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| The World Is Flat?: A Critical Analysis of New York Times Bestseller by Thomas Friedman | 
enlarge | Authors: Ronald Aronica, Mtetwa Ramdoo Publisher: Meghan-Kiffer Press Category: Book
List Price: $24.95 Buy New: $15.65 You Save: $9.30 (37%)
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Avg. Customer Rating: 25 reviews Sales Rank: 32238
Media: Paperback Number Of Items: 1 Pages: 132 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4 Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.4
ISBN: 0929652045 Dewey Decimal Number: 330.90511 EAN: 9780929652047 ASIN: 0929652045
Publication Date: August 2006 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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Product Description Globalization is the greatest reorganization of the world since the Industrial Revolution, and is threatening to hollow out America's middle class. _______________________________________ Millions of Americans are preoccupied with the outsourcing of American jobs and the threat of global economic competition. From boardrooms to classrooms to kitchen tables and water coolers, globalization has become a hot topic of discussion and debate everywhere --including a best-selling book by a famous journalist. However, Thomas Friedman's runaway bestseller, The World is Flat, is dangerous. Friedman makes "arguments by assertion," assertions based not on documented facts, but on stories from friends and elite CEOs he visits --not even one footnote reference. Yet his book influences business and government leaders around the globe. By what it leaves out, it does nothing more than misinform the American people and our leaders. Aronica and Ramdoo show that the world isn't flat; it's tilted in favor of unfettered global corporations that exploit cheap labor in China, India and beyond. This concise monograph brings clarity to many of Friedman's misconceptions, and explores nine key issues that Friedman largely ignores, including the hollowing out of America's debt-ridden middle class. To create a fair and balanced exploration of globalization, the authors cite the work of experts that Friedman fails to incorporate, including Nobel laureate and former Chief Economist at the World Bank, Dr. Joseph Stiglitz. Refreshingly, you can now gain new insights into globalization without weeding through Friedman's almost 600 pages of ill-informed, grandiloquent prose and bafflegab.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...
Launching pad for truly understanding globalization February 3, 2007 63 out of 76 found this review helpful
This book is not, and does not pretend to be, a complete treatment of the subject of globalization. Instead it provides an antidote for those who were awed by Friedman's bafflegab: story after story and arguments by assertion. Friedman gives average readers a false sense that they are gaining a true understanding of the broad and complex subject of globalization.
This terse monograph dismantles Friedman's arguments. But there's more here besides a critical analysis of Friedman's Flat. Aronica and Ramdoo go on to introduce 9 major issues that Friedman ignores or treats superficially. Friedman has done a great job of getting millions of people to think about globalization, but this book issues a wake up call to "think again." After all, globalization is so important to all of us that we need to become more fully informed, not misinformed by story after story spun from meeting Friedman's daughter's friend's boyfriend at Yale, or playing golf with rich and famous corporate executives. All this with nary a footnote reference to substantiate Friedman's arguments by unsupported assertions.
What I especially liked is that Aronica and Ramdoo provide a roadmap that includes readings of true experts on globalization (Stiglitz, Prestowitz, Baghwati) and a comprehensive collection of resources (from short articles to full essays and videos) at the books web site mkpress [dot] com/flat. I find myself visiting that site when I get a few minutes and want to gain more insight into globalization and what it portends. For example, Friedman preaches on and on about the U.S. needing more and more education in science and technology to compete, but at the site there's a short revealing piece, "Flattening the Great Education Myth," by David Sirota, that makes you do a double take.
So, don't look to this 132 page book to be the ultimate manifesto on globalization. It's not and in no way claims to be. But do look to this book to be the concise roadmap for coming to grips with the greatest issue of our times. The authors are optimistic about globalization and its potential to contribute to people around the world, but not so optimistic about the cheerleading Friedman does for a specific form of globalization called "corporate globalization" where transnational corporations go the ends of the earth seeking labor earning slave-level wages, lax environmental regulations, and tax avoidance. Yes, there's a darker side of unfettered corporate globalization you won't see in Friedman's cheerleading. Because, as Aronica and Ramdoo write, "globalization is the greatest reorganization of the world since the Industrial Revolution," we all need to understand both sides of the globalization coin. Labor and even democracy just could hang in the balance.
