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 Nissley
Where 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 Friedman
From Beirut to Jerusalem |
The Lexus and the Olive Tree |
Longitudes and Attitudes |
More on Globalization and Development
China, Inc. by Ted Fishman |
Three Billion New Capitalists by Clyde Prestowitz |
The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs |
Globalization and Its Discontents by Joseph Stiglitz |
The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli |
The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto |
Book 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.
Download Description
The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist gives a bold, timely, and surprising picture of the state of globalization in the twenty-first century
Customer Reviews:
...and so is this book.......2007-10-10
Though it has become an immensely popular book, Friedman's work is fairly shallow and simplistic. It is important to remember that this is a world analysis written by a journalist, not by a political economist or any type of economist or political scientist. His views are oversimplified and his support relies heavily on anecdote, making his 600-pager about 400 pages too long. We read it for a poli sci class and proceeded to tear it apart intellectually.
Ranks up there with Common Sense, Uncle Toms Cabin, The Femine Mystique.......2007-10-10
One of the greatest books ever written. Everyone in America should read this book. Every teacher in America should read and teach Frieman's lessons. Every parent should read and help prepare their children for the world that is coming. Every student should read and begin to prepare for the world they are going to face. This is the most important book of our times, bar none.
Embracing Business Globalization's Irreversibility.......2007-10-10
This is easily the most relevant book written on the new realities of business globalization, its irreversibility, and the practical consequences to our future. Friedman does an excellent job describing the numerous factors that led up to our current global economy including the ongoing fall of communism, the advent of the personal computer, and the ubiquity of the Internet. His historical review and assessment is fascinating and it sets up the reader to understand the context for his theories and practical applications. Friedman delves into numerous industries, businesses, personalities, case studies, technologies, psychological factors, and sociological factors. Although he covers numerous business, technological, and economic concepts, his writing style is very engaging and entertaining, using many personal examples and narratives, thereby holding the reader's interest. Rather than bemoaning some of the common perceived negative consequences of a global economy (such as US auto workers losing jobs to overseas cheaper labor) Friedman helps the reader to understand business globalization's irreversibility. In so doing, he describes many personal, practical, and business strategies for thriving in this new environment. Friedman is realistic and compassionate concerning the changes and the challenges. He states, "the great challenge for our time will be to absorb these changes in ways that do not overwhelm people but also do not leave them behind. None of this will be easy. But this is our task. It is inevitable and unavoidable" (pp. 46-47). As Friedman unfolds his strategies, he gives the reader a broader, global perspective that is filled with hope and excitement. Whether as a CEO, a business student, or a brand new professional embarking upon a career, this book is insightful, practical, and essential reading.
What a good boy am I.......2007-10-06
Reading this book is like watching someone else's kids open their Christmas presents from relatives they don't really know. I'm not sure how the author can possibly be so fascinated by technology and yet know absolutely nothing about it at the same time, but his endless diatribes about the miracles of PayPal and Microsoft Word are beyond laughable, and I was pretty much in shock when he started citing howstuffworks-dot-com as a technical reference on fiber optics and SOAP. What editor told him that this was OK?
So enamored with his own cleverness is he that Mr. Friedman dedicates several pages to explaining the book's title, even though a single sentence would have sufficed. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop after the first chapter; rather than make a point and move on, he has to point out the fact that he just made a point and tell you what a wonderful point it was just in case you missed the point. It's like hanging out with that one friend who sits around smiling and pointing to his hindquarters after he rips one off at the dinner table.
If you want to learn about globalization and are not old enough to remember the first light bulb, go read "No Logo" instead. This is horrible, irrelevant geriatric babbling.
My opinion is flat.......2007-10-03
When a book has had over a thousand reviews, what can I possibly say that hasn't already been said? So I will keep it short and not so sweet.
No one will read this book, or any of the updates, for "fun." Do you NEED to read it? Yes, it contains some important economic concepts and realities, but it's a bit overlong. I'd say it could be cut in half, so skim through some of the numerous "interviews," repetition of central points, and endless advice and encouragement. The global pie is getting bigger and better, but the competition for piecies of that pie is heating up. Smart, ambitious, creative people will thrive; slow, lazy, dull people will languish, and everything inbetween. For too long many Americans have been sitting on their laurels and the day of reckoning is near. Heed this warning: Put down your TV remotes, game controllers, and iPods, and start working like your life (or lifestyle) depended on it. Get your rear into some serious gear, and don't balk at the notion that you should be an "expert" in at least three different, unrelated fields. Does this scare or excite you?
