Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies in Pick-a-Shelf

May 21, 2020 Tien rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, read-on-kobo, history, mm-20

This book is waaaaayyy out of my comfort zone so excuse my very short and, most probably, non-helpful ~~review~~ comments. My brain basically melts when pelted with science so I usually only get a small percentage of the whole theory. I did get though that the author is basically stating his theory that developments of each race totally depends on their environments; not only their locations but also resources available to them which determined not only their society but also knowledge, technology, ...more

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Aug 09, 2016 Nancy rated it really liked it

Shelves: history, non-fiction, science, still-owned

Although I really enjoyed this book, and was fascinated by the whistlestop tour through human history, it was so dense and detailed that I know I missed aspects of it as I listened to it. Jared Diamond is incredibly knowledgeable and writes very clearly, but this is definitely the kind of book that one would need to return to in order to take it all in. I really liked his arguments at the end for regarding history as a science, which were both valid and persuasive.

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Apr 20, 2009 Sandy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sociology

A NONRACIAL EXPLANATION FOR SOCIETAL DIFFERENCES

Perhaps one of the most important books I've read, Diamond asks the question: Why did some human cultures innovate and prosper, and end up colonizing the rest? Why did other cultures not develop past stone tools? Gives a scientific answer not based on race. Diamond is one smart fellow. A mature scientist. He uses everything he knows in this book. Guns, Germs & Steel is a Pulitzer Prize winner, winner of the Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science, and a N ...more

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