Of wheat and other demons

Here is an interview with the author of a wide-ranging survey of human history.  I would love to read his book, Sapiens.  Among other things, a major thesis seems to be that agriculture was a mistake for most humans up until the very recent present.  It represented a net decrease in quality of life for most people as opposed to when we were hunter/gatherers.  This is not a new thesis, and I agree with it for the most part.  (Though my time in Latin America has taught me that many present-day and past "hunter/gatherer" societies actually do/did farm as well, just not in the backbreaking monoculture way as Fertile Crescent societies did.  It is common for Amazonian peoples to plant cassava, pineapple, or any number of things as part of a diversified livelihood strategies, as it was common for the Muisca farming peoples to supplement their diet with hunting and gathering.)

Perhaps most interesting of all is that I initially learned of this book through a football analysis website!