Collapse

ByJared Diamond

Release Date: 2004-12-29
Genre: History

Score: 3.5

3.5

From 160 Ratings

Description

In Jared Diamond’s follow-up to the Pulitzer-Prize winning Guns, Germs and Steel, the author explores how climate change, the population explosion and political discord create the conditions for the collapse of civilization

Environmental damage, climate change, globalization, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of societies around the world, but some found solutions and persisted. As in Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe, and weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. Collapse moves from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the flourishing American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Maya and finally to the doomed Viking colony on Greenland. Similar problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. Despite our own society’s apparently inexhaustible wealth and unrivaled political power, ominous warning signs have begun to emerge even in ecologically robust areas like Montana.

Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide?

Reviews

Debated
2
By Madmax45454545
I had to read the book for A.P. world history this summer and I can sit down and read for hours but I couldn't find myself getting into the book. It had good facts but it didn't really pull me through the book. I had to make myself read it. Some of that may of been that some parts like Montana's soil crisis confused me. Jared really jumped back and forth between ideals and didn't transition well. I'm a little disappointed. Bottom line: good facts, confusing read.
Collapse
5
By WalkingonSand
An interesting theory on how former major civilizations eventually fell apart. A wide range of societies from different eras are looked at.
Great text, but lack of images is a killer
2
By lakshwadeep
I'm only around the halfway point, reading, if you can imagine, on an iPhone. First, I will say that I really liked Guns, Germs, and Steel, and this book is just as entertaining and engaging. Jared Diamond does a great job at describing faraway and ancient cultures.

However, I've decided to review early because I'm extremely frustrated that there are almost no figures. The few that are present, mainly maps, appear to be poorly scaled jpegs, to the point that the text is fuzzy, almost illegible when zooming in. However, the worst part is when the text refers to images (plates) that are non-existent. For some chapters, like Easter Island, it is a real shame that the images are missing. While I'm a National Geographics buff who already has mental pictures of most of the mentioned societies, other people will be really confused about what's being described. It's ironic that the author/publisher chose to leave the illustration credits without leaving the illustrations!

I'm really upset because this is my first ever iBooks (or even ebook) purchase. I assumed this would be just like the paper version, but I was wrong. Now I'm hesitant to buy another ebook before looking at the reviews.
Deeply Insightful
5
By Magic Flyin' Lemur
This book really opened my eyes to the ways in which societies - even well-meaning ones - can blind themselves to the necessary changes needed to long-term self-destructive behaviors. A fascinating read. I can see why it has negative reviews; a common reaction to hearing "hey, we're headed down a similar path here" is to get angry and try to ignore it.