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Humans: An A-Z
DO YOU
A) Know a human?
B) Love a human?
C) Have trouble dealing with humans?
IF YOU'VE ANSWERED YES TO ANY OF THE ABOVE, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU
Whether you are planning a high level of human interaction or just a casual visit to the planet, this user-guide to the human race will help you translate their sayings, understand exotic concepts such as 'democracy' and 'sofas', and make sense of their habits and bizarre customs.
A phrase book, a dictionary and a survival guide, this book unravels all the oddness, idiosyncrasies and wonder of the species, allowing everyone to make the most of their time on Earth.
Author Biographies:
Professor Andrew Martin is a former citizen of Vonnadoria who travelled nine million light years to become a Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University. Ever since discovering poetry and peanut butter and something called 'love' he has warmed to this species and decided to call Earth his home.
Matt Haig is the author of five novels, including the bestselling The Last Family in England, which has been optioned by Brad Pitt's production company, The Radleys, which was selected for Channel 4's TV Book Club and was voted the winner of the series in 2011 and, his most recent, The Humans, which is a World Book Night 2014 title. His works have been translated into over twenty languages, and he has also written award-winning books for children. He lives in York and London
A) Know a human?
B) Love a human?
C) Have trouble dealing with humans?
IF YOU'VE ANSWERED YES TO ANY OF THE ABOVE, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU
Whether you are planning a high level of human interaction or just a casual visit to the planet, this user-guide to the human race will help you translate their sayings, understand exotic concepts such as 'democracy' and 'sofas', and make sense of their habits and bizarre customs.
A phrase book, a dictionary and a survival guide, this book unravels all the oddness, idiosyncrasies and wonder of the species, allowing everyone to make the most of their time on Earth.
Author Biographies:
Professor Andrew Martin is a former citizen of Vonnadoria who travelled nine million light years to become a Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University. Ever since discovering poetry and peanut butter and something called 'love' he has warmed to this species and decided to call Earth his home.
Matt Haig is the author of five novels, including the bestselling The Last Family in England, which has been optioned by Brad Pitt's production company, The Radleys, which was selected for Channel 4's TV Book Club and was voted the winner of the series in 2011 and, his most recent, The Humans, which is a World Book Night 2014 title. His works have been translated into over twenty languages, and he has also written award-winning books for children. He lives in York and London
161 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
183 people are currently reading
1881 people want to read
About the author
Matt Haig
62 books48.5k followersMatt Haig is the author of novels such as The Midnight Library, How to Stop Time, The Humans, The Radleys, and the forthcoming The Life Impossible. He has also written books for children, such as A Boy Called Christmas, and the memoir Reasons to Stay Alive.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
January 20, 2021
This was a great companion to The Humans novel! Wish I had read it immediately after I finished The Humans. It had some super quotable stuff (hilights shared), some laughs, and some moving content. Bravo again, Mr. Haig.
May 24, 2016
"Yet still humans persist with their Books About Things That Actually Happened and Books About Things That Definitely Didn't. Such distinctions help to comfort them, as they help to reinforce the prevalent human idea that imagination and dreams have nothing to do with reality."
January 17, 2016
Vonnegut möter Woody Allen.
Se kärleksbombning på Insta.
Se kärleksbombning på Insta.
August 14, 2018
I am the worst person to read a humorous book, as I just don't pick up humour from the page very well. I found this mildly amusing, so I am guessing a lot more people would be really tickled by it.
I thought it was clever, and often apt, and sometimes sad. And very, very short.
I thought it was clever, and often apt, and sometimes sad. And very, very short.
March 23, 2015
Written like a travel guide for aliens visiting Earth, Humans: An A to Z is the perfect companion book. It's witty, heartfelt, silly, smart, and absolutely wonderful. I loved this little book.
May 10, 2024
I didn't agree with every definition provided but this is one of the most innovative ways to describe the human experience.
October 9, 2022
A great companion book to The Humans in the form of a unique manual/dictionary.