In so many interviews with foreign entrepreneurs, we are told (or reassured) that no matter how much of the "mundane" work is performed by countries other than the U.S., America's creative and innovative spark is still unsurpassed: All the world looks to America to lead the way into the future. I'm not sure. A lot of that "mundane" work was high level and highly paid, and why should we expect that America will continue to dominate in creativity and innovation? The truth is, we're in for a flattening of living standards, and from the perspective of the relatively high American standard of living, it will seem like a drop in standards until we reach another equilibrium (who knows how long that will take?). In any case, the reassurances about the talents and abilities of Americans seem at odds with other parts of the book, such as Bill Gates feeling "terrified at the American work force of tomorrow."
If you're already working hard at becoming an expert in three fields, then you probably don't need to read this book. Indeed, you probably don't have time to read it, or to read and write Amazon reviews, for that matter.
Book Description
In this, his first major book, Mark Steyn--probably the most widely read, and wittiest, columnist in the English-speaking world--takes on the great poison of the twenty-first century: the anti-Americanism that fuels both Old Europe and radical Islam. America, Steyn argues, will have to stand alone. The world will be divided between America and the rest; and for our sake America had better win.
Customer Reviews:
Unfortunately True.......2007-10-14
Every single American should read this book! He explains exactly how the Muslims are conquering the world. More wives = more babies = more Muslims = more terrorism. This is a religion that should nor even exist in the 21st century. They are commanded to murder everyone that refuses to convert to Islam. Most Americans do not understand that the greatest threat to the future of the world (especially America) is the Muslim religion.
America Alone.......2007-10-11
Every person in the USA should read this book. Today in the Dallas Morning news(10/10/07)there is an editorial by Anne Applebaum verifing one of the facts stated it this book. Ms. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who is under death threat because of her comments about the mistreatment of women in the Dutch Muslin community had to move to the US because the Dutch say it is too expensive to protect her and she will not shut up. No free speech for her. Mohammed Bouyeri murdered the Dutch writer, Theo Van Gohg, because he made a film about the oppression of Muslim women.
Funny, but also an important message........2007-10-11
While I cannot say that anybody reading this should have more kids just out of the guilt this book might give you, it is an important message about the sad effects of low birthrates. Mark Steyn has a quick wit and funny tone that is clearly not politically correct (good for him). Anybody who enjoys a good laugh or is concerned about terrorism should read this.
A Must-Read!.......2007-10-10
This book was every bit as good as I had heard. I've always enjoyed Mark Steyn, but hadn't gotten a chance to read this yet because I had a stack of books in front of it. That's my loss, because this was one of the most profound and eye-opening books I've ever read. To be honest, I pay pretty close attention to this conflict we find ourselves in, so most of the individual facts in this book weren't exactly foreign to me. But Steyn pulls all this together and presents it in such a concise, clear and entertaining way that I was able to put the pieces together in a way I hadn't even imagined. His demographic data alone is shocking, and should make every person in Europe and Canada sit up and take serious note - I'll be paying very close attention to what happens over the next few years "across the pond", as they say, for how goes Europe, so will eventually go America. I plan to buy several more copies of this book and hand them out to friends and family. I highly suggest it.
Excelent book. Really crunches the numbers like no other book........2007-10-05
This book really lays out the problems with hard numbers and facts in a way I have never seen and is easy to understand. I recomend this book to anyone who is worried about the muslim issue. People in Europe better read it asap!
Amazon.com
Barack Obama's first book, Dreams from My Father, was a compelling and moving memoir focusing on personal issues of race, identity, and community. With his second book The Audacity of Hope, Obama engages themes raised in his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, shares personal views on faith and values and offers a vision of the future that involves repairing a "political process that is broken" and restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with the people. We had the opportunity to ask Senator Obama a few questions about writing, reading, and politics--see his responses below. --Daphne Durham
20 Second Interview: A Few Words with Barack Obama
Q: How did writing a book that you knew would be read so closely by so many compare to writing your first book, when few people knew who you were?
A: In many ways, Dreams from My Father was harder to write. At that point, I wasn't even sure that I could write a book. And writing the first book really was a process of self-discovery, since it touched on my family and my childhood in a much more intimate way. On the other hand, writing The Audacity of Hope paralleled the work that I do every day--trying to give shape to all the issues that we face as a country, and providing my own personal stamp on them.
Q: What is your writing process like? You have such a busy schedule, how did you find time to write?
