MELTDOWN! Second, Revised Edition : A Book of Real Solutions to Real Problems

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Top Reviews Most recent Top Reviews. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Though this book has a similar title to another book written by Brenda Smith Miles Asperger Syndrome and Difficult Moments this new book has a somewhat different slant. It is written with the idea that the underlying emotional dysregulation, based in brain differences, is key to understanding meltdowns.

Though the authors offer many of the same strategies as in the previous book, there are newer ones as well, geared to developing more positive behaviors, self-esteem and self-regulation for people with high functioning ASD. I recommend it highly and have used it with some of my own patients. Certainly gave me some new incite. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more about Amazon Giveaway.

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Amazon Rapids Fun stories for kids on the go. Amazon Restaurants Food delivery from local restaurants. ComiXology Thousands of Digital Comics. East Dane Designer Men's Fashion. Shopbop Designer Fashion Brands. Withoutabox Submit to Film Festivals. Needless to say, our own society's reluctance to invest more than a token amount of money in developing cheap solar power is different. The two cases are in no way comparable.

Australia is almost certainly the country where it would work best. Population density is very low, and there is abundant sunlight. The technology already exists to build cheap solar power stations. So why don't they do it? Apparently, building the power stations in desert areas isn't economically viable unless national resources are diverted to connect them to the national grid. But the powerful coal lobby hates the idea, and has blocked it at every turn. Neither left-wing nor right-wing politicians dare oppose them.

You often see individuals doing this kind of thing: It's interesting and remarkable that whole societies exhibit the same behavior. Tony Abbott is really doing everything he can to consolidate his position as the new Dubya. View all 68 comments. Jul 18, Lyn rated it it was amazing. Fascinating work by the same author who won a Pulitzer prize for Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. This exhaustive study in Malthusian economics as applied to several societies in history that have failed, such as the Easter Islanders and Greenland Norse, details the thematic traits common to each example.

His chapter on Easter Island made me think of Thor Heyerdahl's work there. Most notably is how deforestation and imprudent population control applies to modern societies in Fascinating work by the same author who won a Pulitzer prize for Guns, Germs, and Steel: Most notably is how deforestation and imprudent population control applies to modern societies in trouble as well. I find myself thinking about this work frequently, his ideas resonate with our times, mirroring as they do, and as he shows us, with failed societies of the past. Haunting and thought provoking and a damn fine book.

View all 8 comments. Jul 17, Kenghis Khan rated it liked it. The Pulitzer-prize winning "Guns, Germs and Steel" by this dude forever changed the way I look at history. And believe me, I am a history buff of sorts so this means a lot. Unfortunately, "Collapse" fails to measure up to that classic. The real problem with Collapse isn't the research that goes into the thesis, or even the soundness of the thesis itself though there are some qualms I have about how politically unstable Mongolia is or basing his analysis of cod fisheries on a single popular accun The Pulitzer-prize winning "Guns, Germs and Steel" by this dude forever changed the way I look at history.

The real problem with Collapse isn't the research that goes into the thesis, or even the soundness of the thesis itself though there are some qualms I have about how politically unstable Mongolia is or basing his analysis of cod fisheries on a single popular accunt. The central contention, that population explosion, interdependency, unsustainable harvest, adverse cultural values, and about 8 other factors contributed to a society's collapse, is innocuous enough, though admittedly somewhat vague.

For instance, his discussion of Viking Greenland v. Iceland is insightful but whether it warrants nearly pages in a page book I doubt. The same could be said of his discussion of modern Australia; China, in contrast, gets really short shrift. He goes at pain to explicate the archaeological evidence by which we understand the Anasazi collapse, but here too he gets a little repetitive and locquacious.

For instance, the logic behind dendrochronolgy and salinization were explained more than once to elucidate yet another nuance. Indeed, here Diamond the scientist persistently gets in the way of Diamond the popular writer.

Were it not for his stellar writing skills this would have been even more of a chore to read. Apart from the lack of effective editing, Collapse suffers from Diamond's penchant to almost bend over backward to point out that he is not engaged in a crude form of "Environmental determinism" whereby the significance of cultural and political events are misleadingly downplayed.

Nevertheless Diamond was sufficiently sensitive to this interpretation as well as eager to show that we can prevent environmental catastrophe that he repeats this ad nauseum and, IMHO, belabors this point to being beyond repetitive. The cumulative effect of all these shortcomings is that the book ends up presenting really rather very little that is new, argues persistently against straw man hypotheses, and is informative but almost in a trivial sense.

