Upheaval

In his previous bestselling books, Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond reshaped our understanding of the rise and fall of civilizations. Now, in the final installment of his monumental trilogy, he explores the concept of successful nations recovering from crisis through selective change - a coping mechanism typically associated with personal trauma.

Through a comparative study of seven countries that have overcome defining upheavals in recent history - from Commodore Perry’s arrival in Japan to the Soviet invasion of Finland to Pinochet’s regime in Chile - Diamond illuminates the process of painful self-appraisal and adaptation that allowed these nations to recover from calamity. He identifies patterns in the way that these diverse nations have recuperated. Looking ahead to an uncertain future, he investigates whether the United States, and humanity as a whole, is wasting its natural advantages and is headed down the path of political conflict and decline. Alternatively, could we still learn from the lessons of the past?

Adding a unique psychological dimension to his awe-inspiring grasp of history, geography, economics, and anthropology which mark all Diamond’s work, Upheaval analyzes how both nations and individuals can become more resilient. The result is a groundbreaking and urgent book that is truly epic.

作者简介

JaredDiamond,anotedpolymath,isProfessorofGeographyattheUniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles.AmonghismanyawardsaretheU.S.NationalMedalofScience,Japan’sCosmosPrize,aMacArthurFoundationFellowship,aPulitzerPrizeforGeneralNonfiction,andelectiontotheU.S.NationalAcademyofSciences.Heistheauthoroftheinternationalbest-sellingbooksGun...