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aligrint's review against another edition
1.0
This book really sucked. There aren't many books that I've given up on halfway through, but this was one of them. He was either misinformed or uninformed the whole way through, and somehow it became a bestseller.
suzukabunny's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book. For me, Friedman investigative story turn motivational speech is really interesting and eye opening. Makes me realize I haven't reach my fully potential and need to compete against comrades and machines
holly_keimig's review against another edition
3.0
This book took me an entire summer to get through and was a departure from the normal light fiction that fills my summers. It was very enlightening, however and allowed me to see economics, trade, and even the store down the street through the eyes of globalization. Very informative, if a bit repetitive and long. Good book for anyone who wants to see that everything is connected in our ever shrinking world.
omgwtfkvb's review against another edition
slow-paced
1.0
I bought this book back in college...why? No idea. I think one of my friends bought it, and I wanted to seem smart or something so I bought it too. But I finally sat down to read it. I tried to keep in mind that the book was written like 20 years ago and I should keep that in mind but even still.
Jeeeeeeeeeesus. 660 pages for a concept that could easily be an op-ed or blog post. By the first third of the book, I understood the point he was trying to make. Especially because he is so clearly proud of the concept he's come up with that he mentions "the flattening of the earth" ad nauseam for the entire book.
On top of that, the guy straddles the line between absolutely adoring capitalism and hating socialism (of course he does! Capitalism rocks! Boo socialism!) and then comparing and contrasting things that just....don't need to be compared and contrasted. I don't think the same book needs to breakdown how awesome Walmart is for its automation (Walmart is not awesome lol) while also dogging on entire areas of the world because they're not white Anglo-Saxons. One section started off as questionable at best before just deep diving into full blown racism and xenophobia. Fun! Gotta hit all our marks, guys.
On top of that, the narrator insisted on using accents for each person he was referring to. Maybe...don't do that in the future. If you really need us to understand someone is Indian, maybe hire multiple narrators and have actual Indian people read those sections.
Honestly, this book would've been a DNF if I didn't own the damn thing and I have a weird perverse desire to never quit and never surrender. All that being said - don't waste your time. Technology has made processes and procedures speed up all around the world and therefore has "flattened" it. The end, saved you 660 pages.
Jeeeeeeeeeesus. 660 pages for a concept that could easily be an op-ed or blog post. By the first third of the book, I understood the point he was trying to make. Especially because he is so clearly proud of the concept he's come up with that he mentions "the flattening of the earth" ad nauseam for the entire book.
On top of that, the guy straddles the line between absolutely adoring capitalism and hating socialism (of course he does! Capitalism rocks! Boo socialism!) and then comparing and contrasting things that just....don't need to be compared and contrasted. I don't think the same book needs to breakdown how awesome Walmart is for its automation (Walmart is not awesome lol) while also dogging on entire areas of the world because they're not white Anglo-Saxons. One section started off as questionable at best before just deep diving into full blown racism and xenophobia. Fun! Gotta hit all our marks, guys.
On top of that, the narrator insisted on using accents for each person he was referring to. Maybe...don't do that in the future. If you really need us to understand someone is Indian, maybe hire multiple narrators and have actual Indian people read those sections.
Honestly, this book would've been a DNF if I didn't own the damn thing and I have a weird perverse desire to never quit and never surrender. All that being said - don't waste your time. Technology has made processes and procedures speed up all around the world and therefore has "flattened" it. The end, saved you 660 pages.
duparker's review against another edition
3.0
Early on Friedman sets the tone and pace of the book, recounting how he sees the world as a connected place for business. This is the flatness he speaks of. The introduction to this idea is a good and is on target. All of the remaining chapters just hammer this home with different ideas and examples. I think they make sense. Part of this book that doesn't work so well, is that reading it 8 years after the ideas were introduced they seemed almost old hat to me. Of course networking and outsourcing bring us together. Of course we can argue that if low wages draw certain industries abroad we can then bring newer higher skilled work home. It seems painful to read some of this after the recession and even more so after the lack of newly created jobs here in the US. I'm glad I picked it up, but won't see the need to keep a copy.
pollycharlie's review against another edition
4.0
The terrible world he predicted in 2006 is coming true 10 years later. The great world he predicted is also here.
kimball_hansen's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a little long but on audio you can blow through it in week. What I liked most was the author's push to be more transparent and honest in all our digital interactions. All of our mistakes will be searchable. It reminds of the scripture in Luke 12:3 that says, "Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops." Also, the need to develop special, hybrid skills and to not be vanilla flavored in our jobs anymore.
Now I know where the A word [a:Tim Ferriss|14901716|Tim Ferriss|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] learned how to outsource his soul to India. I didn't realize there was a 3.0 edition until I was in the middle of this book. Darn. I wonder what more he would add for a 2016 edition of the book.
It could have been better without his rant against President Bush at the end. Other than that it was very informative.
Now I know where the A word [a:Tim Ferriss|14901716|Tim Ferriss|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] learned how to outsource his soul to India. I didn't realize there was a 3.0 edition until I was in the middle of this book. Darn. I wonder what more he would add for a 2016 edition of the book.
It could have been better without his rant against President Bush at the end. Other than that it was very informative.
jeslyncat's review against another edition
4.0
Another is a set of books that all came out at similar times that bring economics to the masses in a day-to-day analysis. You will forever remember the highlights when you go shopping.
coley_w_porter's review against another edition
5.0
loved it, really interesting and thought provoking. Read for a class in high school and I still can remember some of the very interesting points the book made
zaphod46's review against another edition
2.0
This was the opposite of [b:Shop Class as Soulcraft|6261332|Shop Class as Soulcraft An Inquiry Into the Value of Work|Matthew B. Crawford|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255606925s/6261332.jpg|6444549] in nearly every way. Stylistically, it was long and hard to read, but very well sourced with quotes and examples. The core arguments were also different, in that Friedman is all about state intervention, control, and responsibility.