A review by magikspells
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond

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.