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missayme's review against another edition
2.0
For all his bluster and big-theory talk, Diamond has some interesting ideas, even if he tends to present them as the only possible options (and there are a lot of scientists out there who would disagree). But for anyone interested in human society and how it works, this is an interesting read.
mattycakesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Sweet Jesus, am I glad I'm done with this book. Diamond is brilliant, of course, and the book is important, but rarely have I read a book with such naturally interesting content that was written in such a dull, plodding way. None of this is surprising -- Diamond is an academic, and the writing is very professorial, but the whole academic model of "tell them what you're going to say, say it, tell them what you said" structure to every chapter is excruciating, and like Guns, Germs, and Steel, I'm happy I read it, but am happier that I'm done.
Notice I still gave it four stars -- he's extremely thorough, and he's obviously brilliant, so I can hardly knock it for his content, but this is a further demonstration that academics need to be made to take courses in proper communications. It's a shame to me that every time I'm going to recommend this book (and I will) that I'm going to have to say, "Yeah, it's a big of a slog, though." A more engaging writer could have made this into a much bigger book than it was when it came out ten years ago.
Notice I still gave it four stars -- he's extremely thorough, and he's obviously brilliant, so I can hardly knock it for his content, but this is a further demonstration that academics need to be made to take courses in proper communications. It's a shame to me that every time I'm going to recommend this book (and I will) that I'm going to have to say, "Yeah, it's a big of a slog, though." A more engaging writer could have made this into a much bigger book than it was when it came out ten years ago.
korine's review against another edition
2.0
The premise is interesting and important. What factors contributed to the collapse of past societies that could contribute to similar collapses today? What factors led to success in past societies that we might incorporate today?
The information is valuable but it gets lost in the rambling excess of words in this book. It seriously doesn't need to be this long... It seemed as though examples that didn't fit the narrative were excluded. Others have analyzed the potential for some of the language to qualify as environmental determinism so I'll skip that here, but Diamond does repeatedly argue that he's not being an environmental determinist in his writings. I'm not entirely convinced...
A number of times I cringed as I was reading due to borderline or obvious xenophobic language, particularly in relation to transnational immigration. Additionally, Diamond discusses problems in the Global South (referred to as "Third World" countries) without placing enough emphasis on the ravages of colonialism. (The book was published in 2005, but First World and Third World had already fallen out of use by then - more cringe-worthy terms) As an example, Diamond writes, "Conversely, people in the Third World can now, intentionally or unintentionally, send us their own bad things: their diseases like AIDS, SARS, cholera, and West Nile fever..." Us vs Them?? And what about the "blame" of wealthy transnational corporations who contribute to disease emergence through resource extraction in other countries, just as one example? Scholars of terrorism note the role of past destabilizing policies of the West that contributed to recent events but instead destabilization and events are blamed on overpopulation and other internal causes. This book had so much potential but made me cringe in its treatment of people in less wealthy nations.
The information is valuable but it gets lost in the rambling excess of words in this book. It seriously doesn't need to be this long... It seemed as though examples that didn't fit the narrative were excluded. Others have analyzed the potential for some of the language to qualify as environmental determinism so I'll skip that here, but Diamond does repeatedly argue that he's not being an environmental determinist in his writings. I'm not entirely convinced...
A number of times I cringed as I was reading due to borderline or obvious xenophobic language, particularly in relation to transnational immigration. Additionally, Diamond discusses problems in the Global South (referred to as "Third World" countries) without placing enough emphasis on the ravages of colonialism. (The book was published in 2005, but First World and Third World had already fallen out of use by then - more cringe-worthy terms) As an example, Diamond writes, "Conversely, people in the Third World can now, intentionally or unintentionally, send us their own bad things: their diseases like AIDS, SARS, cholera, and West Nile fever..." Us vs Them?? And what about the "blame" of wealthy transnational corporations who contribute to disease emergence through resource extraction in other countries, just as one example? Scholars of terrorism note the role of past destabilizing policies of the West that contributed to recent events but instead destabilization and events are blamed on overpopulation and other internal causes. This book had so much potential but made me cringe in its treatment of people in less wealthy nations.
saszito's review
4.0
Grob gefasst ist das Buch in drei Teile untergliedert. Die Beschreibung des Zusammenbruchs verschiedener vergangenen Kulturen, eine Untersuchung einiger gefährdeter Gesellschaften der Gegenwart sowie dem Versuch aus der Vergangenheit Lehren für uns zu ziehen. Persönlich hat mich der erste Teil am stärksten beeindruckt. Speziell die Ausführungen zur polynesischen Expansion sowie das Scheitern der Wikinger auf Grönland aber auch das positive Gegenbeispiel, die klugen Reaktionen auf Veränderungen im Japan der Tokugawa-Epoche fesselten mich und regten zum Nachdenken an.
http://vivaperipheria.de/frisch-gelesene-buecher-kollaps/
http://vivaperipheria.de/frisch-gelesene-buecher-kollaps/
kaiare's review against another edition
3.5
That was an absolute fucking slog. Analyses past and current societies and actions that lead to their downfall; specifically environmental causes. It is very insightful, but long. At times, I could tell it was written by a privileged white man, however overall his insights were great.
fractaltexan's review against another edition
4.0
As usual, Jared Diamond does a great job at showcasing his thesis. In this book, Diamond showcases how societies choose to fail or succeed in surviving. By offering examples ranging from modern Montana to societal collapses such as Easter Island, he showcases the variety of ways in which societies either choose to succeed given the limitations placed upon them by nature, or fail as they exceed what they can feasibly do.
timburbage's review against another edition
1.0
Could not get into this book at all, and caused me to have a major reading slump. It is an interesting topic that is made so dry, with the same points being made over and over and over and over again.
antony_monir's review against another edition
3.0
Collapse is a book on ecology and agriculture masquerading as a history book. There is some history but the main focus is anthropological in nature. This is not a bad thing, however, since the book is full of information about various societies and the reasons behind their collapse. While critics of this book talk of "environmental determinism" I do not think Jared Diamond is actually advocating for that. It is true that his main thesis is overstated but it still is mostly valid. I don't think anyone can deny the importance of the environment on people's activities and behavior which is why I think the main criticism for this book should focus on the ideas that Diamond defends. In the early chapters of the book which focus mainly on ancient societies, Diamond says that sometimes people need to change their values in order to adapt and survive. Yet, he fails to recognize how the value we place on "profit" and capitalism is leading to environmental degradation. Diamond practically undermines his own point by being too focused on his values to recognize the flaws in our current system. I am not saying we need to start a communist revolution but it is important to recgonize the flaws in our systems so we can avoid the fate that befell all those societies that were described in the book. As Diamond says, we have the power to change things for the better. We are not just the product of our environment, we also have the potential to change it. Final rating: 3/5 (minus 1 point for a weird statement comparing chinese immigrants to exported pests from China)
basedgoth's review against another edition
4.0
heavily detailed book not suitable for light reading, Diamond put a lot of work into this book. almost the kind of detail you need to write papers. not much emphasis put on the “cautious optimism” standpoint he takes at the end, but i suppose the book was about collapse of societies specifically and not a how-to guide on solving these issues.
side note: I FINALLY FINISHED THIS BOOK AFTER STARTING IT 9 YRS AGO PICKING IT UP IN A BOOKSTORE IN MELBOURNE!!!!
side note: I FINALLY FINISHED THIS BOOK AFTER STARTING IT 9 YRS AGO PICKING IT UP IN A BOOKSTORE IN MELBOURNE!!!!