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yates9's review
5.0
A great book which however should be evaluated critically. Unfortunately the comparative history of civilisations is an area in which few others look, so Diamond ends up being the one key reference and taken as an absolute.
It is a must read but then also one must seek critical reviews as in many areas this book suggests a more idealist pessimistic view of sustainable civilisation than the other many historical examples that counter this.
It is a must read but then also one must seek critical reviews as in many areas this book suggests a more idealist pessimistic view of sustainable civilisation than the other many historical examples that counter this.
montalpn's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Diamond does an excellent job avoiding the geographic determinism that is the main flaw in his more popular Guns, Germs, and Steel work. I also appreciate his cautious optimism, which makes the lesson seem less of a prophetic doomsday and more of an advocation to change. The only thing I’d like to see more explored is the political aspects of societal collapse, which can and do vary.
miss_blackbird's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed reading about past societies, their environmental issues and the choices they made.
However, the section on our current environmental difficulties and problems, and possible solutions, was a bit dry. Just a list of things to consider. Bit of a shame, since that's the part the book is working towards.
Would be interesting to have a reflection on the current situation from JD, since the book was written in 2005.
However, the section on our current environmental difficulties and problems, and possible solutions, was a bit dry. Just a list of things to consider. Bit of a shame, since that's the part the book is working towards.
Would be interesting to have a reflection on the current situation from JD, since the book was written in 2005.
duparker's review
3.0
This is an example of the structured, smart and well researched writing that Diamond excels at. I think there are some instances of overdoing it in the research and a few areas are written about too much. I think if the economy and world hadn't changed so much since 2005 this book would still be as relevant as it was when written.
vayeate's review
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
The previous book Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond left a mark of an astonishing surprise upon me. That is the main reason why picked up another book by Jared. I must say that once again I am only pleasantly surprised.
It is clearly seen that there was a lot of effort put into all of this research. It was extremely intriguing to read about the societies of the past and have a glimpse at their decision making.
However, one thing I did not like is that sometimes the author mentioned some countries, but never actually went into details about these countries. Only used some wide spread facts, that could have been dubious....perhaps)
It is clearly seen that there was a lot of effort put into all of this research. It was extremely intriguing to read about the societies of the past and have a glimpse at their decision making.
However, one thing I did not like is that sometimes the author mentioned some countries, but never actually went into details about these countries. Only used some wide spread facts, that could have been dubious....perhaps)
spiderfelt's review against another edition
4.5
Initially I resisted reading this book when my brother recommended it because it almost ten years old. Could the science still be valid? In the end, that is not a real concern for most chapters. While there may be additional research and data to back up the author’s ideas, he is synthesizing research to make a claim. Other scientists may have different theories to explain the collapse of certain communities. I would love to read an update to this book. It is clear that he began writing at least ten years before it was finally published (he cites specific dates in the chapters). Have his predictions been accurate? What else has happened in the modern countries he profiled?
sjgrodsky's review
5.0
GoodReads lost my review of this book, along with the dates read. So that data couldn't be imported to StoryGraph. Not going to write a review now, years after I rea the book.