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danoreading's review against another edition
5.0
A fascinating look at Henry Ford, his rise to American prominence, and his attempts to build an American society in the Amazon rainforest. Greg Grandin does a great job of discussing the contradictions in Ford's beliefs and his social and business initiatives. In the sobering last chapter of the book, he also discusses how Fordlandia was one of the first steps in the perhaps inevitable exploitation of the rainforest. Really great book.
ajbauckie's review against another edition
5.0
Some of Greg’s prose can be tough to follow sometimes & I did discover some new words while reading this book but overall an essential if you are interested in Pan American history!
sambeckwith's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting story told with admirable thoroughness but, to be honest, I found it a bit of a slog towards the end.
sevenlefts's review against another edition
3.0
This was as much a mini-history of the Ford Motor Company and a mini-biography of Henry Ford as it was about Ford's efforts at creating an Amazonian rubber plantation. In an effort to show how Fordlandia was an example of Ford's efforts at social engineering as much as anything else, Grandin spends much time discussing other experiments, such as his Upper Peninsula mill towns and his attempts to control the after-work lives of his employees.
A very interesting story, told from the points of view various Ford employees and managers -- mostly from the U.S. There seem to be very few Brazilians left who remember the days of Ford's Amazon rubber plantations, which is shame, because it would be interesting to hear about this grand experiment from their point of view.
A very interesting story, told from the points of view various Ford employees and managers -- mostly from the U.S. There seem to be very few Brazilians left who remember the days of Ford's Amazon rubber plantations, which is shame, because it would be interesting to hear about this grand experiment from their point of view.
lifeisaproblem's review against another edition
4.0
One of the more fascinating books I've read. Grandin does a great job of not only relaying the narrative, but also using Ford's failures to shine a light on issues faced in the region today.
loujoseph's review against another edition
4.0
a solid and surprisingly quick read, and a nice parallel to the demise of detroit and other towns in michigan, more than just implying that the end of detroit started well into the heyday.
also enjoyed seeing the bad decisions pile up- grandin does a good job of lining each of these up, so you can watch how they fall..
also enjoyed seeing the bad decisions pile up- grandin does a good job of lining each of these up, so you can watch how they fall..
debs4jc's review against another edition
2.0
Henry Ford build a rubber plantation and community in the Amazon. He wanted to be in total control of all aspects of life there--even though he never visited it. He made his managers who oversaw the settlement abide by his rules. He had rules like: only brown rice is to be served in the cafeteria. (Because he thought it was healthier, never mind what the native people actually wanted. He was trying to build a replica of his version of an efficient, clean, moral American community and workplace in the middle of a jungle where the workers where native tribesman who had never used clocks before. And who rioted at one point, smashing the time clocks he had installed. This story, and Ford, can be facinating but this book went into way too much detail about every single thing and it became a tedious read. We read and discussed it in book group and all the members thought the same thing. Fans of detailed examinations of one aspect of history--this is the book for you.