Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death, and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes (2020, Bloomsbury) -
Cafe Neandertal: Excavating Our Past in One of Europe's Most Ancient Places by Beebe Bahrami (2017, Counterpoint) - As far as categorizing goes, this book is a librarian's nightmare. Which section should he put it? The travel section. The history section? The archaeology section? The culinary section? That aside, this is a great addition to the Neanderthal literature. Bahrami has managed to write a completely enrgrossing book that tackles multiple genres. Usually when writers do this, the book can become boring real quick as the reader navigates between genres in a single book. Bahrami seems to have found a solution to this pesky problem. She seamlessly jumps from travelogue to archaeology to social commentary to anthropology, etc. The past and the present intertwine in the stories and ideas that Bahrami presents. Her rich and detailed style of writing keeps you glued to the page until the end.
Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes by Svante Paabo (2014, Basic Books) -
The Humans Who Went Extinct: Why Neanderthals Died Out and We Survived by Clive Finlayson (2009, Oxford University Press) - How come the Neanderthals disappeared from the face of the earth while humans thrived and went on to dominate the planet? This is the main question that Finlayson answers with great clarity in this easy-to-read popular science book. The ideas that he present are both thought-provoking and fresh. Finlayson discusses the evolution of humans and Neanderthals from a pure biological point of view. With that said, he offers new ways on how to look at and how to interpret the data/evidence regarding human evolution and the role that the ancient Neanderthals played in it. This book was named by New Scientist (magazine) as one of the Best books of 2009.
Neanderthals and Modern Humans: An Ecological and Evolutionary Perspective by Clive Finlayson (2004) -
