On the Origin of Tepees: The Evolution of Ideas (and Ourselves)
Release date: 2011 / 285 pages
Synopsis (from the back cover): Following Darwin’s lead, he ventures out to observe, first hand, the natural history of ideas — the laws of variation, inheritance, and selection operating within the cultural landscape. the choice of sandwiches in a mall, the shape of cowboy hats, the evolution of barn roofs, the wording of jokes, and, of course, the way the tepee evolved in different tribes, all provide insights into the ways in which cultural evoution takes place.
First Sentence: We all look at the world through goggles.
Review: A few months ago, I applied to become a reviewer with Shelf Awareness – a daily newsletter that shares news and insights, as well as reviews, about the world of literature. Happily, they were actually willing to pay me for my reviews, so at long last I would be paid money for reading! So, about once or twice a month, I receive a stack of galleys (advance uncorrected proofs, often without cover art). I then choose two that I think I will find interesting. When I first looked through a recent stack, I will admit that the title “On the Origins of Tepees” did not grab me. But happily I was not too deterred by the title. The sub-title of this work — How Human Culture Evolves — is a more accurate representation of this fascinating study of ecology, geography, psychology, anthropology, and linguistics.
The author, Jonnie Hughes, is insatiably curious and embarks on a journey to discover how cultures – and culture — are created, shaped, and changed over time. The history of the tepee is his overt goal, and is surprisingly interesting, but he explores many other ideas along the way, including the Mall of America.
Hughes believes “…if culture is evolving, then something must be driving it, because otherwise it wouldn’t go anywhere in Life and, in fact, would not even have started the journey it’s on” (18). Hughes’s tone is warm and engaging, and the reader feels privileged to join him and his brother on this journey of ideas as they drive from the Midwest to the Rockies. Ultimately, Hughes concludes: “And that’s the story of the whole of American: an accidental discovery, an automatic human invasion, a mindless scramble for resources, and a subsequent, predestined regime change in the world of Ideas.” (146)
Fans of Bill Bryson will especially enjoy this. Thank you to Shelf Awareness for asking me to read and review this!
Interested in winning a free copy? Drop me a comment below and I will choose a lucky winner by the weekend!
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