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karrama's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book. It's a fantastically easy history read. So much information and so many ideas run at you in travelogue style. It's a reference book as much as a reminder to view the world as a fluctuating, churning, but also changeable part of our lives.
thesimplereader's review against another edition
1.0
Having to read this for class was a drag. It's not my cup of tea in the slightest.
teokajlibroj's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting book though it could have been shorter. It was also more about the environment than the societies.
magikspells's review against another edition
3.0
So this book has been lurking in my current reads forever now because of the slow pace of reading it for class. I didn't hate this book, I felt like it went by at a reasonable pace and that the arguments had their validity at times. But as is the case with [b:Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies|1842|Guns, Germs, and Steel The Fates of Human Societies|Jared Diamond|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363428619s/1842.jpg|2138852], I think it's important to look at his books from a critical perspective. I think Diamond has a gift for synthesizing facts but at times I feel like it's in attempt to further his argument by use of selective information. In addition to reading this for class we also read [b:Questioning Collapse: Human Resilience, Ecological Vulnerability, and the Aftermath of Empire|6876113|Questioning Collapse Human Resilience, Ecological Vulnerability, and the Aftermath of Empire|Patricia A. McAnany|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348391516s/6876113.jpg|7092950] which I think is a nice contrast to many of Diamond's arguments from people who study these areas he relies on for examples. For a required read, I quite enjoyed it.
angelamichelle's review against another edition
3.0
Liking this one more than Guns, Germs, and Steel. Also I've wanted to know what the heck happened with those starving medeival Greenlanders ever since I read Jane Smiley's book _The Greenlanders_.
corprew's review against another edition
5.0
An awesome analysis about how societies organize themselves and utilize resources affects their outcomes.