[.ca] Guns Germs And Steel (ISBN 0393317552)

From Amazon.com:
Explaining what William McNeill called The Rise of the West has become the central problem in the study of global history. In Guns, Germs, and Steel Jared Diamond presents the biologist's answer: geography, demography, and ecological happenstance. Diamond evenhandedly reviews human history on every continent since the Ice Age at a rate that emphasizes only the broadest movements of peoples and ideas. Yet his survey is binocular: one eye has the rather distant vision of the evolutionary biologist, while the other eye--and his heart--belongs to the people of New Guinea, where he has done field work for more than 30 years.

Wonderful:
I found it refreshing to read something which genuinely attempted to grasp the big picture of history. Ably dismissing the conceited and partisan theories of earlier generations (and of most people living today), Diamond proposes sensible scientific alternatives which carry the ring of truth, and apparently so self-evident that it seems amazing no one thought of them before. He isn't too concerned with the individuals and events which are the backbone of traditional histories. He won't explain why one or other political power in Europe gained the advantage in some situation. These are the fine details of the broader picture - and in a very real sense they don't affect the outcome of history. What Diamond wants to know is, for instance, why a steadfastly stone-age Europe was not colonised by gun-toting Native Americans. His ideas give a kind of tragic certainty to the history that we all know and I suspect that many will try to dismiss them as "cultural determinism", as they have with other authors in this vein. If I have any criticism at all it is that Diamond rather labours the point, but this is not necessarily a bad thing with new and interesting ideas. This is an approach to history of which I would like to see a lot more - I could not put this book down. I have read most of the science books shortlisted for the 1998 Rhone-Poulenc prize and am very glad that this one won. Randy One Help raise awareness; support cancer research!

BIG SUBJECT, BIG LET DOWN:
Anybody interested in reading Jared Diamond's book about the fates of civilizations should be warned up front about two things. One, it is a rather dry academic book by a noted professor of physiology. And two, the catchy title came out of the marketing department of Norton and has little to do with the subject matter. I rather suspect that Prof. Diamond originallly called his book Crops and Animals and What Societies Did With Them. I found this a tough read. Suckered in by the title and hype, I kept waiting for the guns to appear, or at least a few germs. Deep into the book, the author finally ties them together in a way that is understandable. But it is a slow sled up to that point as you have to slog through Prof. Diamond's less than inspiring writing style. He has an intriguing idea of why some societies with similar resources grew into advanced forms while others did not. Unfortunately, this is laid out in mind numbing detail. Let me save you some time. Societies that domesticated animals brought with them germs. Eventually they became immune to these germs. This made them strong and permitted them to advance along into making sophisticated things like steel which allowed them to conquer societies that did not domesticate animals (North American Indian tribes) with the help of infectious diseases, which nearly wiped out any survivors. I simplify. Jared Diamond has written an interesting book. It is just not a great book for non academics.

amazing collection of information:
This is an amazing book, and a lifetime of research and thinking by Mr. Diamond must have gone into creating it. Even though it is almost 500 pages in length, it concisely covers the basics of much of human history and civilization. Thankfully, Mr. Diamond puts forth the opposite of a racist interpretation of human history. It is very much taboo to suggest that genetic differences between different races resulted in one group of people conquering or dominating another, but it turns out that there are genetic differences in the brain between the populations of people in different countries of the world today. For example, different populations have differences in the composition of certain neurotransmitter receptors, that may influence such things as exploratory behavior (i.e., novelty seeking), and might something like that not influence global patterns of migration? Read C. Robert Cloninger's 'Feeling Good' for more information on dopamine receptors. Another point is that this book seems to have arrived at a time when people want to write and read 'histories of everything'. That type of book seems to be selling well right now. Overall, a very interesting and worthwhile read. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

World history that actually makes sense.:
A very informative, in-depth look at how environmental and geographical factors have affected world history. Despite the sometimes dull and methodical vocabulary used, Diamond succeeds in delivering insightful theories about world-wide phenomena most of us wouldn't have otherwise put any thought to. I learned a lot from this book; Diamond's confident and knowledgeable tone throughout is refreshing to readers who crave the satisfaction of learning something new. My sole complaint is that I was unfamiliar with many of the terms used (for example, the names of some ancient countries, continents, or time periods), requiring some extra research on my part.

Interesting but Missing Some Info:
The book is very well written, even though at times I found he rambled on for a little bit. Over all, he gives you very good facts about why certain societies over the course of history have technology which other societies do not. I do agree that the book does not however explain why certain societies/countries in today's world still do not have some of these technologies but the book give you enough information for you to make your own conclusion. I could write a little more but many people have already done so and I feel one should really read this book as it really give you a better understanding of the world, especially to those whole love history and evolution. Kevin