At odd dense pages this is a lot to ask of a reader, and it is a pity that this simply does not measure up to Diamond's earlier works. View all 7 comments.

Oct 05, Will Byrnes rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is a major work. Diamond looks in detail at the factors at play in the demise of civilizations in human history, using a wide range of examples. He offers a framework in which to structure the analysis and looks in great detail at possible and in many cases certain reasons why various societies collapsed. He is not a one-note analyst. All problems do not fit the same mold. There is considerable nuance and common sense brought to bear on this examination.

Foolishness plays a part, greed, c This is a major work. Foolishness plays a part, greed, corruption. But just as frequently, the actors behave rationally. Maybe they were unaware or could not possibly be aware of the larger implications of their actions. Maybe the land in which they lived was ill-suited to large numbers of humans. Maybe changes in climate made what seemed a reasonable place a death trap. Clearly an analysis of why societies failed in the past, with particular attention to environmental issues, has direct relevance to our world today.

For example, Polynesian islands that were dependant on resources from other islands collapsed when their import supply dried up. That has relevance to oil-dependant first world nations today, for example. Diamond goes out of his way to make a case that business is business and they are not in the business of performing charity or taking responsibility for the common weal. He does point out that some businesses have been instrumental in forcing improvements in producers. He cited Home Depot and BP among others, although I expect he might have second thoughts about the latter's net impact.

I found the book to be extremely eye-opening and informative. It was a long, slow read, but well worth the effort. It makes my short list of must read for anyone seriously interested in current affairs. I considered giving this book 4 instead of 5 stars simply because it can be over-dense in its detail and the style can be rather dry - but then I figured that says more about my stamina and laziness than about the quality of the book, so the book gets 5 and I get a 4 for effort. So despite the headline-grabbing title, the author Jared Diamond - a cross between an Amish garden gnome and avuncular Glastonbury festival supremo if you go by his picture - tries its darndest to avoid I considered giving this book 4 instead of 5 stars simply because it can be over-dense in its detail and the style can be rather dry - but then I figured that says more about my stamina and laziness than about the quality of the book, so the book gets 5 and I get a 4 for effort.

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So despite the headline-grabbing title, the author Jared Diamond - a cross between an Amish garden gnome and avuncular Glastonbury festival supremo if you go by his picture - tries its darndest to avoid sensationalism, and the author opts instead for what is sorely needed in the environmental debate: But don't let that put you off - once you put your brain into the right gear this book can be completely consuming and fascinating, and the message and lessons it gives are electrifying.

Diamond examines in turn a number of societies, ancient and modern, successful or unsuccessful, and forensically examines what were the factors in their collapse or survival before turning to our modern, global society to ask what lessons we can apply from those past cases to the predicament we face today.

We learn about the Easter Islanders about whom one of Diamond's pupils asked: He identifies common environmental problems which collapsed societies have tended to share deforestation and soil erosion as well as resource depletion cropping up again and again , as well as cultural factors such as systems of government and contact with other societies.

He cites some incredible studies such as the examination of ancient middens, of crystallised rodents' piss and of pond sediments to show how we can unravel the mysteries of some of these collapses by using the study of, for example, pollen in sediment or animal bones in middens to paint a vivid picture of climates, deforestation and diets at precise times in these societies' stories. It was this quite academic precision that gave me a quiet thrill and which gives this book its calm authority.

Diamond ends by looking at our modern global society and assessing its chances of overcoming the sheer number, breadth, scale and interconnectedness of the ecological problems facing us, and although he insists he is an optimist - and argues that our globalised society gives us advantages in finding solutions as well as giving us zero escape routes if we fail - by the time you finish reading, you feel that as a planet we've got a sheer cliff face to climb, and his optimism sounds a little disingenuous. But educating yourself to understand these issues is a necessary step to doing your bit, and this book will certainly arm you with the sobering facts.

If only the debate were always conducted in these civilised in the best sense of the word terms. Jan 20, Michael rated it liked it Shelves: The halfway point review: One question I've been wrestling with as I read, as I watch these societies move slightly past sustainability, as I read about societal collapse and the squandering of resources by the wealthy and then the inevitable cannibalism that always seems to show up in the last act, I keep asking myself how the environment became a "political issue.

Or else, how can they justify placing jobs, business interests, or anything else ahead of the environment in their values? Is it because environmental damage is such a gradual process? If so, we need to come up with some way to drive home the importance of creating a sustainable way of living. Politicians hedging around environmental issues--while placing these issues on the same level of importance as gays in the military--is clearly not getting us anywhere.

