Guns, Germs, and Steel
The Fates of Human Societies
Jared Diamond
Explore the answer to the central problem in global history with Guns, Germs, and Steel. In this insightful book, author Jared Diamond looks at the broad movements of peoples and ideas on every continent since the Ice Age. He presents a biology-driven answer to The Rise of the West, focusing on geography, demography, and ecological happenstance. With a binocular perspective of an evolutionary biologist and a heart that belongs to the people of New Guinea, Diamond presents a well-rounded and evenhanded review of human history.
Publish Date
2005-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
2005-01-01T00:00:00.000Z
first published in 1997
Goodreads Rating
4.04
ISBN
8580001044774
Categories
Recommendations
9
Recommendations
2014-03-07T06:11:46.000Z
@wongsk35 That's a GREAT suggestion. Guns Germs and Steel is an amazing book.
Thanks for the idea! – sourceHelped rid me of the nagging incompleteness in my understood connection between the successes and failings of ancient and modern civilizations. – source
2020-03-18T02:20:53.000Z
@MiaFarrow One of the classic non-fictions is Rats, Lice, and History, by Hans Zinnser. Guns, Germs and Steel also does pandemics, as does 1491: about what the Americas were like before (and during) the wipeout caused by European microbes + viruses. – sourceI’m a fan of books that challenge our assumptions, and Diamond offers us a new and remarkably simple way of looking at our world. Learning to challenge existing assumptions is core to effective leadership for it trains us to keep an open mind. – source
2016-07-25T00:00:00.000Z
Why did the people of certain continents succeeded in invading other continents and conquering or displacing their people? Fascinating world history. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. See the notes. – sourceA brilliant Pulitzer Prize-winning book about how the modern world was formed, analyzing how societies developed differently on different continents. I like how this is written from a biologist’s point of view rather than purely based on history or anthropology. – source
Gave a big eye opening on why certain people of the world are more advanced than others and behave a certain way, as opposed to just genetics and this person is smarter because of this or that. – source