Ishmael (Quinn novel)

An anthropological theory set forth in a frame story about a disillusioned guy finding enlightenment (not really) with a gorilla.

The theory set forth is, oversimplistically, that humans "went wrong" ~10,000 years ago, with agriculture. It may be a little simple to pin it to one point in time (as has been done before with the Industrial Revolution), but it is a fun read, and less dense than some of the other recent books (see The Powers That Be by Walter Wink, and Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond) drawing attention to the long-term evolution of culture and/or its co-evolution with technology.