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The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
Thomas L. Friedman
Edition: Expanded and Upd
Retail Price (not our price): $30.00
ISBN: 0374292795
ISBN-13: 9780374292799
Publication Date: 2006-04-18
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 616


Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):

1) Product Description
The World Is Flat is Thomas L. Friedman’s account of the great changes taking place in our time, as lightning-swift advances in technology and communications put people all over the globe in touch as never before—creating an explosion of wealth in India and China, and challenging the rest of us to run even faster just to stay in place. This updated and expanded edition features more than a hundred pages of fresh reporting and commentary, drawn from Friedman’s travels around the world and across the American heartland—from anyplace where the flattening of the world is being felt.In The World Is Flat, Friedman at once shows “how and why globalization has now shifted into warp drive� (Robert Wright, Slate) and brilliantly demystifies the new flat world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering scene unfolding before their eyes. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, he explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; how governments and societies can, and must, adapt; and why terrorists want to stand in the way. More than ever, The World Is Flat is an essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists.

2) Amazon.com
Updated Edition: Thomas L. Friedman is not so much a futurist, which he is sometimes called, as a presentist. His aim in The World Is Flat, as in his earlier, influential Lexus and the Olive Tree, is not to give you a speculative preview of the wonders that are sure to come in your lifetime, but rather to get you caught up on the wonders that are already here. The world isn't going to be flat, it is flat, which gives Friedman's breathless narrative much of its urgency, and which also saves it from the Epcot-style polyester sheen that futurists--the optimistic ones at least--are inevitably prey to. What Friedman means by "flat" is "connected": the lowering of trade and political barriers and the exponential technical advances of the digital revolution that have made it possible to do business, or almost anything else, instantaneously with billions of other people across the planet. This in itself should not be news to anyone. But the news that Friedman has to deliver is that just when we stopped paying attention to these developments--when the dot-com bust turned interest away from the business and technology pages and when 9/11 and the Iraq War turned all eyes toward the Middle East--is when they actually began to accelerate. Globalization 3.0, as he calls it, is driven not by major corporations or giant trade organizations like the World Bank, but by individuals: desktop freelancers and innovative startups all over the world (but especially in India and China) who can compete--and win--not just for low-wage manufacturing and information labor but, increasingly, for the highest-end research and design work as well. (He doesn't forget the "mutant supply chains" like Al-Qaeda that let the small act big in more destructive ways.) Friedman has embraced this flat world in his own work, continuing to report on his story after his book's release and releasing an unprecedented hardcover update of the book a year later with 100 pages of revised and expanded material. What's changed in a year? Some of the sections that opened eyes in the first edition--on China and India, for example, and the global supply chain--are largely unaltered. Instead, Friedman has more to say about what he now calls "uploading," the direct-from-the-bottom creation of culture, knowledge, and innovation through blogging, podcasts, and open-source software. And in response to the pleas of many of his readers about how to survive the new flat world, he makes specific recommendations about the technical and creative training he thinks will be required to compete in the "New Middle" class. As before, Friedman tells his story with the catchy slogans and globe-hopping anecdotes that readers of his earlier books and his New York Times columns know well, and he holds to a stern sort of optimism. He wants to tell you how exciting this new world is, but he also wants you to know you're going to be trampled if you don't keep up with it. A year later, one can sense his rising impatience that our popular culture, and our political leaders, are not helping us keep pace. --Tom NissleyWhere Were You When the World Went Flat?Thomas L. Friedman's reporter's curiosity and his ability to recognize the patterns behind the most complex global developments have made him one of the most entertaining and authoritative sources for information about the wider world we live in, both as the foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times and as the author of landmark books like From Beirut to Jerusalem and The Lexus and the Olive Tree. They also make him an endlessly fascinating conversation partner, and we've now had the chance to talk to him about The World Is Flat twice. Read our original interview with him following the publication of the first edition of The World Is Flat to learn why there's almost no one from Washington, D.C., listed in the index of a book about the global economy, and what his one-plank platform for president would be. (Hint: his bumper stickers would say, "Can You Hear Me Now?") And now you can listen to our second interview, in which he talks about the updates he's made in "The World Is Flat 2.0," including his response to parents who said to him, "Great, Mr. Friedman, I'm glad you told us the world is flat. Now what do I tell my kids?" The Essential Tom FriedmanFrom Beirut to JerusalemThe Lexus and the Olive TreeLongitudes and AttitudesMore on Globalization and DevelopmentChina, Inc. by Ted FishmanThree Billion New Capitalists by Clyde PrestowitzThe End of Poverty by Jeffrey SachsGlobalization and Its Discontents by Joseph StiglitzThe Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra RivoliThe Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto

Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5

1) Must Read for Everyone   [Rating: 5 out of 5]
I have to admit I am not one to read books relating to globalizations and technology, but after reading the first few pages I was trapped into wanting to read more. If the book had not been a requirement for a recent course taken I would have never imagined I would have read this book. There were always several books about which I felt more enthusiastic. But this is one I'm glad I did come across purchase and read. I admire the amount of travel and listening and work that Friedman has put into the book. He has a knack for anecdote. He has a liking for imagery, and most of his images work well. Here's an example, illustrating the importance of technical standards. "Imagine a city where every neighborhood had a different interface for connecting the fire hose to the hydrant." Globalization is, literally, a large and far-reaching topic. In writing a book on globalization including prescription, as well as description, does Friedman overreach? He is aware of the danger of doing so when discussing education, telling us that "I am not an educator" and that he doesn't want to "be utterly presumptuous."But, in discussing "intellectual property," Friedman doesn't appear to have any such qualms. The person who sounds like the voice of reason in Friedman's account is Sam Palmisano of IBM; his quote (p. 254) is misleading as to the purpose of IP laws, and in a manner very much favoring patent-holders such as IBM.For overreaching like this, and for other reasons, I do believe that The World Is Flat deserves some of the more extravagant praise heaped on it. In particular, it's a great book. It's a book I'd recommend to someone looking for a journalist-written account of globalization and for anyone who is interested in reading a awesome book that you can not put down after reading the first few pages. It's definitely a book that many people have read and are talking about. It's on an important subject that is constantly on the minds of all us each and everyday. And I would have to highly recommend this book and give it well deserved thumbs up!

2) Opening my Eyes   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
"The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman is one of the most thought provoking books I have read. He talks about the way the world has been flattened by the Internet, technology and innovative thinking. The process of many of the services in America being outsourced to other countries is explained. I did not understand how this all happened. He goes step by step and explains his theory on this phenomenon. The fact that so many jobs are being outsourced to other countries is distressing, but he also touches on ways to change our thinking to keep up and keep our jobs or develop a new type of job or service. The world has changed and thinking out of the box needs to be more of the norm and not the exception is America is going to excel. The problems with the education system in America is highlighted as well as what other countries are doing that has their children getting into the best schools in the world. This book made me think more about how the world is now and what I can do to help make it better as an individual, a parent and an American. I think you will be intrigued as I was reading this book if you keep an open mind and look at the possibilities available in the world today.

3) Not an avid reader   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
The contents were great! I love the way Friedman writes. I have an easier time with periodicals though because the book seems too long for it's content.

4) A Must read   [Rating: 4 out of 5]
A great walkthrough about where we were, where we are and where we heading ! I believe the IT crowd will enjoy reading this more than a normal reader, although it does very well in explaining many of the technological events in history and how the world is developing so fast. Want to be successful or want to stay successful in what you are doing, then this is a must read !Globalization, its everywhere.

5) this is news?   [Rating: 2 out of 5]
I found little or nothing new in this book, and I doubt that anyone who has paid even moderate attention to technology and the world economy over the last 10-15 years will either. And the whole idea of the world becoming flatter is in no meaningful way different than the ages old idea that the world is getting smaller! We're all more immediately and tightly connected because of the internet, PCs, greatly expanded communications bandwidth, etc. etc. - we get it. It's not a particularly original, revolutionary or 'ingenious' insight I think the author is a fine columnist and I read him quite often, but this book seems way overrated to me.