2019) illustrated by Chris Mould LCCN 2020-476813 ISBN 9781786898265 I'm not certain about the narrator being first part (I might have missed it). But when it comes to the second part, the aliens weren't completely against the advancement of humanity..." Martin Wroe (10 April 2015). "Now Me's message to Then Me". Church Times . Retrieved 16 August 2022.We witness the narrator committing murder, and, later, adultery. Are these things less evil because he doesn’t know they are wrong? Humans, as a rule, don't like mad people unless they are good at painting, and only then once they are dead. But the definition of mad, on Earth, seems to be very unclear and inconsistent. What is perfectly sane in one era turns out to be insane in another. The earliest humans walked around naked with no problem. Certain humans, in humid rainforests mainly, still do so. So, we must conclude that madness is sometimes a question of time, and sometimes of postcode. Writer: Matt Haig; Reader: Bryony Hannah; Abridger & Producer: Jeremy Osborne (7 December 2020). "The Midnight Library by Matt Haig". The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. BBC. BBC Radio 4 . Retrieved 11 December 2020. Sandy wrote: "Does anyone think that the author is making a comment on our tendancy to do the same with the stewardship we have on this planet and those that depend on it?" Haig is one of the most inspirational popular writers on mental health of our age and, in his latest novel, he has taken a clever, engaging concept and created a heart-warming story that offers wisdom in the same deceptively simple way as Mitch Albom's best tales"

God could not exist. But then neither could humans.” How does the narrator’s understanding of religion develop over the course of the novel? What does he suggest that religion offers humans?There are a lot of idiots in your species. Lots and lots. You are not one of them. Hold your ground. The humans is a funny story about an alien who is sent to Earth to take over the body of a mathematician who has proven a major hypothesis, that's said to be dangerous knowledge for an immature species such as us humans. The alien is supposed to eliminate all traces of that hypothesis by any means possible. On the mathematics side, many years ago I did a few university distance learning maths (English) units, including one on the history of mathematics. I was surprised at how many of the early philosophers were also leading mathematicians. This book reminded me of the idea that mathematics is the basis of everything (after all, according to The Hitchhikers Guide number 42 is the answer to everything). While science fiction isn’t my go-to genre, I found The Humans to be very accessible given its present-day Earth setting. This is a sleeper of a novel that will continue to gain status as a modern classic as the years go by. Matt Haig is a must-read author for me, as his books make me feel understood, uplifted, and - you guessed it - human.

The first thing that you should know about this tale is that it’s hilarious and philosophical. It is definitely not a sad story, but it will bring tears to your eyes not because it will break your heart, but because it will stitch up the seams it has. Being stitched up is not that nice, but it’s definitely worth it, right? I can see why someone would be put in a mental health institution if someone behaved like the alien was, but I thought it was pretty much ignored (could have done more with it) - it rang false to me but it may be a cultural thing. A big part of what makes us laugh is how unexpected something is. If you've heard a joke before, it's less funny the second time, unless it's been a while or there's a twist. I didn't see much new here. Everyone has different previous experiences, so I'm sure that many readers will laugh in surprise as they read The Humans.Tales of Connection (Van Ditmar, 2021), a selection of stories from Notes on a nervous planet, The comfort book and Reasons to stay alive. Everyone is a comedy. If people are laughing at you they just don’t quite understand the joke that is themselves.