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Upheaval
Upheaval: How Nations Cope with Crisis and Change | Jared Diamond
23 posts | 6 read | 19 to read
'A riveting and illuminating tour of how nations deal with crises - which might hopefully help humanity as a whole deal with our present global crisis' Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens In his landmark international bestsellers Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond transformed our understanding of what makes civilizations rise and fall. Now, at a time when crises are erupting around the world, he reveals what makes certain nations resilient in the face of tremendous upheaval. In a riveting journey into the recent past, he traces how six countries have survived defining catastrophes - from the forced opening of Japan to the Soviet invasion of Finland to Chile's brutal Pinochet regime - through selective change, a coping mechanism more commonly associated with personal trauma. He identifies unique patterns in the way that these distinctive modern nations - all countries in which he has lived - have recovered from these upheavals. Looking ahead to the gravest threats we face in the future, he investigates the risk that the United States, and the world, are squandering their natural advantages and are on a devastating path towards catastrophe. Is this fate inevitable? Or can we still learn from the lessons of the past? Adding a psychological dimension to the in-depth history, geography, biology, and anthropology that mark all of Diamond's books, Upheaval reveals the factors that influence how both nations and individuals can respond to enormous challenges. The result is a book epic in scope, but also his most personal yet.
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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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Blueberry Jared Diamond 💙 3y
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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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keithmalek

All schoolteachers in South Korea, Singapore, and Finland come from the top third of their school classes, but nearly half of American teachers come from the bottom third of their classes.

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keithmalek
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papertimemachines That is shocking. 3y
Libby1 This is hard to fathom. 3y
Suet624 damn! 3y
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keithmalek
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Megabooks
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Mehso-so

Just because a publisher is willing to print 500 pages doesn‘t mean you have to write that many. The former copy editor in me was driven nuts by the large number of redundancies.

However, Diamond does present an interesting framework for looking at historical crises in Finland, Japan, Chile, #Indonesia, Germany, and Australia. I learned a lot about the histories of these countries, but I think only bits and pieces will stick. ⬇️

Megabooks ⬆️ He then used applied this framework to current issues in Japan and the US. I switched between my #botm copy and a Libby #audiobook. Both were fine, but I wish he had just stuck with the historical crises and made it a 350 page book, but I definitely learned new things. #readingasia2021 #indonesia @BarbaraBB @Librarybelle #botmbacklist @TheAromaofBooks this is my actual #bookspin! (edited) 3y
Megabooks First book #24in48 and I already messed up my timer!! 😂😂 3y
rockpools That made me laugh - the first sentence is SO true!! 3y
See All 10 Comments
BarbaraBB It sounds like studying instead of reading for pleasure. I‘m impressed! 3y
Megabooks @rockpools it is!! There are so many books I want to trim. Maybe I should‘ve stuck with that after college. 🤔🤔 3y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB Thanks! I actually adore learning things from books. Much more nuanced than TV. Right now I‘m listening to a book on STDs. 🤪🤭 3y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
BarbaraBB That is absolutely right, about tv. Especially when the subject is STDs 🤣 3y
Megabooks @BarbaraBB yeah, no too popular a topic on tv...😂😂 3y
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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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Leftcoastzen Wouldn‘t that be lovely! When I look at all the money in U.S. elections ,I always think how many problems it could solve spent somewhere else. 3y
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keithmalek
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keithmalek
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Cosmos_Moon
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Pickpick

Finished this audiobook last night while doing a new national parks puzzle. As usual, Diamond provides provocative thought for the ways of the world, society & human survival. An interesting read with my concurrent read of The Book of Strange New Things. Fantastically terrifying overlapping themes. I‘ll probably end up purchasing this book as a reference, although I know it would be an arduous read, as JD‘s works are technical & thorough analyses.

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Cosmos_Moon
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“At one or more times during our lives, most of us undergo a personal upheaval or crisis, which may or may not get resolved successfully through our making personal changes.”

Another good one by Jared Diamond. I read Collapse many years ago and both insightful on policy, world geography and anthropology. This one also touches on the personal.

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

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keithmalek
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Currently reading. I was going to put this one off for a while, but now that we're in the middle of a pandemic, this one seems appropriate. Of course, I don't need to read this book, because I already know that we're not going to be okay--at least not until we get a grown-up in the White House.

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valeriegeary
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So this week was meh. I read a lot but most was so-so. Finished GIVE ME YOUR HAND Megan Abbot & story collection SUICIDE WOODS Benjamin Percy. Both were twisty & dark but not my favs. I'm going to bail on the tagged book bc it's not what I'm looking for--though I did read 140 pgs & found it to be pretty interesting. Read a picture book re: the Dust Bowl which was 👍. Finally, halfway through TRUE GRIT & loving it! Can't resist Xmas chocolate! 😆

Cinfhen Im all in for holiday chocolate 🍫 and I LOVED 4y
valeriegeary @Cinfhen I finished True Grit last night! What an adventure! I had watched the movie with Jeff Bridges a long time ago but had forgotten most of it. 4y
Cinfhen Maddie is THE BEST 4y
valeriegeary @Cinfhen though I will admit to wanting to throw the book when Rooster runs Little Blackie to death at the end. Whhhhy???! 😭😭😭 4y
47 likes5 comments
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valeriegeary
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Not much reading done today. A little over b-fast but then I did yoga, grocery shopping, & attended a book event where I read from one of my short stories!

#weeklyforecast is tricky bc for the 1st time in a long time I'm reading more than 1 book. Almost done w/Abbot's novel & also want to finish Percy's short story collection. The tagged book needs to be back at the library in 3 weeks so I've split it up & hope to finish section 1 this week. 🤞

Cinfhen I love that idea 💡 3 parts/3weeks for your library hold 😁and yay libraries 4y
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Pricel101
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Hundreds of books were donated to our #blinddatewithabook coffee house! It was tons of work wrapping them up but so fun to see what people chose and the big reveal inside! 📖💜📚

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catiewithac
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Pickpick

I honestly couldn‘t put this book down! Don‘t let its size stop you: Jared Diamond is a compelling writer. The bulk of the book consists of 6 national case studies (so it feels like 6 mini books that are each very interesting). The final portion of the book concerns the USA and the world. Reading this must add some intelligence points‼️ #botm

Hooked_on_books He‘s fabulous. I‘ve read a couple of his books and would read anything from him. 5y
saresmoore Sounds fascinating! 5y
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catiewithac
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My #botm order arrived today. 2 chunsters!!! The prologue and first chapter of Upheaval were a bit dry, but the later chapters are highly readable! I think this is going to be a very good book 📚🤓

LauraJ Both look fascinating. 5y
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underground_bks
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Pickpick

In this follow-up to Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond shows how nations have overcome crises through methods individuals often practice. Through historical study and examination of current crises, Diamond reveals how certain factors like honest self-appraisal can help predict resilience. This is a fascinating and informative read that gave me a new perspective on the crises facing our country and our world today.

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