Matt Lehrer reviewed Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
Very convincing, possibly misleading
4 stars
I understand the historian perspective on this book is very negative but I thoroughly enjoyed and was convinced by it at the time
480 pages
English language
Published Nov. 8, 1999 by W.W. Norton & Co..
Why did Eurasians conquer, displace, or decimate Native Americans, Australians, and Africans, instead of the reverse? In this groundbreaking book, evolutionary biologist Jared Diamond stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history by revealing the environmental factors actually responsible for history's broadest patterns. Here, at last, is a world history that really is a history of all the world's peoples, a unified narrative of human life even more intriguing and important than accounts of dinosaurs and glaciers. A major advance in our understanding of human societies, Guns, Germs, and Steel chronicles the way that the modern world, and its inequalities, came to be. It is a work rich in dramatic revelations that will fascinate readers even as it challenges conventional wisdom.
I understand the historian perspective on this book is very negative but I thoroughly enjoyed and was convinced by it at the time
Brilliant. Highlighted so many passages. Offers insight into the history of the world over the past 13,000 years. Plausible argument for why different societies in the world are at their current state.