Literature on the dangers of global warming and about the human effects on the environment isn't going to get the point across to those who willfully avoid learning about the topic. Does the environmental movement need more advertisements? I hate asking rhetorical questions, even if my goal is to generate conversation, so my hypothesis, without any evidence to support it, is YES: If we are going to keep the global society from reaching the point of some real collapse, we need to change the rhetoric with which we talk about the "environment.

The way we abstractly think of "the environment" makes this separation of humans from their environment easier. We need rhetoric that makes it clear that when we speak of "the environment," what we are really concerned with is the continued ability for humanity to survive on this planet. What we're talking about isn't separate from people, physically or ethically. I'll end my halfway point review by bringing up the personal guilt that reading these pages has reawakened in me. Reading about the way the Easter Islanders squandered resources building the tremendous statues and headpieces for the glorification of rich people has reminded me of my own complicity.

I've always thought of myself as an environmentalist: I take the light-rail whenever possible, recycle, eat with an awareness of where my food comes from. But, even as someone passionate about the environment, I've spent several years working at a bank. I've spent my time too focused on my own education to dedicate much time to preservation…which is what I'm complaining about others doing. What have I truly done to rebel against a society that places greed and opulence above sustainability?

I've found ways to reduce the damage that I inflict, but I have done nothing to challenge my society's destructive way of being. So, what right do I have to climb up on my soap-box? View all 11 comments. Jul 03, Ryan rated it really liked it. In Collapse , Jared Diamond draws our attention to the following problems, which have "plagued" humanity throughout history. Deforestation and loss of habitat 2.

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Water management problems 6. Increased per capita impact of people 8. Impact of non-native species And now we face four more: Human-caused climate change The build up toxic waste We're approaching the limits of the Earth's photosynthetic capacity Energy shortages In Collapse , Jared Diamond draws our attention to the following problems, which have "plagued" humanity throughout history. Energy shortages There are societies that failed to resolve these problems and they collapsed because of it. Perhaps the best example of this is Diamond's discussion of the isolated Polynesians on Easter Island.

They used all of their trees, which led to soil erosion, which led to food shortages, which led to cannibalism. We now live in a "globalized world," but perhaps we should say that we're finally realizing that we live on an island. It seems that we have yet to realize the demands we make on our island. Is this a bad time to point out that NASA, which apparently costs less per year than the American military spends per year on air conditioning, retired its fleet this week? I wish that I could just knock off one or two of those problems from Diamond's list, but I can't.

Many of them are linked, so if we fail to respond to one, we fail to respond to several. At other times, we lean too hard on solving one problem and end up causing new problems. For example, many forests Diamond refers to Montana, but I've read about this dynamic elsewhere have been developed as cottage areas, so we do not allow fires or any logging. The buildup of old forest and underbrush makes for a tinderbox, which means that when fires do happen, they are massive. And putting them out is not free, either. How do you gather political will to deal with a problem like this?

We could try to log sustainably and selectively, but what company can we trust to log in such a way? Sure, many companies will claim to do good, but we've been tricked before, haven't we? So the environmentalists are out. The cottage owners are certainly not going to recommend logging or allowing fires of any sort to threaten their investments. So basically, every stakeholder is stuck. Diamond quickly moves on from Montana and illustrates the role of ecological problems in societal collapses by comparing past societies that collapsed as opposed to declined throughout history. In each case, he methodically outlines how these societies destroyed themselves by failing to resolve ecological problems.

It's pretty convincing, if you need convincing. I think there is a common concern for the environment. I'm not even 30, so perhaps I can't speak with a great deal of authority on the subject, but it feels to me that North America is obsessed with post-apocalyptic settings right now. If there is a "spirit" of a society that is translated in its literature, then I think it's safe to say that the bearded guy holding a "the end is nigh" sign is finally getting the mainstream audience he dreamed of.

It seems to me the real problem is that it is very difficult to minimize our impact on the environment. We can call upon America to lead the way, but they can't even manage their debt. In fact, the societies that Diamond relies on to illustrate that it is possible to limit deforestation, tend to be autocratic though so were the societies that Diamond relies on to illustrate failure. Now, some NGOs have set up certification procedures that identify wood that was harvested sustainably, but other corporate commissions have set up their own certification bodies to confuse consumers. Nevertheless, Diamond outlines reasons to be cautiously optimistic before concluding.

Unfortunately, this may have been the least convincing part of Collapse. Now I feel like the world always has been ending.

