Thursday, January 15, 2015

1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created



1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created is one the most uniquely fascinating books I have read in a long time.  Well written and researched, Mann explains in great detail how the world after 1493 was shaped by the rapidly expanding reach of what we know call globalism.  After Columbus, there would no longer be isolated pockets of people, plants, or animals.  The era of homogenization, which we still live in, commenced.

Mann's major take away in this book is the interconnections of everything.  The movement of plants, animals, people, ideas, and technological, form a web.  When one part of the web tightens or snaps, it has ramifications across the globe.

This book explores those ramifications from an impressive array of disciplines: economics, demographics, the natural sciences (especially ecology and geology), political science, sociology, and history.

The end result is a book with a far reach.  When read with care and attention, it gives us, its readers, a better idea of how our complicated world works and how it got that way.

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