Le spiegazioni delle differenze situazioni delle diverse nazioni nel mondo sono talmente diversificate e specifiche che sarebbe impossibile richiuderle tutte in questo libro. Ma fornisce un quadro generale, a grandi linee, assolutamente interessante.
Il motivo per cui ho preferito di pochissimo l'altro libro, ma per la quale mi assumo completamente la colpa, è che le spiegazioni soprattutto sull'allevamento e sull'agricoltura nelle diverse parti del mondo è davvero molto specifico e molto analizzato nei singoli dettagli e quindi... ogni tanto mi perdevo tra le minuzie. Ripeto, totalmente colpa mia e del mio limitato margine di attenzione. Cosa che non mi bloccherà dal leggere gli altri suoi libri e anche quelli di Harari, che del resto si conoscono e si stimano reciprocamente.
Jared Diamond
Armi, acciaio e malattie
Einaudi
Euro 14
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After Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, I can say that I want to read every single book that explain world history in a few pages and referring to the general framework. After the quarantine, this was the first book I bought once the bookstores reopened but I ended up reading the other book first. I must say that between these two, both very great and very interesting, I slightly prefer that of the Israeli historian. Now I explain why. Diamond explains the differences between the different corners of the world based on three simple points: weapons, steel and disease. Whoever has these three elements on their side (and a better resistance to the above) wins. Obviously it seems very simple and in fact Diamond's speech is much more complex, going from ecological, economic, geographical reasons... the book is really full of explanations of the reasons why, for example, Holland, a land with a geographical situations that did not seem to favor it, its per capite income is one hundred times greater than that of Zambia, which has better climatic conditions.
The explanations of the different situations of the different nations in the world are so diverse and specific that it would be impossible to cover them all in this book. But it provides an overall picture, broadly speaking, absolutely interesting.
The reason why I preferred the other book, but for which I completely take the blame, is that the explanations especially on livestock and agriculture in different parts of the world are very specific and very analyzed in individual details, and so... every now and then I got lost in the minutiae. Again, totally my fault and my limited attention span. This won't stop me from reading his other books and also those of Harari, these two, moreover, know and respect each other.
Jared Diamond
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