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

It's just that until recently, humanity could only end one specific part of it at any given time. Now we're a global society. View all 4 comments. Guns, Germs and Steel occasionally felt like monday morning quarterbacking, but Collapse is superb. The argument was not airtight - his notion of what constit Guns, Germs and Steel occasionally felt like monday morning quarterbacking, but Collapse is superb. The argument was not airtight - his notion of what constitutes a reasonable amount of time to spend on gathering food could use a little sharpening, and he didn't approach work as part and parcel of culture, which it most certainly is.

The author is breathtakingly impartial, sometimes to a fault; he laconically remarks, for example, that "George W. Bush remains unconvinced of the reality of global warming. You can buy all the long-line-caught Chilean sea bass you want, and eat organic lettuce all day, and still have an awful impact on the environment because the soil in which the lettuce grows is a limited resource, as are the fisheries that produce the fish you buy, which also suffer from land degradation.

Diamond thinks that a lot of the resources we rely on have been made artificially cheap through subsidies and foolish government management of limited resources. He's right, but there is a conflict between egalitarianism and environmentalism lurking between the pages of this book: I don't think you can charge the right amount for energy or food or other essentials without further immiserating the poor.

That's the unmet challenge of the environmental movement, the one this and most books on the subject dodge. Despite that, I'd wholeheartedly recommend Collapse for its details on everyday life in Norse Greenland and Easter Island alone, not just for the nuanced analysis. View all 3 comments.

May 22, Sebastien rated it really liked it. This is an exhaustive and exhausting read. Still, I thought it was very good, the historical examples of collapse and also the examples of societies that successfully changed to avoid disaster were interesting. I remember reading This is an exhaustive and exhausting read.

I remember reading Guns, Germs, Steel and while I enjoyed it Diamond's geographical determinism was tiresome and I suspect overplayed. In this book he focuses on environmental stresses and issues playing a role in collapsing societies. My impression is anthropologists really seem to have an ax to grind with Diamond.

Given the interwoven nature of the global economy, intricate complexity of our systems, and rates of environmental destruction and pressures we are applying on environment Diamond readily admits we are facing huge, potentially civilization changing downshifts. Grave risks, weakness or breakdown in one part of the global system can reverberate throughout.

I was a bit surprised by that tbh, maybe I was struck by the nonchalance of his optimism especially given his devastating analysis of what we are facing. There were some great sections. This includes people who have magical belief in deux ex machina future tech that will come save us from problems we have or are causing. I do think tech and innovation can be tools to help us, but they all have various externalities and can cause new problems of their own, plus in regards to environment, since the systems are all so interconnected you destroy or damage one aspect it can lead to a grand cascade.

At that point tech can maybe help minimize issues but it is hard impossible? Good luck putting the genie back in the bottle, some changes are irrevocable 6th extinction underway is a good example, even the destruction of what can seem an innocuous tiny microorgamisn can completely change the ecosystem with implications for species in that system.

Diamond also points out another argument people use to justify environmental destruction: The economy is driven by the environment! Happens again and again. And it's not simple, I understand the tension in this dynamic because if you are hungry today you need to do whatever it is you can to put food on the table and sometimes that includes destroying the environment which will have long term implications, but if you are hungry and desperate you don't have as much luxury to think about or emphasize the long term.

I think it annoys me, lol. He also very much emphasizes consumer ability to exert pressure on companies to shift to more environmentally friendly habits. I believe this is a good tactic but can also be limited not to mention not all consumers have luxury to shift to more environmentally friendly consumption nor the luxury of time to research and learn what those options might be. Ultimately I am of the belief one has to reform the systems we are operating in, this includes reforming how corporations operate instead of monolithic submission to shareholders I believe in a multi-foundational mission for corporations where community, workers, management, shareholders are all taken into consideration.

The concept of sustainable living might be a high priority for me but it is very hard given the way the system is set up, I still generate a massive amount of trash and use tons of energy… this is not to sidestep accountability, because I should be held accountable and I can do better and many things I can do This was my favorite quote from the book and I think it is very good and can be applied to how blinded our thinking can be, including my own: Diamond touches on this concept and it is pertinent to many problems: This quote is more about the insulation of elites on the consumption side of things, but the extraction production side is important imo and I was glad to see Diamond explore that problem: That's increasingly the case in Los Angeles where I come from.

So that wealthy people in much of the world are insulated from the consequences of their actions. Feb 10, Felicia rated it really liked it Shelves: So I was in Belize for the holiday and became fascinated with all the Mayan ruins I visited. I had been to Copan in Honduras years ago, but was reminded of the great glory of this civilization, and the controversial collapse that happened to disperse people from these great structures around AD.

