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Charles C. Mann: 1491 (EBook, 2005, Knopf) 4 stars

A groundbreaking study that radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of …

I learnt a lot but came out with a bad taste in my mouth. The book was too often uncritical in ways that were frustrating. Like his discussion of agriculture in the Amazon: he couldn't just do the logical thing and promote landback. Also disappointing how he doesn't take indigenous sources of information like oral history seriously. Also also disappointing to see him treating Jared Diamond like a legitimate source 😬