Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive, Jared Diamond
In this book, from the same author as Guns, Germs, and Steel, Jared Diamond examines historical and modern societies and explains the many factors that can cause a society to collapse. Starting with case studies of societies like the Greenland Norse and Eastern Island and working his way up to more recent societal frailties in Rwanda and Haiti; Diamond consistently shows the commonalities of societies past and present. This book is interesting in terms of the history he shares, the anthropological analysis of the various societies, the scientific explanation of the sensitivity of ecosystems, and the critical look at patterns repeating in our rapidly globalizing world. I found this book extremely intriguing because of Diamond's ability to present an academic analysis by means of story telling. His work is both thought provoking and entertaining.