While he planned the book, Diamond at first thought that it would deal only with human impacts on the environment. Instead, what has emerged is arguably the most incisive study of senescing human civilizations ever written. … the fact that one of the world’s most original thinkers has chosen to pen this mammoth work when his career is at his apogee is itself a persuasive argument that Collapse must be taken seriously. It is probably the most important book you will ever read. … Tim Flannerty

Diamond’s distinction between social and biological survival is a critical one, because too often we blur the two, or assume that biological survival is contingent on the strength of our civilizational values… The fact is, though, that we can be law-abiding and peace-loving and tolerant and inventive and committed to freedom and true to our own values and still behave in ways that are biologically suicidal…. Malcolm Gladwell

Another said “Exhaustive and exhausting” It’s provocative and should provoke you into doing something.

Collapse – How Societies choose to Fail or Succeed,  Jared Diamond, 0-670-03337-5