I just posted this review to the Amazon product page:
I don’t have the words to describe the value and significance of this book, I’ll let others do that. I just want to share one minor critique: at the end of the book Diamond gives some suggestions on what the average US citizen can do to improve humanity’s chances of surviving, and of not completely ruining our home. That’s a good idea and very important — one wants to take action after reading the book, but the whole problem does seem overwhelming — concrete suggestions are exactly what’s needed at that point.
However, Diamond makes a mistake which I’ve found to be nearly universal in recommendations of this nature: he provides too many options. At the end of his list, I’m still almost as overwhelmed as before. OK, sure, I could try to pick just one of his suggestions, but — which one? I find myself confused and conflicted — not where I want to be. Sure, anything is better than nothing, but I want my efforts to be effectual, not semi-random.
This actually connects very well to the next book I read: The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz, which is helping me understand why I’m having this difficulty (of choosing a course of action), and what I might be able to do to get past it.
Enjoy the book!
