From the Bookshelf of Apocalypse Whenever…

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

Jared Diamond

Why we're reading this: In his runaway bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances th…more
[close] In his runaway bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond brilliantly examined the circumstances that allowed Western civilizations to dominate much of the world. Now he probes the other side of the equation: What caused some of the great civilizations of the past to fall into ruin, and what can we learn from their fates? Using a vast historical and geographical perspective ranging from Easter Island and the Maya to Viking Greenland and modern Montana, Diamond traces a fundamental pattern of environmental catastropheone whose warning signs can be seen in our modern world and that we ignore at our peril. Blending the most recent scientific advances into a narrative that is impossible to put down, Collapse exposes the deepest mysteries of the past even as it offers hope for the future

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Feb 24, 2008 Damian rated it it was amazing

I finally finished this book and now I'm depressed. It's pretty clear to me that my grandchildren will be living is a desolate, sterile world scrabbling for bits of food or a drink of water. Mr Diamond keeps the prose engaging and simple enough for a non-scientist to understand. While it's clear he has an agenda (a worthy on in my opinion) he does a very good job at explaining both sides of the story and only points the finger when the culprit already has a large red target painted on their fore ...more

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Nov 07, 2010 Allison added it

Shelves: didn-t-finish

After the fascinating journey of Guns, Germs & Steel, I thought this would be great. I mean, it's about lost societies, mystery, history...but it was totally boring I believe mainly because of the structure. There are 5 or so elements that are present in varying combinations in every collapsed society. Here's one example, using pond sediment core analysis and/or tree ring analysis, midden analyses and temperature analysis. Here's another example using the same kinds of analysis. And another. And ...more

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Jun 17, 2007 Andrew rated it really liked it

Diamond's follow-up to Guns, Germs, and Steel shifts its focus on civilization to analyze why certain society's fell apart. His historical case studies (including Easter Island, the Mayans and the Anasazi) explore what factors led to a breakdown in order to cite warning signs in different parts of our own world today.

Collapse is an engaging read, but seems to lack the sweeping force of his previous work. Nonetheless, it's a book that will make you look at our own society with a new sense of wari ...more

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May 30, 2010 Mark Rayner rated it really liked it

This isn't quite as engrossing as guns, germs, and steel is, despite the fact that it's about the apocalypse of many a historical society. (Easter Island, the Vikings in Greenland.)

I'd skip past the initial chapter about the mining industry in Montana, so you can get into the book, but make sure you come back to it, as it's important to the overall thesis.

Should be required reading for everyone on the planet -- at least, anyone making decisions about how we're using our resources. ...more

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