Nope, it's not the Bible. It's not The Da Vinci Code. And it's not Where the Wild Things Are, even though I think every American has read that one. It's Guns, Germs, and Steel! Honestly, I have heard so much about this book in the past few years from all sorts of people. My professors talked about it; my boss recommended it to me; random strangers have mentioned it. And so, I decided to purchase Jared Diamond's magnum opus on Friday afternoon to see what the hullabaloo is all about.
Not bad so far. Diamond tries to answer the question, "Why did Europeans come to dominate the modern world?" And this is indeed an important question to ask because we have determined the how---through technological innovations and perhaps a stroke of luck---but we haven't necessarily nailed down the why. If all human societies are capable of farming, animal domestication, trading, etc., then why didn't the Chinese or Australian Aborigines or Incans takeover the world? Why Europe?
I'm only about 100 pages in, but it's interesting stuff. I like how Diamond fuses science, anthropology, and history in to his work. And his prose is easy to read, which I think contributed to the success of the book.
Criticisms? I feel that thus far the book only reiterates what I've learned in various college courses. Diamond keeps bringing up the important questions, but he's yet to provide solid answers, or at least any theories. But, I'll have to finish the book before I can give any final conclusions.
Anyone else read Guns, Germs, and Steel?