A: I'm a night owl, so I usually wrote at night after my Senate day was over, and after my family was asleep--from 9:30 p.m. or so until 1 a.m. I would work off an outline--certain themes or stories that I wanted to tell--and get them down in longhand on a yellow pad. Then I'd edit while typing in what I'd written.
Q: If readers are to come away from The Audacity of Hope with one action item (a New Year's Resolution for 2007, perhaps?), what should it be?
A: Get involved in an issue that you're passionate about. It almost doesn't matter what it is--improving the school system, developing strategies to wean ourselves off foreign oil, expanding health care for kids. We give too much of our power away, to the professional politicians, to the lobbyists, to cynicism. And our democracy suffers as a result.
Q: You're known for being able to work with people across ideological lines. Is that possible in today's polarized Washington?
A: It is possible. There are a lot of well-meaning people in both political parties. Unfortunately, the political culture tends to emphasize conflict, the media emphasizes conflict, and the structure of our campaigns rewards the negative. I write about these obstacles in chapter 4 of my book, "Politics." When you focus on solving problems instead of scoring political points, and emphasize common sense over ideology, you'd be surprised what can be accomplished. It also helps if you're willing to give other people credit--something politicians have a hard time doing sometimes.
Q: How do you make people passionate about moderate and complex ideas?
A: I think the country recognizes that the challenges we face aren't amenable to sound-bite solutions. People are looking for serious solutions to complex problems. I don't think we need more moderation per se--I think we should be bolder in promoting universal health care, or dealing with global warming. We just need to understand that actually solving these problems won't be easy, and that whatever solutions we come up with will require consensus among groups with divergent interests. That means everybody has to listen, and everybody has to give a little. That's not easy to do.
Q: What has surprised you most about the way Washington works?
A: How little serious debate and deliberation takes place on the floor of the House or the Senate.
Q: You talk about how we have a personal responsibility to educate our children. What small thing can the average parent (or person) do to help improve the educational system in America? What small thing can make a big impact?
A: Nothing has a bigger impact than reading to children early in life. Obviously we all have a personal obligation to turn off the TV and read to our own children; but beyond that, participating in a literacy program, working with parents who themselves may have difficulty reading, helping their children with their literacy skills, can make a huge difference in a child's life.
Q: Do you ever find time to read? What kinds of books do you try to make time for? What is on your nightstand now?
A: Unfortunately, I had very little time to read while I was writing. I'm trying to make up for lost time now. My tastes are pretty eclectic. I just finished Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, a wonderful book. The language just shimmers. I've started Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, which is a great study of Lincoln as a political strategist. I read just about anything by Toni Morrison, E.L. Doctorow, or Philip Roth. And I've got a soft spot for John le Carre.
Q: What inspires you? How do you stay motivated?
A: I'm inspired by the people I meet in my travels--hearing their stories, seeing the hardships they overcome, their fundamental optimism and decency. I'm inspired by the love people have for their children. And I'm inspired by my own children, how full they make my heart. They make me want to work to make the world a little bit better. And they make me want to be a better man.
Book Description
“A government that truly represents these Americans–that truly serves these Americans–will require a different kind of politics. That politics will need to reflect our lives as they are actually lived. It won’t be pre-packaged, ready to pull off the shelf. It will have to be constructed from the best of our traditions and will have to account for the darker aspects of our past. We will need to understand just how we got to this place, this land of warring factions and tribal hatreds. And we’ll need to remind ourselves, despite all our differences, just how much we share: common hopes, common dreams, a bond that will not break.”
–from
The Audacity of Hope
In July 2004, Barack Obama electrified the Democratic National Convention with an address that spoke to Americans across the political spectrum. One phrase in particular anchored itself in listeners’ minds, a reminder that for all the discord and struggle to be found in our history as a nation, we have always been guided by a dogged optimism in the future, or what Senator Obama called “the audacity of hope.”
Now, in
The Audacity of Hope, Senator Obama calls for a different brand of politics–a politics for those weary of bitter partisanship and alienated by the “endless clash of armies” we see in congress and on the campaign trail; a politics rooted in the faith, inclusiveness, and nobility of spirit at the heart of “our improbable experiment in democracy.” He explores those forces–from the fear of losing to the perpetual need to raise money to the power of the media–that can stifle even the best-intentioned politician. He also writes, with surprising intimacy and self-deprecating humor, about settling in as a senator, seeking to balance the demands of public service and family life, and his own deepening religious commitment.
