Upheaval

Turning Points for Nations in Crisis

By: Jared Diamond

Narrated by: Henry Strozier

Length: 18 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

A brilliant new theory of how and why some nations recover from trauma and others don't, by the author of the landmark best sellers Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse. 

In his earlier best sellers Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond transformed our understanding of what makes civilizations rise and fall. Now, in the final audiobook in this monumental trilogy, he reveals how successful nations recover from crisis through selective change - a coping mechanism more commonly associated with personal trauma. 

In a dazzling comparative study, Diamond shows us how seven countries have survived defining upheavals in the recent past - from US Commodore Perry's arrival in Japan to the Soviet invasion of Finland to Pinochet's regime in Chile - through a process of painful self-appraisal and adaptation, and he identifies patterns in the way that these distinct nations recovered from calamity. Looking ahead to the future, he investigates whether the US and the world are squandering their natural advantages on a path toward political conflict and decline. Or can we still learn from the lessons of the past? 

Adding a psychological dimension to the awe-inspiring grasp of history, geography, economics, and anthropology that marks all Diamond's work, Upheaval reveals how both nations and individuals can become more resilient. The result is an audiobook that is epic, urgent, and groundbreaking.

©2019 Jared Diamond (P)2019 Recorded Books

Sounds too simplistic basic.

It is astonishing how ignorant the world leaders are. We, the people, we put them there and follow them. Some of these leaders, I would not hire them as employees because they would cause calamitous low moral/trust yielding non productive working environment. With the prism of an learnt man in his 80s, Jared Diamond, in this this book, is shedding light today's populist movements and their soundbite messages, ignorant leaders and their followers who pay the price sometime with their lives.

Diamond’s analysis countries that he knows well:
Finland,
Chile,
Indonesia,
Japan,
Germany
Australia and
The USA

He explains how these countries have coped with crises, is shot through with reflections on the fragility of democracy. It explores the crucial condition of taking responsibility (without scapegoating), honest national self-appraisal, a willingness to learn from other nations and a capacity to compromise, sometimes, indeed, to swallow the unpleasant truth.

A must read

Disappointed

I loved his first book, but this was disappointing. At times, it seemed a little like a travel log chatting about his trips and friends. His evidence was sparse except for "my friend told me......" His treatment of Chile seemed to be somewhat apologetic and blaming of Allende for Pinochet. His explanation of terrorism to be based on headline news without looking into its local aspects that most terrorism in America is from the radical right. I am not sure he even offered a definition or discussed state terrorism against the people.

Thought-provoking lessons from the past!

This thought-provoking narrative comparative analyses of how 7 diverse countries have addressed crisis, both successfully and otherwise. Many lessons can and should be applied to help us address some of the huge challenges we face now and into the future. I wish our current and future leaders were required to study and learn lessons from the past!

Listen to your adversaries!

No, really listen—not necessarily to abandon your position and adopt theirs, but to understand their perspective (whether flawed or not) and so increase your ability to communicate productively with them. This is the take away from Jared Diamond's description of the experience of Finland, which stood against the Soviet Union alone with no help from the West. Communicating with the Soviet Union was a matter of survival for Finland, and their approach to that situation is instructive.

In addition to Finland, the other of the six countries that were profiled are Japan, Chile, Indonesia, Germany, and Australia—plus the United States as an additional case that cannot be ignored. Each of these countries faced external threats and internal turmoil, their responses to which sometimes resulted in inordinate suffering and death. Exceptions such as Willy Brandt's abject apology for Nazi atrocities stand out against counter examples such as Japan's refusal to do the same and Augusto Pinochet's regime of torture.

Fully non-judgmental throughout, Diamond lets the facts of these countries' experiences point the way toward sound policy for all countries. The book ends with an assessment of the challenges facing the world on a global scale. Two examples among several are the life threatening results of climate change and the very real potential for nuclear war ignited by any number of those countries that are so armed.

Diamond refuses to postulate that we are doomed. Instead he suggests that the polarized parts of society must seek peace with each other—that talking with and listening to one's adversaries is not the same as surrender and capitulation. It would be irresponsible to abandon the possibility of reconciliation—even while pursuing one's just causes to the utmost.

