Rating: 
Summary: Engrossing, but read with caution
Review: This book is the propagation of what I like to call the granola theory. Diamond's book reads like a treatise, hand-picking facts to suit his needs, leaping to un-obvious conclusions from the simplest data and ending with grandiose pronouncements. You won't find any mention of an opposing theory or even a trace of doubt about his own. I would love if someone would scientifically prove the equality of "races", but this theory has too many holes in it to be considered a valid analysis. Despite the poor science, it is still well worth reading if you are interested in pre-history and civilizations never discussed in World History class.
Rating: 
Summary: Geography, Competition, and Evolution
Review: Diamond argues persuasively and backs up his arguments thoroughly - almost too thoroughly. My only complaint about the book is that it perhaps gets a bit too repetitive; as he applies his theory to example after example you reach the point where you can predict what he's going to say for the next 10 pages or so.
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Summary: Best presentation of cultural evolution
Review: This will be a defining work. It is a superb answer to the "why" of history. I enjoyed the book very much and continue to recommend it to friends and other readers.
Rating:
Summary: Rare stuff
Review: The introduction of this book starts in a questionable manner (the author - subjectively - claims the new-guineans are smarter than westerners!).The rest of the book more than makes up for it. Diamond has done an enormous amount of data gathering and analysis. In my opinion, he's done a great service to mankind (and people like me). The stuff you will find in this book is of universal interest (in my opinion), but very hard to classify and hence tough to find in one place. Could be compared to Godel Escher Bach (but maybe not in the same class as an intellectual effort). Kudos to him. Just btw: it won a Pulitzer too.
Rating:
Summary: Blatant Whitewashing of History
Review: Oh, there is no bad character, no deviation inherently wrong such as an entire society turning to cannibalism, and oh, there is no good character either, no blessed trait such as a love of book learning with the power to transform an entire society. No, there is only geography and the luck of the draw in regards to the temperament of your beasts or the usefulness of your plants.
There is no evolution, or any changes in the characteristics of the men who inhabit this simpleton's world, alas, and thus a certain validity of one reviewer's comments that, why not? A billion years ago?
There is no right, and there is no wrong, just the gray area that allows the rich to pick and choose the causes most profitable for them and the author to pick and choose the reasons most beneficial for their secret agenda, not plainly stated, be it then not secret, like duh.
If you look deeply enough perhaps you will see the destruction of our moral philosophy that lies in this denial of right and wrong. This denial of good or bad. This gray area that can be no other than the moral philosophy of some murderer or thief. And if you look even deeper, perhaps you will see the horror and degeneration of the modern world in this religion of gray area, heralded by a corrupt academia and their culture of hate, driven by their own special interests and not by those of man.
I am not some cultural racist, some white supremacist, these ideas of moral philosophy that I value so highly come not from northern Europe, but from Italy during the renaissance in the works of Michelangelo and Dante and from Israel during the time of Christ, and who knows perhaps from Egypt or Persia before then. I care not what race it is when I see goodness and not evil. And I care not what race it is when I see evilness and not good - such as when I see savage cannibalism abandoned for ritual cannibalism but a few years later in New Guinea.
What geographical boundary is it that prevented knowledge of the written word, which need pass only once? What demon is it that has blessed us with a world that, conveniently, has no responsibility beside that of the hills, the beasts, or the plants?
When every other reviewer strongly states that they now see how the world has progressed without regard to race, there can be no other implication then that either they thought this before, or more likely, that this is what they accuse someone else of thinking, this slander of others, this accusation of, dare I say a witch, this culture of hate. Do not turn your blind eye in that case: this book is about race, accusation and hatred and nothing other.
This book is not just wrong, no, I will say that it is evil.
Rating:
Summary: School Assignment for 10th Grader
Review: This book was a school assignment for me, and as a teenager with a vocabulary made up of slang, I was suprisingly able to understand this book and fulfill my all my curiosities about how and why the world developed the way it did. Jared Diamond wrote his book in a unique way: he asked the questions, and then went on the explain them. This made his point clear and understandable. Although Mr. Diamond covered numerous questions in each chapter, he thoroughly explained his answers and did not rush one to understand his logic. This is a great book with only 2 flaws: it requires 100% attentiveness, and it takes forever to read!! :-)
Rating:
Summary: The best work to date, but if taken with one grain of salt
Review: ... While Diamond does state that cultural biases affect the adoption of technologies, and that technologically advanced cultures conquer, destroy or out-breed less advanced, he does not draw the logical conclusion or illustrate and inform the reader as to the logical outcome of his studies: that while technology has followed the path of least geographical resistance, and that the distribution of plants and animals has greatly affected the cultural evolution of different peoples, the density of human populations, and the speed of transportation has eliminated the geographic resistances of the past, and that cultures who do not adopt technologies, including the conceptual technologies of medicine, rule of law, individual freedom and market capitalism will be dominated by those that do. And that if the leadership of any nation, truly loves and desires the best for it's people, it must adopt these more competitive technologies as fast as possible, so that their people can produce and consume "cargo", rather than be the victims of others who produce more. This book is yet another missed opportunity for a reasoned scholar to use empirical information to illustrate how those culturally backward societies that still dominate our planet can advance the quality of human life, and instead, by the accidentally malicious act of politically sanitizing his work, provides solace to those who would perpetuate the ignorance, mysticism, primitivism and fear of the pre-rational, dark age cultures struggling against a tide of commerce, prosperity and rationalism. While it is true that the present-day members of any culture are not responsible for their current status, they are indeed responsible for actions that intend to maintain that status, their culture, and their beliefs. Diamond rewards us with the detail and accuracy of his analysis, but errs by not drawing the conclusions that would help peoples of the world actually benefit from his work. Hopefully, Mr. Diamond will provide a ten-year anniversary edition that fixes this mistake. For these reasons, the book should indeed receive a lower rating by reviewers. However, if a reader keeps this weakness of Diamond's in mind, then the book provides an interesting study in human technological evolution, with a wealth of data, and conveyed through both excellent voice and compelling storytelling.
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Summary: Let me guess....
Review: Bill Roberts is a white supremacist? Would have been tough for a civilization to exist one billion year ago Bill, seeing as how humans have been on the scene for the smallest of fractions of that time. Not to mention that the shape of the continents themselves was very different than what we have now. Continental drift and all. Diamond goes out of his way to present a theory in which race plays no role. You are the one who injects race into his book where it is almost never mentioned. Simply because he mentions that non-white societies have some positive aspects does not mean he "loves non-whites."
Rating:
Summary: An excellent read for any history buff
Review: When given a list of options for a summer reading list for a European History course, I was very annoyed about my summer being ruined. One of the books I chose and ordered was Jared Diamond's award-winning book; I was very lucky to do so. It gives you an insightful view of the human history, and gives you an excellent explination of the reasons behind the advantages of cultures and civilizations around the world, and breaks the stereotypes behind cultural racism. Not to force you to read a lengthy review, if you love history mixed with light biology and sciences, I'd highly reccomend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Work of Interdisciplinary Synthesis
Review: Needless to say, no rational person who's read the book would even consider the validity of our sadly cranky and naive reviewer (Bill Roberts) above. Books that receive Pulitzer Prizes, as this one did, do so for a reason. Finally here is a wonderful interdisciplinary synthesis that puts it all together nicely. I am going to use this book as a text for my college Historical Geography course.
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