I really admire Matt Haig for being able to become so distant towards our species and writing it from the POV of an alien (Andrew Martin from The Humans).
The book is hilarious but also sad. I'm really wondering if that's what an alien would see, learn and comprehend about us and our planet?
IMO, Humans: An A to Z is a great (though a bit quirky) opportunity to look at ourselves from a healthy distance and really think over some of our emotions, behaviours, obsessions and decisions.
Anyway, if I were an alien, I would love to acuire such a manual before my trip to Earth - it seems to be a pretty complicated planet with pretty complicated inhabitants! ;)
I really admire Matt Haig for being able to become so distant towards our species and writing it from the POV of an alien (Andrew Martin from The Humans).
The book is hilarious but also sad. I'm really wondering if that's what an alien would see, learn and comprehend about us and our planet?
IMO, Humans: An A to Z is a great (though a bit quirky) opportunity to look at ourselves from a healthy distance and really think over some of our emotions, behaviours, obsessions and decisions.
Anyway, if I were an alien, I would love to acuire such a manual before my trip to Earth - it seems to be a pretty complicated planet with pretty complicated inhabitants! ;)
February 19, 2022
This book is good. Not classic or timeless, but worth time to read. Interesting perspective on human beings/society.
112/365
112/365
December 5, 2022
Đặt tựa là "Từ điển sử dụng loài người", tên gốc: Humans: An A to Z, là hiểu ý định Matt Haig muốn "khái niệm lại" một số thứ của loài người. Thực sự thì mình thích kiểu tự điển nghiêm túc thuần túy như "Tự điển Tiếng Việt" của Hoàng Phê, hay đơn giản hài hước như kiểu "Từ điển tiếng em", thay vì hơi nửa vời thế này. Nhưng mà đọc cũng thú vị lắm, cà khịa thật đậm sâu, đôi chỗ thực thâm thúy.
December 8, 2024
Este librito es un anexo a la novela "Los humanos" uno de mis libros favoritos. Es escrito por el protagonista de esa novela, un alien. Intenta ser una guía (la mayor parte en formato diccionario) para sus compatriotas en caso de que quieran viajar a la tierra y conocer nuestra raza.
March 25, 2020
3.6 stars
It was a funny, simple, truthful look on human life. Great book to read to pass the time.
It was a funny, simple, truthful look on human life. Great book to read to pass the time.
April 29, 2023
Brilliant and ridiculous and actually pretty truthful too.
The Vonnadorians, or at least Matt Haig, is obviously obsessed with the concepts of mathematics, truth and when it's really there, Emily Dickinson, clothes/lack thereof, and the redeeming factor of love.
Must read The Humans now.
Reading dictionaries is already fun enough without them being actually the definitions that everyone WANTS to say but don't.
The Vonnadorians, or at least Matt Haig, is obviously obsessed with the concepts of mathematics, truth and when it's really there, Emily Dickinson, clothes/lack thereof, and the redeeming factor of love.
Must read The Humans now.
Reading dictionaries is already fun enough without them being actually the definitions that everyone WANTS to say but don't.
March 8, 2020
Very quick and funny read!
August 15, 2021
Lighthearted fun
This makes me smile, laugh out load, and works perfectly with my “British” humour. A must read for everyone who needs a lift to their spirit
This makes me smile, laugh out load, and works perfectly with my “British” humour. A must read for everyone who needs a lift to their spirit
January 29, 2015
Read as part of the 2015 Reading Challenge - A funny book
A companion book to The Humans,written as a user guide for aliens visiting earth. Some real laugh out loud moments at the descriptions of objects/events that are part of our every day lives;
Class -
The human class system used to be easy to understand. A human was working class if he had to work in a factory,middle class if he didn't have to work in a factory and upper class if he didn't have to work at all. Since nowadays no one except robots and people from Indonesia work in factories,a new system has developed based around various intricate things such as what humans like to see at the theatre, where they go on holiday,the kind of flooring they have in their kitchen and their opinion on Chardonnay wine.
