by Luke Kemp Knopf Publishing Group 9/23/2025, hardcover SKU: 9780593321355 NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE CONVERSATION AND KIRKUS - A NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB'S MUST-READ BOOK - SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER - A radical retelling of human history through the cycle of societal collapse In Goliath's Curse, Cambridge scholar Luke Kemp conducts a historical autopsy on our species, from the earliest cities to the collapse of modern states like Somalia. He traces the emergence of "Goliaths" large societies built on a collection of hierarchies that are also terrifyingly fragile, collapsing time after time across the world. Drawing on historical databases and the latest discoveries in archaeology and anthropology, he uncovers groundbreaking revelations: More democratic societies tend to be more resilient. In our modern, global Goliath, a collapse is likely to be long-lasting and more dire than ever before. Collapse may be invisible until after it has occurred. It's possible we're living through one now. Collapse has often had a more positive outcome for the general population than for the 1%. All Goliaths contain the seeds of their own demise. As useful for finding a way forward as it is for diagnosing our precarious present, Goliath's Curse is a stark reminder that there are both bright and dark sides to societal collapse--that it is not necessarily a reversion to chaos or a dark age--and that making a more resilient world may well mean making a more just one. Reviews: "In sparkling prose, Kemp carries us through thousands of years of history to demonstrate how civilizations rise and fall and rise and fall. I was transfixed. . . . It feels to me that American democracy is currently undergoing the most profound stress test in its history and Kemp has expertly diagnosed why that is." --Andrew Ervin, Literary Hub "A must-read for anyone concerned with the current state of the world. . . . Highly provocative, page-turning. . . . [ Goliath's Curse] is unique in its tone and style. It presents facts wrapped in an engaging set of narratives. . . . This book will reset everything you thought you knew about the rise and fall of ancient to modern civilisations (states)--with seriously worrying implications for understanding our current world political landscape." --John Long, The Conversation " Goliath's Curse is best read as a call to channel apocalyptic angst into a productive political project, an appeal to combat oppression and inequality. . . . Today there is ample evidence that we live in a dark, ever more undemocratic, frighteningly unequal, and possibly doomed world. At a time like this, Kemp's invitation to imagine what a better society could look like--and to believe that we might still avoid the worst outcomes--sounds a welcome note." --Linda Kinstler, The Atlantic "An invigorating look at big picture history across continents and millennia, and a survival manual to boot." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) About the Author: Luke Kemp is a research affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge. He has lectured in the fields of economics and human geography, and has advised the World Health Organization, the Australian Parliament, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and many other institutions. His research has been covered by media outlets such as The New York Times, the BBC, and The New Yorker.
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