Londons Falling

Extremely pleased.

Rating: 5/5
Comments:
I recently purchased the book, "The World Is Flat 3.0" Ordered a used book, but what I received was a new book, spine not even creased. Only a slight mark on the edge of the pages. I recommend this book, and dealer, to anybody wanting to learn how the world is changing so quickly.

Flat is Good - according to Friedman

Rating: 3/5
Comments:
After more than a thousand reviews, the best I can do is offer my take on the book. While the book is great for a person who is completely unfamiliar with globalization or wants a summary of Friedman's views on it and the world, the book is of little value to a person who keeps up with the world around him/her. If you are a person who is aware of what is going on the world today, then this book will appear to be too indulgent towards China and India with the troubling tendency of generalizing. Friedman generalizes, for example, regarding important cultural and economic aspects to globolization in many parts of the world. While he notes that cultural role in globalization is seldom mentioned in regards to its impact in rise and fall of nations, he then proceeds to use culture to generalize regarding Chinese, Indian, Mexican, etc. economies. It's always dangerous to generalize, especially when one writes about a subject as sensitive as a country's culture leading to greater or lesser prosperity. While on the surface, pun intended, Friedman's examination seems to make sense, it really falls flat when one realizes that while the world may be growing ever closer together, the cultural diversity and inter-country complexity cannot be summed up with nice generalizations and by tours made for a receptive American journalist ready to glorify anything he is shown. The book could very easily be re-titled "Why China is Great!" or "Why Authoratitive Governments Work and Democracies Fail." Just recently, in September of 2009, Friedman wrote an article praising China's one-party autocracy, saying that it was "led by a reasonably enlightened group of people" and that China's leaders are "boosting gasoline prices" and "overtaking us in electric cars, solar power, energy efficiency, batteries, nuclear power and wind power." When asked if he had "China envy" during a Fresh Dialogues interview, Friedman replied, "You detect the envy of someone who wants his own government to act democratically with the same effectiveness that China can do autocratically." Such talk may be fine, if Friedman was actually an accomplished economist or provided a balanced view of China's successes and faults. Instead, Friedman brushes China's currency concerns and represiveness (among other things) aside with a unbismirched praise. Same is true for India, which albeit the world's largest democracy, still has people occupying untouchable castes. Praise these countries if you will, but acting like a school boy who just had a wet dream is quite another matter. The world is flat is a nice metaphore, but politics and economy is not flat or simple and Friedman's attempts to make it so makes the book an overbearing read. While Friedman may have multiple Pulitzers, these are for his short articles, definetly not his book (and two of his Pulitzers are over 20 years old). And besides Friemdan got his BA in Mediterranean studies and master in Middle Eastern studies. Not something that would lend one to so brashly make economic and cultural pronouncements on a large swaths of global populations. His wife may be a graduate of Stanford University and the London School of Economics, but he is quite obviously not his wife. While many of Friedman's points are right on the money, e.g., making U.S. start moving forward as far as educational reforms, he takes too many liberties with socio-economic analysis of other nations.

an excellent guide to the phenomenon of globalization with broad coverage and helpful examples

Rating: 4/5
Comments:
I found this book very informative about understanding the phenomenon of globalization (from command/control to connect/collaborative world) and its impact on our lives on multiple levels--not limited to economy but also on geopolitics, culture, humanity and education etc. His numerous examples, such as Walmart, UPS, and uses of his personal experiences and his vast travels are also very helpful to somebody like me with limited knowledge about business and technology. There are many reasons for celebration and many for worries and concerns, such as American complacency in education, and the sense of entitlement in youth culture. He ends the book with the fundamental importance of individual choices on the subject of, and causes for imagination.