Cow -
An earth dwelling animal,a domesticated and multi purpose ungulate,which humans treat as a one stop shop for food,liquid refreshment,fertiliser and designer foot wear.
Jesus -
Founder of Christianity. Misunderstood socialist-magician who meant well,and had a flair for motivational speaking.
Tree -
A large plant,consisting of a trunk,branches and leaves. Trees are essential for human life as they replenish the air with oxygen,and provide humans with paper,Scandinavian furniture and terrible metaphors.
I really enjoyed The Humans and this book continues in the same vein.
A companion book to The Humans,written as a user guide for aliens visiting earth. Some real laugh out loud moments at the descriptions of objects/events that are part of our every day lives;
Class -
The human class system used to be easy to understand. A human was working class if he had to work in a factory,middle class if he didn't have to work in a factory and upper class if he didn't have to work at all. Since nowadays no one except robots and people from Indonesia work in factories,a new system has developed based around various intricate things such as what humans like to see at the theatre, where they go on holiday,the kind of flooring they have in their kitchen and their opinion on Chardonnay wine.
Cow -
An earth dwelling animal,a domesticated and multi purpose ungulate,which humans treat as a one stop shop for food,liquid refreshment,fertiliser and designer foot wear.
Jesus -
Founder of Christianity. Misunderstood socialist-magician who meant well,and had a flair for motivational speaking.
Tree -
A large plant,consisting of a trunk,branches and leaves. Trees are essential for human life as they replenish the air with oxygen,and provide humans with paper,Scandinavian furniture and terrible metaphors.
I really enjoyed The Humans and this book continues in the same vein.
April 28, 2023
I haven't read The Humans, which this book refers to, but I don't think you need to have read The Humans to enjoy this book.
This is an A to Z glossary of terms defining the human race, as written by an alien, covering politics, food, biology and many more subjects. The humour in this book is excellent: it's really funny and very well written, and the fact that it's from an alien's perspective is really effective. An objective view of a lot of things that we take for granted everyday works really well, and although there's a lot of humour here, the observation that humans have hope, and how powerful this is, is really lovely.
This is a little book, and would make a great present or stocking filler - I loved it!
This is an A to Z glossary of terms defining the human race, as written by an alien, covering politics, food, biology and many more subjects. The humour in this book is excellent: it's really funny and very well written, and the fact that it's from an alien's perspective is really effective. An objective view of a lot of things that we take for granted everyday works really well, and although there's a lot of humour here, the observation that humans have hope, and how powerful this is, is really lovely.
This is a little book, and would make a great present or stocking filler - I loved it!
February 22, 2017
In order for this book to make sense, you really should read Matt Haig's The Humans first, otherwise some things mentioned won't make sense (Professor Andrew Martin? What's a Vonnadorian? And what's the inside joke about clothes?) I found this to be a witty little companion to The Humans, which I absolutely loved. A quick read to give a little something more to the world that plays out in the story of The Humans.
April 17, 2016
Nettes Goodie zum Hauptbuch, beinhaltet aber teilweise dieselben Hinweise wie im Hauptbuch selbst auch, sogar im selben Wortlaut stehend.
May 20, 2017
Ich liebe Matt Haigs Humor !!
October 20, 2017
I doubt this book makes any sense if you haven't read The Humans, but it is an amusing companion to that one.
March 2, 2018
This is the perfect accompaniment to The Humans. It also reminded me a lot of David Levithan’s The Lover’s Dictionary.
August 24, 2024
It was good, but no Graham Greene.
May 16, 2016
l o v e
February 16, 2025
There's really not a lot to this little book but there are little crumbs of wisdom liberally strewn throughout. So far every type of Matt again book I have read has been witty and enjoyable to some degree. This was an amusing analysis of human life written from the perspective of an alien who finds us physically repulsive (mostly due to our noses) and wants to highlight important concepts
*This desire to see members of their own species as 'other' is essential for humans, as it makes war possible.
