Comments (13)

The World Until Yesterday

What Can We Learn From Traditional Societies?
What did you think about this title?
1 to 13 of 13 items
Dec 28, 2023bookfan_4 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I like being fit I have a 12 pack.obesity is bad.
Dec 17, 2020
N/A
Mar 06, 2014A_Traveler_Like_Jack rated this title 1.5 out of 5 stars
Not nearly as good as Collapse; and Guns, Germs, and Steel. I was disappointed. I think Jared Diamond has had his day in the sun and it was yesterday. I am glad I picked this up from the library and did not purchase it. True, it was well…
DonnaMeness
Feb 22, 2014
A better read would be Ishmael by Daniel Quinn... & Canada’s First Nations – A History of Founding Peoples from Earliest Times by Olive Dickason ( see below) in regards to the study of anthropology itself: Dara…
Feb 21, 2014stewstealth rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
This book is overly long for the meager comparisons and recommendations that the author suggests for modern societies ( at the same time acknowledging rural society in the Western world is close to Traditional social dynamics.) The author…
Jan 02, 2014Thai5357 rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
I'm not familiar with any of the controversies as mentioned in other comments. This book reminded me of a few of my Anthropology classes in college, so it didn't contain a lot of new facts for me. I think it's an interesting subject, and I…
Starling16
Dec 19, 2013
At first I liked this book but due to some commenters below, I'm now questioning it. Look online for controversies about the author.
Oct 31, 2013pablo rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Diamond is always a good read but this one is a bit heavy. Too many details weigh down the reading. The ideas at base are sometimes fascinating but a good editor could have improved this immensely.
Oct 03, 2013jmikesmith rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The writing is clear and precise and Diamond has clearly done a lot of research. The book is perhaps longer than it needs to be. Diamond knows the topic well and relates his personal experiences with New Guineans to great effect. But in…
May 07, 2013Stratified_nomad rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
While this book isn't as exceptional and comprehensive as Diamond's two previous books (Collapse; and Guns, Germs, and Steel), The World Until Yesterday is still a valuable, fair comparison of traditional (hunter/gatherer) and modern…
Feb 17, 2013StarGladiator rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
Negative rating due to lack of scholarship. (Yeah...yeah....yeah...I realize Diamond was awarded the Pulitzer, as other submediocrities from time to time are awarded it, but Diamond should stick with what he's best at, writing the…
Feb 17, 2013GummiGirl rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Somewhat uneven, but it does provide a glimpse of some traditional societies (particularly in New Guinea) and what they have to offer "modern" people. I found the chapters on war, justice and avoiding danger the most interesting. The ones…
Feb 06, 2013
This book is so misleading and racist that it compelled Papuan leaders to demand an apology from the author.