Welcome to Litsy!

Finished reading. Jared Diamond puts forward his thesis that geographical and environmental factors played a vital role in shaping certain regions. The last few chapters felt repetitive but overall a great book. 4/5

Although first published in 1997, I've never got to read this one. It also includes a postface to the 2003 edition. The book revolves around the idea that historical progress, development and domination of different populations over others was fueled by their geography and not their biology.

'Over the past 13,000 years the predominant trend in human society has been the replacement of smaller, less complex units by larger, more complex ones.'

I feel like this was a (self inflicted) required reading to get through. Thank goodness for audiobooks and a 30 minute commute. This book provides good histories of where people came from and how we are stratified in society today, and argues against some evolutionists racist explanations. In the academic sense, this book is fantastic, however as he does in Collapse, Diamond beats a dead horse at times. Not always captivating and entertaining.

I read about half this book eons ago then set it aside and never got back to it. I remember really enjoying it (I was in school at the time, so that‘s probably why it got shelved), so I‘m glad I finally went back and finished it. Diamond lays out how differences in locations most likely led to differences in how societies moved through time, rather than inherent racial (racist) differences. 👇🏼

In this book, Diamond discusses how different groups of people developed differently, not because of inherent differences between different peoples, but because of aspects of their surroundings. I thought this fact about zebras was fascinating. Apparently they‘re also quite bitey and then don‘t let go. 🦓

Fascinating look into proximate and ultimate causes in world history, specifically who conquered whom rather than vice versa. Looks at environmental resources (domesticable plants/animals, minerals), climate, continental axes - and how they all affect the peoples who live in these regions.
March #Roll100 and April #BookSpin

#DannyBoy insists on snuggling my feet…which is kind of ticklish. Kiddo and hubby are playing chess while we all wait for our loaded baked potato pizza to bake. Friday nights are wild around here! #catsofLitsy

Finally getting going on this one today, with leftover pineapple pizza for lunch. It‘s a busy week for me, as my gig rehearsals started Sunday night and go every night this week until the show starts Friday. Kiddo‘s swim class yesterday afternoon was cancelled (of course they didn‘t freaking tell me that) but we got pizza to make life easier on us all and celebrate Pi Day. Another attempt at swim class today 🤞🏻

3/5
The content is very interesting, but it reads more like a textbook, which can make it a tedious read. Jared Diamond offers a very well argumented explanation for the development disparities between human societies. So, if you are passionate about history and geography, this book might interest you ;)

Full blog article: https://the-literary-adventures-of-a-french-reader.com/blog/guns-germs-and-steel...

I cannot recommend this book. The information: fascinating. The delivery?: dreadful. It‘s like the author purposefully chose the most boring and confusing way to write sentences to make the information hard for readers to ingest. It took me over four months to read! This sounds harsh. I just didn‘t vibe with his writing style. However, the information was very intriguing. If nothing else, it really drives home that geography is very important.

The Emily Windsnap is for the kiddo, and hubby gets a couple of train magazines. The rest? It‘s all mine! I actually went into a bookstore and just browsed and bought whatever I wanted! (Ok, within reason and a limited time frame, I was waiting for my grocery pickup slot, but BN is next door to Kroger...)
#bookhaul #bookshoppingmakesmefeelbetter

⭐4/5
The book is simple to understand, even though it touches complicated subjects.
Most parts are explained very well, so that everything is clear even for those who don't possess any previous knowledge on the topic.
The last chapters can feel a little repetitive though.

“Throughout human history farmers have tended to despise hunter-gatherers as primitive, hunter-gatherers have despised farmers as ignorant, and herders have despised both“
Mankind has always despised itself, I guess

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks #NonFiction2021 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

Dense read that I found myself enjoying far more than any history class I've had on the subject. This book is packed full of information and at times it felt a bit overwhelming, but overall it flowed well.

I did a combination of the audio and the physical book and I found the narrator to be dry. The tables and photos add to the details in the physical book which I liked.

Although I hate the author‘s use of first person and there were often times I didn‘t know where he was headed, I definitely recommend this book for scientists and historians alike as the book applies science to history and answers many questions historians might have they don‘t even know they have.

Interesting account on why societies and areas of the world have progressed more than others.

This teetered between a so-so and a pick, but the detail information delivered pushed it to a low pick. I think I would have enjoyed reading it more than listening, the narrator was dry and a bit droning, which caused my mind to wander. 3 💥💥💥 1/2
#AwesomeAugust @Andrew65
#LitsyAtoZ #LetterG @BookishMarginalia
7/10 #bookbuyingdiet

Not what I was expecting but interesting nonetheless.
Examines the evolution of human societies by looking at their technology, movement, and development of written languages. Also compares societies in close proximity to each other and how they developed differently ex. Aboriginal people in Australia compared to native people in New Zealand.

I‘m interested in wine, cheese, and reading ... lol or Guns, Germs, and Steel I guess 🤪 Very excellent nonfiction book. I‘ve read other books by this author and this fits nicely in the scope of those but is also by far his most well-written.

“History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples‘ environments, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves.” 🔫🦠⚔️

Even though it‘s Friday... #thoughtfulThursday 🦋watching my plants bloom and new leaves bud, buzzing with bees and fluttering with butterflies 🌈 some fun music to dance with my kids 🧁 cheesecake 💗 @HollyDollyMe @AprilOatmeal @MoonWitch94 @DuetForever @Coconut_shawty

I was wavering a bit on making this so-so because it took me months to finish - I found him to quite repetitive. But, the fantastic concepts he brought forward make this a pick! The main things I took away are how the east-west axis of Eurasia made ideas, people, inventions easier to spread than the north-south axes of Africa and the Americas, and the produce and animal combination that Eurasia started with was so much more conducive to success.

This may be the one #Nonfiction #historical book that I'm adding to my #TBR stack that I am most excited about. I've heard so many good things about it! A friend gave it to me because it was "too boring". Challenge Accepted!
#NFNov @rsteve388 @Clwojick #PulitzerPrize

No, not a surprise 😏!
“I may come as a surprise to learn that plant seeds can resist digestion by your gut and nonetheless germinate out of your feces. But any adventurous readers who are not too squeamish can make the test and prove if for themselves.”
No, not going to perform a test... 😝

"Working" while reading ?. Intetesting theories presented so far!

The annals of medicine are full of accounts of diseases that sound like no disease known today, but that once caused terrifying epidemics and then disappeared as mysteriously as they had come.

Why did Europeans spread all over the world, and not Polynesians or Aztecs? Because they had guns, germs and steel, which those other societies did not. But why did they have them? Jared Diamond traces the advantage back to early and wide adoption of food production, which in turn was based on environmental conditions, and not innate abilities. Fascinating, highly educational, well-researched, albeit occasionally too technical. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you have ever questioned the nature and conditions that lead some cultures to thrive and others to fail, this is a great historical overview of why Europeans have come to dominate the latter part of these centuries.

#adventrecommends day 14 ( catching up)

A book that completely changed my worldview.

Some exhaustive research done here. I may or may not have used it to help me fall asleep at night 😂 Diamond presents some excellent theories of why one group of people thrive and another doesn‘t. Hint: nothing to do with IQ.