Upheaval: How Nations Cope with Crisis and Change

　　《槍炮、病菌與鋼鐵》、 《大崩壞》賈德‧戴蒙Jared Diamond
　　文明興衰三部曲最終章
　　面對存亡的動盪轉捩點，什麼行動決定國家的命運？

　　UCLA教授賈德‧戴蒙Jared Diamond無疑是當今最具指標性的權威學者，跨越單一學門的專業，結合地理、歷史、考古各方知識，從龐雜與紛亂中找出關鍵，形塑出獨特的理解框架，讓人以全新的觀點看待歷史的演變推動。更在理解過去之外，將提煉出的知識，提供當代所用。

　　動盪，是描述我們當下生活世界的關鍵詞。我們看見國家之內的力量興衰、國與國之間關係的改變、甚或全球共同面對的環境災害、暖化等棘手問題。身處在這些前途未明的迷惘徬徨中，歷史，可以給我們什麼指引？而這正是賈德‧戴蒙在本書想找出解答的──當國家面對動盪危局，為何有的國家成功挺過挑戰，有的卻以失敗收場？

　　再次發揮自己縱觀歷史的專才，以心理治療理論為基礎，從個人面對創傷時，建立韌性度過難關的12個要件，定位影響國家迎接挑戰，蛻變茁壯與否的關鍵行動。將此模型運用在近代史上七個國家與他們面臨的決定性危機──日本遭逢培里將軍與黑船的來到、智利皮諾契總統的極權政體、芬蘭面對蘇聯入侵等──對照分析各個國家的行動與結果。並以此檢視我們當前的世局，在動盪裡找到座標，繪出展望未來的行動藍圖。

　　如同已成為經典之列的《槍炮、病菌與鋼鐵》、《大崩壞》。《Upheaval》帶領讀者在精彩細緻的分析對照裡看見決定性的關鍵，再一次拓展我們理解歷史的可能性，更讓這套分析架構成為實用的工具──承認問題與危機、如何界定事態的影響範圍、確立自我理解與認同、面對失敗、找尋解決方式…──適用於個人、國家，甚至人類整體。在動盪世代之中，一部偉大、切時而深具獨創性的權威之作。（文/博客來編譯）

　　A "riveting and illuminating" (Yuval Noah Harari) new theory of how and why some nations recover from trauma and others don't, by the Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of the landmark bestsellers Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse.

　　In his earlier bestsellers Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond transformed our understanding of what makes civilizations rise and fall. Now, in the final book in this monumental trilogy, he reveals how successful nations recover from crisis through selective change -- a coping mechanism more commonly associated with personal trauma.

　　In a dazzling comparative study, Diamond shows us how seven countries have survived defining upheavals in the recent past -- from US Commodore Perry's arrival in Japan to the Soviet invasion of Finland to Pinochet's regime in Chile -- through a process of painful self-appraisal and adaptation, and he identifies patterns in the way that these distinct nations recovered from calamity. Looking ahead to the future, he investigates whether the United States, and the world, are squandering their natural advantages, on a path towards political conflict and decline. Or can we still learn from the lessons of the past?

　　Adding a psychological dimension to the awe-inspiring grasp of history, geography, economics, and anthropology that marks all Diamond's work, Upheaval reveals how both nations and individuals can become more resilient. The result is a book that is epic, urgent, and groundbreaking.

Review

　　"Jared Diamond does it again: another rich, original, and fascinating chapter in the human saga, this one on how societies have extricated themselves from wicked crises-with vital lessons for our difficult times."―Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of The Better Angels of Our Nature and Enlightenment Now

　　"A riveting and illuminating tour of how nations deal with crises -- which might hopefully help humanity as a whole deal with our present global crisis."―Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century

　　"A new book by Jared Diamond is always a rare and welcome gift. I read them all as part of a single mosaic that, could it ever be fully completed, would finally reveal us to ourselves with haunting insight and clarity, as well as the planet we have the privilege to inhabit. Each book adds more interlocking pieces to that fascinating mosaic. In Upheaval, I find eye-opening lessons about the political and psychological forces that lead to crisis and then resilience, how individuals and nations experience trauma in similar ways, and what that suggests about our future and the world's. Fortunately for us, Diamond's remarkable gift for learning languages has allowed him to live under the surface of various cultures throughout his life, traveling extensively, both mentally and physically, while witnessing many dramatic personal and national upheavals firsthand. His ability to weigh them all with a compassionate heart, a keen eye and an eloquent pen have made him the masterful observer of the human pageant and the important man of conscience that he is. I'm deeply grateful for this wise and beautiful book."―Diane Ackerman, author of The Zookeeper's Wife

　　"Jared Diamond is one of the deepest thinkers and most authoritative writers of our time -- arguably of all time -- and Upheaval proves his prescience in analyzing historical crises within nations at a time when national crises have erupted around the world. It is also his most personal work, sharing with readers his own crises, along with his intimate familiarity with many countries that have experienced upheavals, and then drawing out lessons of crisis management for nations today and in the future. No scientist has ever won the Nobel Prize for literature. Jared Diamond should be the first."―Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic magazine and author of Heavens on Earth

Author

Jared Diamond

　　Jared Diamond, a noted polymath, is Professor of Geography at the University of California, Los Angeles. Among his many awards are the U.S. National Medal of Science, Japan's Cosmos Prize, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, a Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction, and election to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He is the author of the international best-selling books Guns, Germs, and Steel, Collapse, Why Is Sex Fun?, The World until Yesterday, and The Third Chimpanzee, and is the presenter of TV documentary series based on three of those books.