This was my second reading of this book, maybe that's a clue about what I think about the content. Curiously, I started the year with this one on print and, I finish the year with the same one in audiobook. I totally recommend it, clear, simple, entertaining, understandable and enlightening. ( )

La edición electrónica en español no está tan cuidada como es de esperar, la traducción tampoco es buena; sin embargo, el contenido completo es fascinante. Una recorrido a lo largo de la evolución humana que merecía un mayor cuidado de la editorial y sí, a pesar de la misma, el libro vale mucho la pena. ( )

An interesting and very readable book about the known origins and evolution of human ancestors. Many newer discoveries and theories about their possible significance added to this book for me, as some of the discoveries I was completely unaware of. ( )

Last Ape Standing is the story of us, homo sapiens, and how we survived against all odds, why we, of all the hominoids who stood up on their own two feet and walked out of the trees and onto the savannah, became the last ape standing.

According to author Chip Walter, this outcome was never assured. In fact, many of the things that came together to make us, well, us could also have led us to the same end as all of the other hominoids who walked this planet - 27 at last count, four of which were discovered as Walter was writing this book.

Walter lays out our journey from a small group of gracile hominoids in eastern Africa, through our journey out of Africa to populate almost every niche and cranny of this planet with the exception of Antarctica, to our present and, perhaps, final stage. He also speculates on what the future holds for us, whether, in the end, our very success will be our downfall and, if so, what or whom will replace us.

Walter relays our story in a highly cogent, highly readable, and surprisingly entertaining way. If you have ever wondered what made us the amazing creature we are, the only one with the capacity to even contemplate the question of our own existence, this book has some fascinating answers for you and perhaps even more questions to stimulate the huge brain evolution has graced us with. ( )