Before I Begin: A Manifesto on Humanity's Reckoning and the End of the World is not just another book about apocalypse. It is a bold philosophical and scientific exploration of the greatest threats humanity has ever faced—and the hidden patterns that link our past extinctions to the dangers of today.

From the cataclysmic asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs to the looming possibility of nuclear war, from supervolcanoes and gamma-ray bursts to engineered viruses and runaway artificial intelligence, this manifesto examines how fragile our existence truly is. But beyond the science of survival, it confronts the uncomfortable truth: that corruption, inequality, and the failures of the global system may be the gravest threats of all.

In powerful, provocative prose, Hatem Helmi weaves together history, philosophy, and cutting-edge science to reveal a vision of humanity standing on the edge of transformation. Will we collapse into chaos, or will we seize the chance to build a more just and resilient world?

For readers of Yuval Noah Harari, Stephen Hawking, and Jared Diamond, this book is both a warning and a manifesto—a call to awaken, to question, and to act before it is too late.

This is not the end. It is the beginning of a reckoning.

Narrated by Hatem Helmi

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