Re:Why books don't work (2019)
by lthornberry on Tuesday September 22, 2020 @11:08AM
(#24555339)
I can't comment on the others, but I'm a trained historian, and hating Guns, Germs, and Steel is probably the single thing that unites our field. It's vastly oversimplified, and gives anyone who reads it the idea that they understand the major forces shaping world history while ignoring most of the things that historians agree are more important than environmental determinism in that process.
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Do you have an alternative book (or list of) which you'd recommend instead?
I always recommend Charles Mann's 1491 as the antidote to Guns, Germs, and Steel. (Although note that this focuses entirely on pre-Columbian America.)
Re:Why books don't work (2019)
by PaulDavisThe1st on Tuesday September 22, 2020 @12:20PM
(#24556376)
Interesting choice, since I did not feel as if 1491 contained any information that contradicted the basic theses of GG&S, and if anything reinforced it.
Re:Why books don't work (2019)
by wombatmobile on Tuesday September 22, 2020 @01:56PM
(#24557716)
What does 1491 teach us?
Not a historian, but _Why the West Rules - For Now_ by Ian Morris was a good read. Covers the sweep of world history with the audacious goal of quantifying human development at all moments in history. It mainly focuses on the west (starting in the Mesopotamian region) and the east (starting in the area surrounding the Yellow river) and addresses questions like "why didn't China discover America" (basically - too far away). You might also find it interesting!