Ever have one of those days/weeks/months that just seems...off...somehow? That is what today was like. I got up, went to work, swam 1700 yards, went to class, came home, slept for 3+ hours, woke up and watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (one of my favorites) and now I'm just sitting looking blankly at the computer screen as it nears 10PM.
Part of it has to do with some papers for class that I've been procrastinating - one on comparing paleoindian cultures in North and South America, and the other on a book titled The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond. Both are actually very interesting, but it just adds to my mood...now if I can just figure out what my mood is...
Speaking of Jared Diamond, he has become one of my favorite non-fiction authors lately. Three of his books in particular have really caught my attention and I just love the way he writes.
The Third Chimpanzee
Guns, Germs, and Steel
and Collapse: How Societies Choose to Succeed or Fail
All three are excellent books on human behavior/culture. Makes me wish I had time to write a book myself.
Being an account of a man struggling through mortality - and all that implies.
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3 comments:
which one did ou like the best and I'll see if I can get it from the library?
All three are closely related and all very good. It just depends on what you are in the mood for. The Third Chimpanzee is the oldest and touches upon all four areas of anthropology. It starts off with physical anthropology (evolution), then branches out at different times with cultural anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics. At the core, it tackles the mystery of what separates us humans from the rest of the animal world.
Guns, Germs, and Steel is is most well-known. It won a Pulitzer prize. It expands on an idea he brought up in his first book: How did European cultures come to dominate the modern world scene. Very interesting ideas as he does NOT delve into blatant racism to explain it all.
Collapse just came out this last year. It looks at the other side of cultures - why they don't last. He looks at them from an archeological perspective - he doesn't just make up stuff about why he thinks they are no longer around. A lot of environmental preaching in this one. Be that as it may, this is probably the best one as it deals more with the future course of humanity than the others.
I think all three are very accessible to read. Of course, I can't be certain as I HAVE spent the last two years studying this kind of stuff.
I'm having one of those days. I'll most likely have one tomorrow too. I'll probably blog about it somewhere this weekend.
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