Socialist Propaganda April 29, 2007 60 out of 89 found this review helpful
The authors could have saved us time. This book was more about espousing a socialist agenda then reviewing Thomas Friedman's book. From extolling the virtues of common property to describing every American job that has been outsourced as "sweatshop" labor, it is clear the authors have a bone to pick with free market capitalism. They do offer some insight into the how managed trade, such as NAFTA, does not necessarily mean free trade. Free trade does not need to be managed. But then they forget this point later and begin disparaging free trade when really they are talking about managed trade by the government. All in all they think the solution is more government power. They think we have not taxed enough nor have we created enough government programs. The authors could learn alot from the following conversation between two cavemen, "Something's just not right - our air is clean, our water is pure, we all get plenty of exercise, everything we eat is organic and free-range, and yet nobody lives past thirty." It is sadly ironic that the authors choose to quote Thomas Paine as inspiration for the challenge of globalization. He was someone who fought to reduce the tyranny of the State while these authors seek to increase it.
Personal attacks and sarcasm September 9, 2007 51 out of 57 found this review helpful
This book is simply awful. There is plenty to criticize about Friedman's The World is Flat, but this book is so poorly written with so few specific points that I can't recommend it to anyone.
The book does help make it clear that many critics of globalization have a problem with corporations driving the process, not with globalization itself. It also mentions many other books, probably all of which are better than this one. I'll give it two stars for that, but I'm being generous. Don't read this book.
I've just started reading Stiglitz's Making Globalization Work. Read that book instead. Specific criticisms of globalization followed by specific recommendations to fix the problems. You'll find neither in The World is Flat? You will literally learn more about globalization by reading Wikipedia's page on the topic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization) than you will by reading this book.
Specific complaints:
First, much of the book consists of personal attacks against Friedman. For example, they spend time discussing a *rumor* that he has clothes FedExed to him while his travels. So what? Actually, that sounds like a great idea if you have the money.
Second, much of what they criticize is really quite petty. For example, Friedman spells "workflow software" as "work flow software". Half a page gets devoted to that extra space.
Third, several pages of the book are devoted to comments off of Amazon's customer review sections. So you find out some people don't like his book. Amazon tells me that for free.
Fourth, pointless sarcasm appears on nearly every page. For example, on page 58 we find out that, "Seldom has there appeared such a superficial treatment of Ricardo's 'comparative advantage,' that is, except perhaps in some 11th grade civics class."
In short, the entire book is Amazon and Wikipedia quotes, strung together with personal attacks and sarcasm. Even the valid criticisms of Friedman's work are rarely followed by anything useful, like a discussion of alternative viewpoints. Read Stiglitz or Wikipedia instead of this book.
All the Information you need but without the Bull September 5, 2006 44 out of 61 found this review helpful
"I did not have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one" goes the Mark Twain quote. Well unlike Friedman, Aronica took the time to deliver stronger more concrete messages in a more concise format. Aronica also took the time to do the research and look at the facts rather than just talk to his friends. If you have already bought the Friedman book but not read it, do yourself a favor, buy this and save yourself the time. If you have not bought Freidman, then you don't need to, this great little book will give you all that you need.
The book is well written, punchy and to the point. It contains great insights and provides a strong motivation to change what we are doing before we get run over by a steamroller!
Great Insight; Too Critical February 19, 2007 20 out of 33 found this review helpful
Aronica and Ramdoo do an excellent job in expanding on issues not covered in Friedman's work. I particularly liked the last chapter, "No Issue Left Behind". This is where the book offers much original content such as, fair trade vs. free trade, a tri-polar world and national industrial policy. The authors present a well researched view of nine major themes/issues supported by research from numerous intellectuals and academics.
The analysis of Friedman's book was mediocre at best. The constant negativity and the political, religious and activist agenda put forth by the authors distort their critical analysis. In my opinion, Friedman articulated some great globalization observations and offered personal examples to support his argument. Big deal if the antidotes came from his circle of friends and associates. The authors addressed some very important weaknesses in Friedman's book, and that's where the critic should have stopped. The authors did not need the political, religious and activist rhetoric to make their point.
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