monicamjw's review against another edition
4.0
While somewhat dated now, this is an excellent read and is still valuable as it shows us how we got here, to this moment in a flattened world. It also holds up more than one cautionary tale.
wward's review against another edition
Oh man this book was probably very interesting 18 years ago when he was explains why there seemed to be a dynamic shift in the world but now it just seems like he’s explaining how CDs are ground breaking. Sure they were but it just boring to read 10 pages on yesteryears breakthroughs when there’s been so many since. Hence I decided not to spend another 400 pages on that and just move on.
schm0's review against another edition
2.0
Finally done! A bit repetitive, but interesting to read nonetheless. It's truly amazing how far technology had come since this book was first written, as the descriptions of technology that were and would be used in modern business applications of the "future" seemed almost quaint. If you are interested in an early twenty first century viewpoint of globalization, technology and business solutions this will satisfy your craving.
Ok, I'll be honest. I didn't actually finish this book. It's been sitting on my shelf and I have been dreading picking it up. Not because it's not a good book, but that I just wasn't into it. Classic "it's not you, it's me" syndrome. I learned a few things, and found some passages to be downright insightful and even inspiring. But alas, the book just didn't grab me by the irises like I needed it to.
For me, significant portions of the book were simply too dry to hold my attention, and this nearly extinguishing my desire to read any more than a dozen pages in a sitting. It also seemed like the premises were stretched too thin, almost forced into individual chapters. These ideas would have been more welcome as a large portion of a book of broader scope.
I'm left with a familiar taste in my mouth, a cocktail of regret and boredom that is not new to me. I've run into the same problem with a previous book that I thought would engage my brain in a unique way. Here, however, it wasn't the excessively obtuse language that got me. It made it's point and I nodded in understanding and... that was it. The rest of the book just provided more anecdotal evidence of the same basic premises. I get it. Free market solutions, cultural changes, acceptance of new ideas and technology, the need to adjust and stay aware of the demands of a constantly shifting marketplace. All these ideas made sense, even to a layman like myself. It just left me with the literary equivalent of indigestion.
Let's just say I'm looking forward to my backlog of Stephen King and a slew of other fictional authors I've been putting off for far too long.
Ok, I'll be honest. I didn't actually finish this book. It's been sitting on my shelf and I have been dreading picking it up. Not because it's not a good book, but that I just wasn't into it. Classic "it's not you, it's me" syndrome. I learned a few things, and found some passages to be downright insightful and even inspiring. But alas, the book just didn't grab me by the irises like I needed it to.
For me, significant portions of the book were simply too dry to hold my attention, and this nearly extinguishing my desire to read any more than a dozen pages in a sitting. It also seemed like the premises were stretched too thin, almost forced into individual chapters. These ideas would have been more welcome as a large portion of a book of broader scope.
I'm left with a familiar taste in my mouth, a cocktail of regret and boredom that is not new to me. I've run into the same problem with a previous book that I thought would engage my brain in a unique way. Here, however, it wasn't the excessively obtuse language that got me. It made it's point and I nodded in understanding and... that was it. The rest of the book just provided more anecdotal evidence of the same basic premises. I get it. Free market solutions, cultural changes, acceptance of new ideas and technology, the need to adjust and stay aware of the demands of a constantly shifting marketplace. All these ideas made sense, even to a layman like myself. It just left me with the literary equivalent of indigestion.
Let's just say I'm looking forward to my backlog of Stephen King and a slew of other fictional authors I've been putting off for far too long.
jnieto's review against another edition
3.0
After the first 150 pages I said "Too few ideas in so maaany pages..."
Well, I've finally read the whole 650 pages and the book is good, there are more than a few ideas, and almost all very good ones.
Still the book is a little too long for the amount of payload it carries.
Well, I've finally read the whole 650 pages and the book is good, there are more than a few ideas, and almost all very good ones.
Still the book is a little too long for the amount of payload it carries.
yosep's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a must-read for all millennials. With people talking about A.I.s and the fourth industrial, globalisation appears to be so 'yesterday', and reading this book seems more like reading a history book, this book has informed me much about the profound impacts of globalisation which I didn't know of previously.
adikulk93's review against another edition
4.0
This is a good book that describes how the globalisation of the world took place and what effect it has had on all the stakeholders involved, the countries, the companies, the politics, the business, and most importantly, the people. I particularly liked how the author has identified the fall of the Berlin wall as one of the forces that led to the globalisation of the world. I didn't particularly like the chapter about the "Unflat world" but the rest of the book is really good and worth reading.
bookaneer's review against another edition
2.0
Finally! After so much struggle... It turned out that this book is okay. The last parts kinda redeemed the first parts (Yeah, he finally discussed about the Third World). I still say this book is overwritten though. 600 pages is too much,; it could be shortened into 400 pages max. Thanks anyway Mr Friedman, for your interesting theories.