Posts
Recommended Reading
Most of the authors I admire are quite dead. However, one man writing today has produced a brilliant string of books. He is on a roll. His realm: non-fiction. His approach: interdisciplinary. His name is Jared Diamond.
Spotlight: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies.
This book rattled the walls of the academic community when it arrived on the scene in 1997 and by 1998 it was the proud winner of a Pulitzer Prize. Never the less, its appeal to readers world wide transcended the scholarly sanctum of the university. Like all Great Books it was written for everyone, not just the specialist. The fact that Guns, Germs, and Steel traverses the realms of history, sociology, linguistics, anthropology, archeology, biology, genetics, and pollinology (just to name a few) while maintaining a thoroughly captivating readability, gives testimony to Diamond's gifts as a writer.
Guns, Germs, and Steel made it possible for me to articulate questions about history and human societies that I was unable to give voice to before. It gave clarity to thought processes that were intuitive, nebulous, amorphous, and down right confusing. Then, it provided convincing answers to those questions.
In the opening chapters, Diamond retells a famous story most of us can recall from social studies class: Pizarro's conquest of the Incan Empire with just a few hundred men. Then, he poses a fascinating question. What were the historical forces at work that allowed the Spaniards to cross the ocean and conquer a great empire, instead of the Incan king, Atahualpa, sailing to Spain and conquering the Spanish? The subsequent chapters endeavor to answer the question and explain why some societies possessed certain advantages while others did not. The explanations are so fascinating and insightful that I had the feeling of emerging from Plato's cave. My shackles were broken and my historical blinders removed!
Post Script
After reading Diamond's book, I was never able to sing the chorus to Warren Zevon's "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" the same way again. Sing along while you watch the video below. But, every time you get to the refrain, substitute the lyric: "Send guns, germs, and steel."
Now Playing...
5 comments:
Sounds like an interesting book. I'm all for anything that makes you feel like you've emerged from Plato's cave.
An interesting side effect of this post is that it reminded me that I'm a huge Warren Zevon fan, I'll be dusting off the old CDs today.
I know exactly what you mean. Every so often, I am reminded of my Warren Zevon fandom, as well.
Remember the time we saw Bob Dylan in concert and he covered Zevon's "Accidentally Like A Martyr?" The title was a great homage to Bob. Any time a song title begins with an adverb, it is characteristically a Dylan song title, for example: "Positively 4th Street," Obviously 5 Believers," ect.
Promise me you will sing the alternate chorus to "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" at least once.
For you, twice.
I remember that the first time I read this book that I didn't really like Diamond's style. I thought he was a little repetitive. However, on second reading, it actually made more sense and I realize that it's one of those books that has redefined my world view. Everyone should read it. (And who else but you would recognize that adverb pattern with Dylan? You're scary!)
Thank you Ms. Nomy! Adverbs and Dylan seem to go together, like singin' in the rain (lol). Diamonds book is one of those amazing texts that seem to come around once or twice in a century. It seems to me that the man's writing is truly inspired by God. After a century full of historical revisionism and disinformation it's truly refreshing to find a writer, a new kind of historian really, that backs up his creative world view with facts using a genuinely interdisciplinary approach. I really appreciate your comments.
Post a Comment