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Liked It4 of 4 members found this review helpful “I love it when I find a book that takes theories from several various disciplines and blends them into a totally new perspective. Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel is an inspired work that merges geology, archeaology, history, biology, agriculture, and anthropology (am I missing anything?!) into a...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “this book bored me to death. i would rather have holes drilled in my teeth than read it.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Guns, Germs and Steel is a really fantastic book that I honestly think every student of history - okay, just everybody - should read. It gives incredible insight into the development of the modern world, and comprehensively addresses the reasons for certain societies' ability to dominate others. While I found it began rather slowly, by the time I really got into the book I was hooked, and was consistently and frequently awed and amazed by what I was reading. One of the most admirable aspects of Jared Diamond's book is the way he weaves more disciplines than I can keep track of into his argument. From archaeology to paleobotany to linguistics I was repeatedly impressed by how he seemingly effortlessly explained developmental factors from these varying points of few. Absolutely fantastic!”
Melanie T wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“This is a really interesting book about the development of society. Jared Diamond has really clear writing style that made it easy to understand. The book explains how civilization developed and why things are the way they are. he goes into depth and answers all questions you might have on the book.”
Benjamin Tice wrote this review 10 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“In this Pulitzer Prize winning book, Diamond attempts to answer the question of why the Western Civilization rose to power instead of other civilizations. His answer is that they lucked out on geography and ecology. Western civilizations were better able to domesticate animals and plants due to the varieties that they had available, and were therefore able to develop larger farming societies, allowing for development of crafts and “scientific exploration.” Also, because they were in larger groups, they were exposed at low levels to many germs, and developed immunity. Because of these factors, they were able to harness the power of guns, germs, and steel in their pursuit of world power. This was a fascinating book, and definitely worth reading even after watching the documentary. It’s just packed full of information, the writing is smooth and articulate, and the research is extensive. ”
Rachel B wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A very ambitious attempt to explain the overarching themes of human history. An interesting and informative read.”
Kevin McDermott wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The author offers great insights into human history and digs into the basics of why one civilization triumphs over the other. Be prepared for a worldview that you probably wouldn't have ever imagined. ”
asim wrote this review Monday, April 23, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Pretty condensed history of humanity and how the Western world became a developed country while non-Europe worlds like Africa fell behind. Interesting history. A long and tedious read though. ”
Yoselis R wrote this review Monday, April 23, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Effing mind blowing! I'm not well versed enough to even begin explaining the universal questions this book tries to answer. Long story short, Diamond meets a man native to Fugi and the man asks Diamond "How is that you came to find me, with all of your stuff...why didn't I come to find you with my stuff?" This is terribly paraphrased on my part, but basically he discusses things like the fertile crescent and the way crops travel, etc. It seriously gets you thinking about the evolution of the human race .... very readable, and almost makes you WANT to take notes. Enjoy! ”
Jane Z wrote this review Sunday, April 8, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Awesome.”
Matthew Lewis wrote this review Saturday, April 7, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Splendid! I've never used that word before! Fascinating!”
Jeremy R. Hammond wrote this review Friday, April 6, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
