Justyn Hunia Books

The story of how information networks have made, and unmade, our world from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Sapiens. For the last 100,000 years, humans have accumulated enormous power. But despite all our discoveries, inventions and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation abounds. And we are rushing headlong into the age of AI – a new information network that threatens to annihilate us. If we are so wise, why are we so self-destructive? NEXUS considers how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world. Taking us from the Stone Age through the Bible, early modern witch-hunts, Stalinism, Nazism and the resurgence of populism today, Yuval Noah Harari asks us to consider the complex relationship between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He explores how different societies and political systems have wielded information to achieve their goals, for good and ill. And he addresses the urgent choices we face as non- human intelligence threatens our very existence. Information is not the raw material of truth; neither is it a mere weapon. NEXUS explores the hopeful middle ground between these extremes, and of rediscovering our shared humanity.

Truth and fiction intertwine in a historical narrative set in 1873, exploring who gets to tell their story. Mrs. Eliza Touchet, a Scottish housekeeper and cousin by marriage to the once-famous novelist William Ainsworth, navigates her life filled with interests in literature, justice, and class, while harboring skepticism about her cousin's talent and the moral integrity of his successful friend, Charles Dickens. She perceives England as a land of facades, where nothing is as it appears. Meanwhile, Andrew Bogle, who grew up enslaved on the Hope Plantation in Jamaica, understands the human cost behind wealth and the manipulation of the vulnerable. When Bogle arrives in London as a key witness in a notorious case of imposture, he realizes that his future hinges on narrating the right story. The Tichborne Trial captivates Mrs. Touchet and the nation, raising questions about identity and authenticity. In a world rife with hypocrisy, discerning truth becomes a complex challenge. This dazzling novel, based on real historical events, delves into themes of truth, fiction, and the enigmatic nature of others. Praise for the author highlights her wit, originality, and remarkable talent, affirming her status as a significant literary voice.