Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis

　　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" Bill Gates Summer Reading pick about how and why some nations recover from trauma and others don't (Yuval Noah Harari), by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the landmark bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel.

　　In his international bestsellers Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse, Jared Diamond transformed our understanding of what makes civilizations rise and fall. Now, in his third book in this monumental trilogy, he reveals how successful nations recover from crises while adopting selective changes -- a coping mechanism more commonly associated with individuals recovering from personal crises.

　　Diamond compares how six countries have survived recent upheavals -- ranging from the forced opening of Japan by U.S. Commodore Perry's fleet, to the Soviet Union's attack on Finland, to a murderous coup or countercoup in Chile and Indonesia, to the transformations of Germany and Austria after World War Two. Because Diamond has lived and spoken the language in five of these six countries, he can present gut-wrenching histories experienced firsthand. These nations coped, to varying degrees, through mechanisms such as acknowledgment of responsibility, painfully honest self-appraisal, and learning from models of other nations. Looking to the future, Diamond examines whether the United States, Japan, and the whole world are successfully coping with the grave crises they currently face. Can we learn from lessons of the past?

　　Adding a psychological dimension to the in-depth history, geography, biology, and anthropology that mark all of Diamond's books, Upheaval reveals factors influencing how both whole nations and individual people can respond to big challenges. The result is a book epic in scope, but also his most personal yet.