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Title: too many words chasing too few thoughts
Review: The book's thesis is interesting and by and large persuasive -- humans migrating from the Fertile Crescent came to dominate the world because of dumb luck, not any innate racial superiority. Unfortunately, 90% (or more) of the content of this book would have fit in a Scientific American article. The incessant repetition and the clunky style made it a chore to read. If Diamond is merely synthesizing and popularizing scientific orthodoxy, he should have left it to a competent writer such as James Gleick or Richard Rhodes. If he is appealing over the heads of his peers to the public at large, he should be excommunicated.
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