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Mar 17, 2009
Robert
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
Shelves:
nonfiction-general
Diamond gets a bit repetitive for the last fifth or so of this book, but he presents a very strong case against the notion that some inherent Eurasian superiority has created a world dominated by western Eurasians. Most fascinating to me was his explanation of how the east-west orientation of Eurasia makes the transfer of flora, fauna, and people (and therefore knowledge) a much simpler matter than it is in regions with a north-south orientation, such as Africa and the Americas. For example, you
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I was mentioning this book and its ideas to my daughter, and she said that her K-8 school here in Minneapolis showed them a film based on the book! (She remembered the name because they had laughed at the way it was narrated.. GUNS... GERMS!! ... and STEEL!!!!) The school - part of the public school system - is probably 80% people of color, including members of the Black, Hispanic and Native American communities. So another reason I'm really glad they had this content there.
And there it is on Am ...more
And there it is on Am ...more
This idea of geography and climate being the main drivers of human history and development is old - at least from the 1960's (that I know from books I've actually read), possibly earlier. The approach is very different though, so far a bit too repetitive and bio-oriented although the second half of the book does pick up the pace some.
The whole book feels like a humongous glacier - advancing (or receding, depending on how you want to look at it) with slow deliberation, crusing all counterargumen ...more
The whole book feels like a humongous glacier - advancing (or receding, depending on how you want to look at it) with slow deliberation, crusing all counterargumen ...more
Not well researched. It was on about a sixth grade level so hard to find the "meat of it". Also presented as facts- opinions.
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May 28, 2009
Bonnie
rated it
it was amazing
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review of another edition
Shelves:
nonfiction-social-sciences
