Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared M. Diamond (English, 1999): The universally acclaimed work of nonfiction, a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, describes how and why some parts of the world have developed so much faster than others. Why was there a renaissance in Europe while most North Americans were still hunter-gatherers? Why did agriculture spread relatively slowly in Africa and the Americas while it moved rapidly from China to India? Why did so many isolated populations die from diseases that Europeans are immune to? Why does the lack of a winter season affect equatorial Africa so severely? Surprisingly, the many answers have to do with geography. The shapes of land masses and the availability of grains and domesticable animals all played a crucial role. Guns, Germs, and Steel sets for itself the laudable task of explaining how world history explains the inequities of the modern world.

Presenter: David
Commenter: Igor

Time: 19:15 sharp

Format:
Part 1: Brief introduction by the participants (5 minutes)

Part 2: Club updates/statistics (5 minutes)

Part 3: 2-3 members briefly introduce any interesting book that they have recently read (voluntarily basis, 5 minutes)

Part 4: book presentation (20-30 minutes) including:
A brief history of author’s life
A short summary of the book
Main/new ideas that the book brought to the society at the time that it was written
What were the major implications/reactions at the time that it was written?
What are the major implications on our daily lives (if any)?

Part 5: Group discussion led by the commentator (45-60 minutes)
Member’s personal view about the book, opposing ideas

Venue: Librairie-café Les Recyclables: 53, rue de Carouge, Genève

Tram 12/13 arrêt Pont d'Arve ou Augustin,
Bus 1/4/44 arrêt Pont d'Arve ou Plainpalais,
Parking vélo devant l'arcade,
Parking voiture sous le centre commercial Plainpalais-centre

Note: reading the book is not a "must" to attend the meeting!

Look forward to see you all!

To purchase the hard copy, you can send an email to Grégory in Librairie-café Les Recyclables: [email protected]

To join the club: http://www.glocals.com/#/groups/geneva/geneva-book-club-group.htm

To see the upcoming events:http://sites.google.com/site/genevabookclubgbc/event/eevents-2011

To sign up as presenter and/or commenter (please check the above web address first and only register for the books that are marked with “volunteer needed”:
https://spreadsheets0.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dDlMbUVtTnRXdW5KUVpDZ3pLUWNVX2c6MQ#gid=0