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A second reason that some academics dislike my books is that they equate geography with what is called "geographic determinism."

Instead, they misread my work or because they haven't actually read "Guns, Germs and Steel," these critics think that mentioning geography means geographic determinism.

But mention of these environmental differences invites among historians the label “geographic determinism,” which raises hackles.

In his university classes, Rakove said, Dr. Degler sometimes showed students his collection of soil from different parts of the region to demonstrate the concept of geographic determinism.

"That's Washington," sighed a frustrated, nonnative participant, resigned to cruel geographic determinism like Jack Nicholson at the end of Chinatown.