I love Guns Germs and Steel more than anything, it changed how I look at history and people and society, so I dug into this one, particularly the Mayan part, with great excitement. And it doesn't disa So I was in Belize for the holiday and became fascinated with all the Mayan ruins I visited.

And it doesn't disappoint. A lot of this book is clearly set up to support the author's argument, that it is the roll of the dice of how delicate the ecology is where societies set up shop, and how the societies treated them that causes collapse. Basically an extension of Guns Germs and Steel. This puts a stark face on how we should and need to consider dealing with the environment cards we're dealt though. Nothing is more tragic than the Easter Island chapter, it is breathtaking the research and evidence that proves why they disappeared, and tragic if you think about it in the context of our earth, from which we really cannot escape, same as the Easter Islanders.

If you are an environmentalist or not, there are thought provoking ideas and statistics here that put a concrete face to a cause that has become an emotional and numbing topic. This is NOT a book trying to convince you to care about the environment, it's a survey of lost civilizations and how they collapsed. The awareness for me was a byproduct, and fascinating in its own right. Oct 29, Charlie George rated it it was amazing Shelves: I am re-reading this after not quite 2 years. I have come to regard this book as the best non-fiction I've had the pleasure of reading, and recommend it emphatically if you have an interest in any of the subjects in which I have it categorized on my shelves.

Diamond's Pulitzer-winning Guns, Germs and Steel. Collapse bridges the gap between anthropology and environmentalism, and critically connects each with our own welfare, both collectively and a [ Update: Collapse bridges the gap between anthropology and environmentalism, and critically connects each with our own welfare, both collectively and as individuals. Diamond rightly takes to task environmental attitudes that appear to mindlessly value endangered birds or coral reefs above people's interests or livelihood.

That said, he also clarifies which aspects of the environment we should care about and why. He tallies dollars cost and lives lost. He illustrates in example after well-documented example the consequences for societies disregarding their resource base or destructive practices. He repeatedly and explicitly asks the question: If he wants those children not to struggle with poverty and a declining society and standard of living, he should further care about many other aspects of the environment. To that we add a host of other common problems that can and must be solved, including habitat loss, water management and pollution, greenhouse gasses, resource over-exploitation, and energy supply.

Diamond goes deeper than simply blaming corporations for their destructive practices. He examines the policies and economic realities that drive corporations in polluting industries like mining to behave as they do, or the pressures they face. The fact is, in a market economy, where profit is the motive, successful companies will pollute to the full extent that our laws and attitudes allow.

My views may seem to ignore a moral imperative that businesses should follow virtuous principles, whether or not it is most profitable for them to do so. Instead I prefer to recognize that Although I only gave this book three stars, I can recommend it a little bit over that. Some very intriguing parts were the stories of collapse of vanished societies, as many have noted Although I only gave this book three stars, I can recommend it a little bit over that.

Some very intriguing parts were the stories of collapse of vanished societies, as many have noted in other reviews. The chapter on modern Australia was also quite eye-opening. It will certainly have a major impact on California, too. Perhaps my favorite portion of the book were Chapters 14 and 15, in which Diamond explores societal responses to these threats. I suspect a professional Decision Theorist might scoff at the oversimplification and lacunae of his explanation, but Diamond can place it in a riveting real-world context that cements how a careful analysis can help us understand such twisted and paradoxical situations.

In this I am reminded of the fascinating classic Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis. This chapter allowed him to answer a question he was asked by a student: Diamond contrasts the very different environmental impact of two oil fields, and continues with the particular problems of hardrock mining, coal mining, logging and fisheries.

See a Problem?

His inquiry into why some corporations and industries are are more amenable to social pressure casts a minor hopeful note into the symphony of despair. There are a few complaints that need to be aired. First, Diamond could really use a forceful editor with an eye towards clarity. The professor is very prolix, with a pedantic tendency to repeat himself.

For example, every time Diamond referred to palynology, he felt compelled to explain it again.

Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It

In such a large book which undoubtedly took many years to compose, this is understandable — but not in the final draft. Perhaps asking him to be succinct is asking too much, but it would be nice to nudge him in that direction. Finally, the book starts out on a weak note in Montana.

It would have been best left to personalize and clarify a concluding chapter, perhaps, although the chapter on Australia did a more than adequate job of showing how pressing the threats of collapse can be in a modern first-world society. View all 10 comments. Jun 28, Helga Mohammed el-Salami rated it did not like it.

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