First of all, Jared Diamond’s writing style from Guns, Germs and Steel to Collapse improved by about 200%. This time he didn’t write a textbook you have to wade through. Collapse is readable and enjoyable, despite (or maybe because of) being jam packed with complex information about sets of facts I was largely unfamiliar with. With this book, he has a story to tell and he manages to tell it.

I read this over a long period of time, the better to absorb it I think. I was impressed with so many things in it—the speed with which collapse often proceeds in an advanced society, the unbreakable tie between environmental degradation and political collapse, what induces a company (or a government, or a person) to be environmentally responsible.

I didn’t end up as hopeful as Diamond seems to be for our present social order. Ah, but what I anticipate is the next social order, and getting it rolling, with our present, everyday choices. I suppose I aspire to be a sort of Appalachian/New Guinea/Highlander.

A great follow-up to ‘Guns, Germs and Steel’, this book takes a really solid, straightforward look at issues (primarily environmental) that caused the downfall of past societies. This is interesting in and of itself, but the author really succeeds relating these collapses to issues we face today.

The second last chapter in the book is a great read in itself, describing the interplay between big business and the environment and describes how individuals can make a difference.