"The Long View: Our Human Odyssey" is a nonfiction book group that will consider books that are oriented towards helping us understand what we—as humans—are, how we arrived here in evolutionary terms (physical, cultural, etc.), and our place in the world.

We are starting with "A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Stories in Our Genes,"" by Adam Rutherford. Some of the other titles that have come up are:

  • "Guns, Germs, and Steel" — Jared Diamond
  • "Salt: A World History" — Mark Kurlansky
  • "The Dawn of Everything" — David Graeber and David Wengrow
  • "The Righteous Mind" — Jonathan Haidt 
  • "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" — Yuval Noah Harari
  • "Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human" — Richard Wrangham 


Although only the first book has been scheduled, this list will give you an idea of the type of works that we will read and discuss.

Since most of these books are considerably longer than the fiction read by our other book groups, we don't think the usual one-book-a-month pattern will work. We are not sure yet what will work, but we will discuss this on 05 March at the first meeting, along with a potential reading list.

The Long View, which will be limited to 10 people, will initially meet at a member's apartment. As with the other book groups, two seats will be available each meeting for new members. But these details may change as the group itself evolves. 

The group normally meets on the 1st Thursday of each month from 15:00 - 17:00.

Note: Historically our book reading groups have been among the most popular activities in WICE, and available spaces often fill quickly. We reserve two places in this group each month for new WICE members. If no new members have signed up four days before the meeting, we will open these seats to all members.

If you would like more information or if you have questions, please email:

literature@wice-paris.org

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UPCOMING EVENTS

  • LA281 The Long View: "Salt: A World History," by Mark Kurlansky

    • 28 Apr 2026
    • 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
    • A member's appt. in the 15th (details after registration)
    • 7
    Register

    Salt: A World History is a "brilliant, multi-layered" work of narrative non-fiction that transforms a common tabletop condiment into the central protagonist of human civilization. Mark Kurlansky traces the global impact of sodium chloride—the only rock humans eat—from the dawn of recorded history to the modern era, revealing how the quest for this "white gold" has shaped empires, ignited revolutions, and dictated the patterns of human settlement.

    The narrative moves fluidly across continents and centuries, detailing how salt’s unique preservative qualities allowed for the first long-distance trade and exploration. Kurlansky explores its role in diverse historical turning points: from the building of the Great Wall of China and the financing of the French Monarchy via the hated gabelle tax, to its central role in the American Revolution and Gandhi’s 1930 Salt March against British colonial rule. Along the way, he provides a "fascinating cabinet of curiosities," including ancient recipes for garum, the development of salt-cured cod and ham, and the complex chemistry of how salt interacts with the human body.

    Written with a "dry wit and an eye for the telling detail," the book is a meditation on how a substance we now take for granted was once the world’s most sought-after commodity. A strong discussion angle for the group is Kurlansky's "micro-history" approach—how focusing on a single, mundane object can provide a more vivid and honest understanding of global history than traditional political or military narratives.

    Winner of the 2003 James Beard Foundation Award for Writing on Food.

    Due to the unusually large interest in "The Long View"'s last book, A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived, we had an unusually large waitlist of people who wanted to join but could not. Priority registration for this book discussion will go to them, and people on this waitlist will get priority registration for the next book discussion. 

    General registration opens on Thursday, 12 March.

    This book is 496 pages long. 

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