The gap cover

The gap

by Thomas Suddendorf

Suddendorf provides a definitive account of the mental qualities that separate humans from other animals, as well as how these differences arose. He surveys the abilities most often cited as uniquely human-- language, intelligence, morality, culture, theory of mind, and mental time travel-- and finds that two traits account for most of the ways in which our minds appear so distinct: our open-ended ability to imagine and reflect on scenarios, and our insatiable drive to link our minds together.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?