At the heart of this book is Senator Obama’s vision of how we can move beyond our divisions to tackle concrete problems. He examines the growing economic insecurity of American families, the racial and religious tensions within the body politic, and the transnational threats–from terrorism to pandemic–that gather beyond our shores. And he grapples with the role that faith plays in a democracy–where it is vital and where it must never intrude. Underlying his stories about family, friends, members of the Senate, even the president, is a vigorous search for connection: the foundation for a radically hopeful political consensus.
A senator and a lawyer, a professor and a father, a Christian and a skeptic, and above all a student of history and human nature, Senator Obama has written a book of transforming power. Only by returning to the principles that gave birth to our Constitution, he says, can Americans repair a political process that is broken, and restore to working order a government that has fallen dangerously out of touch with millions of ordinary Americans. Those Americans are out there, he writes–“waiting for Republicans and Democrats to catch up with them.”
Customer Reviews:
A must read!.......2007-10-10
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I read this book a while back, and I re-read it just last week now that Obama is a major Presidential contender. This book is very well written in terms of style and syntax, plus it takes us on a journey of man grappling serioulsy with issues of hope, worth, justice, patriotism and social obligation. It seems that whatever the outcome of the election, Obama believes in decency and hope and has pledged to do his part to make this a better society. It reads well, makes you think and makes you actually glimpse an American living closer to its ideal. This is a must read!
awesome.......2007-10-10
This was am amazing book by an amazing man. Really unique viewpoint and an interesting perspective with which to view American politics. Obama is obviously brilliant and is an American political historian...love that aspect, especially. His passion for this country and making the lives of the American people better shines through on every page. His humility, honesty and humanity are refreshing. He's idealistic, but no doormat. The man has drive and ambition...wonderful qualities for someone looking to make the lives of others better. He's smart, genuine and sees the big picture...what's best for America as a whole. He gives the reader not just his opinions or snippets of American history, but also a candid look at his own personal journey. He's obviously a Democrat, but shows appreciation and admiration for some individual Repbulicans, too. Wonderfully refreshing change from the usual hatemongering between parties that has become the ugly norm in America in recent years.
Obama Stakes Out Centrist Ground.......2007-10-09
I routinely give history books five stars, but I am compelled to limit this one to four. The political manifesto is limited as a genre, and I was not quite ready after Obama's last book to be brought back down to earth. The stories in this book, while by turns sad and funny, are no longer told for their own sakes like the ones in "Dreams from my Father," but to illustrate a point. Still, Obama manages to be polemical without being strident. When they deserve it in his view, he bestows credit and even praise on individual Republicans, and quotes the sage advice that President Bush once gave him -- that he was rising so spectacularly that people on his own side might come to see him as a threat. He also has a lot of praise for his staff members, listing the more senior ones by name and telling stories of things he and they discovered at the same time.
The leading characteristic of this book is that Obama strives to be Informed about every issue he comments on. Accordingly, he attacks those on the extreme poles of the debate on all these issues for encouraging their constituents not to be informed. He will frequently say, in so many words, that while Republicans need to acknowledge X, Democrats equally need to acknowledge Y. The eighth chapter, "The World Beyond Our Borders," indicates even if his more recent rhetoric did not that if you are looking for a candidate who will get our troops out of Iraq quickly, Barack Obama is probably not your man. He reminds me of no one, in fact, so much as Bill Clinton in his knowledgeable approach to the issues, bolstered frequently by statistics.
My favorite chapters were the third chapter -- in which Obama sets forth his view of the Constitution, and talks of his respectful meeting with onetime Klansman Sen. Robert Byrd -- and the sixth chapter, where he talks about religion and his race against Alan Keyes (having discussed most of his other political opponents in the previous four chapters). While he beat Keyes handily, Keyes made him more uncomfortable than the others for his implicit charge that Obama's faith is insincere or "adulterated," the word Obama uses. From this chapter, however, I gleaned that Obama's faith is hard-won. He had higher expectations of religion perhaps than most, a higher threshhold that he insisted it meet before he would embrace it; but he is sincere. Keyes has now entered the Presidential race (his third try for his party's nomination); I suspect that more than anything he wants another crack at Obama. In the last chapter before the epilogue, we see Obama as a family man, a side of him which didn't make it into his first book.
Obama writes far more readable and entertaining books than the Clintons do -- which doesn't necessarily mean he would make a better President than either of them. But I am glad he exists. He is one of those singular people who seek to prove we as a nation are who we say we are. If I was teaching American history in an inner-city school, and was not compelled to use the same books as everyone else in the state, Obama would be one of five or so authors I would assign. (Did I mention his insights on the need to completely restructure public education, shared in the fifth chapter, "Opportunity"? He's a bit short on details of his solution here, however.) As mentioned above, I give this book four stars.
