From the author of the bestsellers Guns, Germs, and Steel and Collapse, an ingenious new theory on how some nations overcome traumatic events in their histories.

In a stunning comparative study, Jared Diamond examines seven countries that not only survived crises threatening their existence but also thrived by addressing the following critical questions: What characteristics of these countries contributed to their crisis recovery? Are there similarities in managing personal and national turmoil? What management mechanisms can we borrow from psychotherapy to interpret the rise and fall of certain states?

Having lived for extended periods in five of these seven countries and speaking their languages, Diamond is able to present historical events both through the lens of his personal experiences and through testimonies of individuals who, in many cases, lived them firsthand.

By adding a psychological dimension to his deep knowledge of History, Geopolitics, Economics, and Anthropology, the author reveals how a nation overcomes a difficult period in the same way an individual overcomes a personal crisis: by identifying the problem, understanding the individual's own responsibility, seeking help from supportive figures, and following the example of those who have navigated similar crises.

The result is a work with a broad scope that bears his personal stamp more than any other book he has written to date. Ultimately, can we learn from the lessons of the past?