Better than the NYTimes Review led me to believe

Despite a devastating NYTimes review, this book is pretty good. It starts out very slowly. I am a huge fan of Diamond's scientific work and his early books, despite the severe criticism of "Guns, Germs and Steel" by one of my anthropologist colleagues. However, I could have done without hearing about Diamond's personal crises with his graduate gall bladder research and his first marriage. When he got to the heart of the book, he was very interesting. I didn't know much about Finland nor Indonesia, but those sections were superb. The sections on Germany and Japan were less interesting. Like the critical NY Times reviewer, I wasn't convinced that psychological self help guides for people provided much of a framework for analyzing crises in countries. I enjoyed his descriptions of countries, despite the references back to the 12 or whatever items in the pyschologist's checklists for dealing with personal crises.

More opinions than anything else, very subjective.

Options, factual inaccuracies and dubious conclusions make this a difficult book to get through. The author portrays personal conclusions as absolute fact to the reader in a manner that comes across like a college lecture.
While it is an interesting premise, Diamond does not end up making a compelling argument.

Terrible narration, buying it in paper instead

I have never had trouble reading Jared Diamond 's books. This one, has put me to sleep several times already. The narrator is incredibly boring and monotone. Terrible,that Diamond's excellent material gets distorted like this.

Great on History, poor on science

Diamond has an interesting and thoughtful way of looking at societal evolution that is very worthy of consideration. He missed a few details like the expulsion of all Dutch-Indonesians after WWII. Some of my extended family were actually kept in the Japanese Concentration camps by the Americans and not released until after Indonesia had elected a government. Then they were released and expelled. Racial purity you know.
The real problem is that Mr. Diamond does not know science very well and parrots the Green movement ideas. Example: he talks about the Floro hydrocarbons causing the ozone hole - something debunked by science. Most of the civilization of the world lives in the northern hemisphere, and an even larger amount of the wealthy who able to afford air conditioning and refrigeration. Yet the northern Ozone hole remained small during all the excitement and the southern hole was very large. The air masses do not mix well between north and south, so if Florine was a problem, we would expect it to attach the northerner Ozone hole, which it didn't.
The second glaring error was his statement that we have a shortage of rare earths because they all come from China. No, they don't. China has about 20% of the earth's rare earths. But through regulation and influence buying the USA and Europe don't refine the rare earths they mine. Rare earth is commonly found with Thorium which is slightly radioactive just like raw uranium is. We can mine and process Uranium, but we are not allowed to process rare earths, only China does. We ship our rare earths to China for processing. One company in the US is applying for permits but spreading a little campaign money around by China will slow or stop that process. BTW legally we must process our own RE because our laws forbid us from being dependent on a foreign power for critical supplies. Exempted from that law is England and Candida and probably Australia who are trusted allies.
He is very right that we have to get better at maintaining natural resources. But on the energy problem he doesn’t follow his own learning. He wants first world nations to step back from being first world so that there will be resources enough for the third world. If he would follow the history of energy he would realize that it will be solved. He wrongly compares the US with Europe gasoline usage where density has made public transport practical. Again, he doesn’t realize that liquid fuel will be manufactured from water and hydrocarbons in the future when energy is abundant. It is that lack of science knowledge again.
As for his parroting of the usual Greenhouse gas theory of dangerous rising sea levels, well every prediction for the last 75 years has failed to materialize. Yes, the Eastern coastline is sinking and the western coastline rising. It is called subduction. So, something is wrong with that "science." It would be better for Diamond to stick with what he knows rather than lower his great reputation with social change by wandering into things he doesn't.

Very good but somewhat dry sociological study

The material ia very interesting albeit presented a bit dryly. For some reason it lacks the energy of Guns, Germs and Steel, one of his earlier qrotongs. The reading was so slow and down right boring I put the speed at 110% which helped significantly. Still I recommend the book for the information and analysis it presents.

How appropriate!

A must read for anyone interested in where we are today politically, how we got here and possible solutions. A brilliant book.