The Ten Types of Human: A New Understanding of Who We Are, and Who We Can Be

I was thinking I was buying a book to understand other people but Dexter Dias send me on an inner trip to understand me. At the same time I was blessed with painful information about human rights that I can't ignore any longer. Unicef got a member and Dexter got a fan! Since I finished I have been talking about the book and recommending it to any friend that Infeel will appreciate this master piece.

What a great book! Dias deftly weaves philosophy, history, biology, cutting edge research, personal insight to explore human behavior. Why do some people do good things, why do some do heinous things. I got this book because my hobby is human behavior/ethology. I'd been putting off reading it because, well, it's a big book and the thought of diving into 848 pages non-fiction during a busy time of my life seemed daunting.I could not put it down. Seriously, the way he's structured the book, the way he weaves the various threads together -- this is actually a page turner. This would be a great gift for anyone interested in the human mind/human behavior, why we do the good and bad things we do.

Book is very long, so split your reading in chunks, regardless it kept my attention.

Once you start on this book, there is no putting it down. You will forego your sleep, miss deadlines but you keep turning the pages. Although the examples used are harrowing, there is no space to cry. It is an amazing, brilliant book. Helps explain people’s behaviors a lot, I could not or maybe refused to immerse myself in any one of the ten types of humans that the author speaks about though.

The author writes in a lucid manner.You won't feel like you're slogging through it.

One of the problems of our digital revolution has been identified as the echo-chamber of social media that narrows and confines our perspective, without us even knowing it. This book is the antidote to that echo chamber - it has expanded my perspective by opening my eyes to numerous perilous human journeys 'in the underground history of our times'. Dexter Dias offers us a window on our world that has been either untold or forgotten. Combining the craft of a bestselling novelist, the sharp edge of a university academic and the richest historical and cultural hinterland of a public intellectual, Dexter Dias offers an explosive insight into the profoundest truths about human nature. This master of narrative uses the latest research in neuroscience and psychology to forge new connections and a novel understanding of human behaviour across the globe, from the plight of Antony and Michael, the child slaves in Ghana, to Saira and Omer, the child soldiers in the Central African Republic.This utterly compelling narrative written in fluid conversational style offers a whole new perspective on some age old problems of human identity and the underlying reasons for our common behaviour patterns. In this book Dexter Dias has given a voice to those without a voice and the implications are far reaching - this is required reading for anyone with an interest in human nature, human rights, human identity, individuality and freedom. It's not often that I can't out a book down so this one comes with a warning - only pick it up if you can risk not putting it down. I cried whilst reading the section on the Central African Republic - the harrowing stories of the child soldiers attempting to survive their violent world, the world's largest 'forgotten humanitarian crisis' according to the UN.But despite the somewhat intimidating length of the book, every minute I've spent reading has been richly rewarded. My horizons have widened. In Saira's narrative her father tells her that 'books are more precious than diamonds'. I guess that can depends on the book - but this book which strikes such a deep resonance with the human heart and mind, deserves the comparison and is just as precious. In some sense it's prophetic. It's an invitation to view ourselves and our fellow human beings with entirely new eyes.After reading this you cannot be numb, you cannot switch off from the needs of others and the human compulsion we all share to do something, anything, however small, to create a more just world. It invites us to act, to support the work of INQUEST, ActionAid and UNICEF. It has inspired me to do something different and better - to ignore the echo chamber and to try and help others. I want everyone to read this book.

This is a unique and astounding book that describes a set of 10 emotional and psychological 'mechanisms' - types of human behavior. It does this by both telling remarkable, engaging human stories of real people, but also matching these with corresponding studies and research into those mechanisms. All this is done in a seamless and engaging way that shows both the best and worst of humanity. Drawing these together the book then suggests how these dueling impulses can tilted towards the good, the best of human behavior. I am unable to recommend this highly enough.

I have never written a book review before, but I feel the need to comment on this one. The author is clearly intelligent, an eloquent writer and very accomplished in his career. The book is confusing to read because it is so long winded and lacking in focus. It seems as though the author has great things to say but simply cannot get his thoughts together in a concise manner. I hope Dexter writes another book (possibly just revise this one) and it will become a Malcolm Gladwell type best seller.