*Human life isn't a flat state of misery. It gets progressively worse as you get older
*humans being humans, they can't allow everyone to have the same afterlife. There needs to be a class system of afterlives. . . . heaven is life with the good bits taken out.
*Yo be a human is to need to have a place, or a person, they can call home.
*Jesus: Founder of Christianity. Misunderstood socialist magician who meant well, and had a flair for motivational speaking.
*Kindness: Low-volume love.
*Laughter: The reverberating sound of truth hitting a lie
*many now feel it is their right to be happy, and humans hate being deprived of their rights.
*ugliness is very often beauty you don't understand yet
*humans like to see the past as a series of steps leading to the room of the present, a room specifically built for them. And they forget that what feels like a room is actually just another step on the staircase
*whatever you say about death, the weather isn't a problem
Having read this book I am interested in reading its companion, The Humans, which had an excerpt here.
*This desire to see members of their own species as 'other' is essential for humans, as it makes war possible.
*Human life isn't a flat state of misery. It gets progressively worse as you get older
*humans being humans, they can't allow everyone to have the same afterlife. There needs to be a class system of afterlives. . . . heaven is life with the good bits taken out.
*Yo be a human is to need to have a place, or a person, they can call home.
*Jesus: Founder of Christianity. Misunderstood socialist magician who meant well, and had a flair for motivational speaking.
*Kindness: Low-volume love.
*Laughter: The reverberating sound of truth hitting a lie
*many now feel it is their right to be happy, and humans hate being deprived of their rights.
*ugliness is very often beauty you don't understand yet
*humans like to see the past as a series of steps leading to the room of the present, a room specifically built for them. And they forget that what feels like a room is actually just another step on the staircase
*whatever you say about death, the weather isn't a problem
Having read this book I am interested in reading its companion, The Humans, which had an excerpt here.
August 23, 2022
Funny, interesting in the way the author breaks the 4th wall by alluding to himself as creator, but I feel vaguely cheated. As a companion book to The Humans it is great but there is so much overlap, that I really think it could have been included as an appendix to the novel, if they were worried about profit margins, they could have raised the price of the novel slightly. One comment: catholics do not like guilt; we come ready packaged by it - it’s a side effect of a religion that basically tells you that you are full of original sin by being born. 😊
June 17, 2020
Without reading The Humans by the same author, this book may be confusing. If you can ignore the references to he previous book, Humans: A to Z still offers thought provoking blips on what it actually means to be a human. Some will make you laugh, some will make you feel embarrassed to be associated with other humans. Read if you enjoy thinking about what it means to be alive. But read The Humans first.
July 26, 2021
Humorous at times but tone seems somewhat sardonic and overly cynical at times; slightly inconsistent use of expression versus other works by this author. Tone of levity may inadvertently evoke a feeling within the reader that the writer looked forward to completing the book with a « get it out the door » mentality as opposed to adding a greater amount of reflective insight at the price of creating a work that would undoubtedly require more effort.
November 16, 2024
Humorous accompaniment to Matt Haig’s novel The Humans. The word descriptions aren’t necessarily accurate, however, they are meant to be funny and succeed often enough to make the book an enjoyable quick read.
In the end, where the alien (supposed author of the dictionary) talks about the history of Earth, you get to experience Matt Haig’s ability to let his imagination run free and write with a great sense of humor.
In the end, where the alien (supposed author of the dictionary) talks about the history of Earth, you get to experience Matt Haig’s ability to let his imagination run free and write with a great sense of humor.
February 5, 2019
Matt Haig is a wonderful writer and I love reading about his take on things. It's all about putting things in perspective and it's definitely comforting to know others are having the same existential crises as you are!
May 13, 2020
An absolute classic, well written and laugh out loud funny.However as funny as it is it certainly makes one think seriously about the human condition i.e greed ,ignorance and the innate ability to harm the ones we love.An absolute must read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews