Collapse

So Jared Diamond's Collapse was quite terrible to read. Why you may ask? Well, even if you aren't asking I'm ranting! Sure there was some well conducted research and a few valid points, but let's face it Mr. Diamond you're writing needs some work. I learned a long time ago that less really is more. Repetition may work in your lectures, but you took it to the extreme in your book.

He also went out of his way to make himself look objective. Well Mr. Diamond in your line of work, along with almost all others, there is no such thing as objective. A part of human nature's interesting quirk is that we're subjective in pretty much everything we do. Welcome to relativity. Anyhoo, we'll leave that tangent and return to my point. Pick a side friend, and then convince me. Don't waste my time pretending that you aren't trying to make a point or change my mind. Just be up front and honest. Even if I disagree I'll be a lot less annoyed 3oo pages into a bad book relationship, and I can at least respect the effort instead of feeling poorly beguiled and underestimated as a reader. Sure readers are lazy, but come on!

Overall opinion, don't bother. He's not extreme or interesting. Pick up the science section of the Times and leave Diamond to read his own stuff.