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dda9's review against another edition
2.0
This was an interesting book, as was "Guns, Germs, and Steel." I was a little disappointed though because I was expecting some interesting insights, but his thesis basically amounted to: societies that protected their environment survived, and those who didn't, didn't. He did provide some excellent examples, however, and made a convincing case.
Unfortunately, he seems to promote environmental protectionism at all costs, which is exactly the reason that the other side doesn't listen in environment vs. economy debates in the US. He praises a Polynesian island culture for its environmental stewardship, when this stewardship came at the cost of basically sending unmarried young men off on suicide trips into the ocean, and killing infants that were undesired or deemed "too many." He also speaks highly of China's one-child policy--a brutal violation of human rights. He doesn't say it directly, but he seems to be saying that selective abortions, sterilizations, infanticide, and other means to get rid of surplus population (even when older, as in the Polynesian death voyages) are just peachy as long as they avoid overpopulating fragile environments.
I understand the need to protect the environment, but I also understand the need for, um... ethics. Can we not have both? A little ethical consideration in this book would have made it a convincing argument. As it is, I'm afraid this was simply too much to swallow. I choked.
Unfortunately, he seems to promote environmental protectionism at all costs, which is exactly the reason that the other side doesn't listen in environment vs. economy debates in the US. He praises a Polynesian island culture for its environmental stewardship, when this stewardship came at the cost of basically sending unmarried young men off on suicide trips into the ocean, and killing infants that were undesired or deemed "too many." He also speaks highly of China's one-child policy--a brutal violation of human rights. He doesn't say it directly, but he seems to be saying that selective abortions, sterilizations, infanticide, and other means to get rid of surplus population (even when older, as in the Polynesian death voyages) are just peachy as long as they avoid overpopulating fragile environments.
I understand the need to protect the environment, but I also understand the need for, um... ethics. Can we not have both? A little ethical consideration in this book would have made it a convincing argument. As it is, I'm afraid this was simply too much to swallow. I choked.
karrama's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book. It's a fantastically easy history read. So much information and so many ideas run at you in travelogue style. It's a reference book as much as a reminder to view the world as a fluctuating, churning, but also changeable part of our lives.
thesimplereader's review against another edition
1.0
Having to read this for class was a drag. It's not my cup of tea in the slightest.
teokajlibroj's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting book though it could have been shorter. It was also more about the environment than the societies.
magikspells's review against another edition
3.0
So this book has been lurking in my current reads forever now because of the slow pace of reading it for class. I didn't hate this book, I felt like it went by at a reasonable pace and that the arguments had their validity at times. But as is the case with [b:Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies|1842|Guns, Germs, and Steel The Fates of Human Societies|Jared Diamond|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1363428619s/1842.jpg|2138852], I think it's important to look at his books from a critical perspective. I think Diamond has a gift for synthesizing facts but at times I feel like it's in attempt to further his argument by use of selective information. In addition to reading this for class we also read [b:Questioning Collapse: Human Resilience, Ecological Vulnerability, and the Aftermath of Empire|6876113|Questioning Collapse Human Resilience, Ecological Vulnerability, and the Aftermath of Empire|Patricia A. McAnany|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348391516s/6876113.jpg|7092950] which I think is a nice contrast to many of Diamond's arguments from people who study these areas he relies on for examples. For a required read, I quite enjoyed it.
angelamichelle's review against another edition
3.0
Liking this one more than Guns, Germs, and Steel. Also I've wanted to know what the heck happened with those starving medeival Greenlanders ever since I read Jane Smiley's book _The Greenlanders_.