Hope and Compromise.......2007-10-04
I am particularly struck by the contrast of Obama and George W. Bush. Obama stays in touch with the masses by talking in air terminals and wherever he finds them in public. Jim Wallis (author of "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It") comments from his meeting the President:
"And he (George W. Bush) really did listen, more than presidents often do. He also asked questions. One sounded lofty, yet it resonated with those of us seated around the room: 'How do I speak to the soul of America?' My answer to that was simple: Focus on the children. Their plight is our shame, I told him, and their promise is our future. Reach them and you reach our soul. Bush nodded in agreement. The conversation was rich and deep for more than an hour and a half.
When the discussion officially ended, Bush moved around the room, talking with us individually or in small groups for another hour. I could see that his staff was anxious to whisk him away (cabinet appointments were being made that week and there were key departments yet to fill). Yet he lingered and continued to ask questions. At one point, he turned to me and said, with what I could only read as complete sincerity, 'Jim, I don't understand poor people. I've never lived with poor people or been around poor people much. I don't understand what they think and feel about a lot of things. I'm just a white Republican guy who doesn't get it. How do I get it?'"
Here, in Obama's book, Obama is an ordinary American who has entered a lofty position in Washington, but he has not forgotten the people, not only the people of America, but of Indonesia and Kenya as well.
Obama's style is assertive, with a stunning line or two for each chapter.
Still, I believe Obama isn't spot on. When he speaks of hope, for example, the word opportunity would be more exacting and prospective. While Obama speaks of compromise, it would be appropriate to examine areas of agreement, but work towards independent solutions rather than compromise.
A New Kind of Politics.......2007-09-30
"They are out there, I think to myself, those ordinary citizens who have grown up in the midst of all the political and cultural battles.....They are out there, waiting for Republicans and Democrats to catch up with them".
That statement sets the tone for Senator Obama's refreshingly honest look at policy and politics. In this book, you'll find Obama as open to pointing out flaws in conventional liberal thinking as he is to criticizing his opponents on the right. Likewise, he praises certain aspects of Reagan's policy as openly as he criticizes other parts of it, or as openly as he applauds Bill Clinton's policies. Obama's ability to empathize with a differing point of view, yet maintaining a firm belief in his own position is very endearing.
The most interesting aspect of the book, perhaps, is its ability to see today's issues in a historical context. When examining U.S. foreign policy, Obama first walks the reader through the positions taken by Washington, Jefferson, Woodrow Wilson, Nixon, Reagan and others in trying to preserve America's national interests through interventions abroad. Likewise, when looking at the role of faith in American politics, Obama starts by giving the readers a glimpse of the how America's founding fathers thought about these issues, and how the cultural and social changes in the sixties eventually led the religious right to start playing a more active role in politics.
Obama also talks openly about his family, and his experiences while growing up, that have shaped him as a person. While talking about racial issues, he is comfortable talking about personal experiences that offer him hope. He's equally comfortable talking about his initiation into faith, having been brought up by a mother who wasn't religious.
If you're looking to understand the details of policy that Obama would champion if elected President, this book doesn't offer you a lot. However, what it gives you is the framework of beliefs which shape how Obama thinks about politics and policy. It lives true to its title, and offers hope for a new kind of politics, one that would help us all get closer to the American Dream. All in all, a very enjoyable read, and highly recommended.
Book Description
This latest installment in the P.I.G. series provides a provocative, entertaining, and well-documented expose of some of the most shamelessly politicized pseudo-science we are likely to see in our relatively cool lifetimes.
Customer Reviews:
Trolls.......2007-10-12
This book is not only false, but completely irresponsible. The people who wrote this book are probably just a bunch of trolls who are in a tizzy because they don't want to give up their SUV's or their money they are earning from oil.
Good Book.......2007-10-01
It's about time someone brought to light the other side of the story. A must read for liberals.
Exceedingly one-sided attempt to suggest warming is beneficial and/or not man-made.......2007-09-23
The issue of global warming has long been in the news. From the perspective of Australia the issue is critical, as rainfall in my home city of Melbourne has declined by forty percent in the past eleven years. Such a decline is totally unparalleled in the 150 years of instrumental record.
At the same time, the northwest of Australia has seen dramatic increases in rainfall ever since the late 1960s, so much so that seven of its eight wettest years (since 1885) have occurred since 1995.
In this context, even though able usually to listen to anybody (actually, I generally dislike moderate views because they tend to be wishy-washy) it is not possible for me to take most of the claims made by Horner seriously.
Horner's contention, basically, is that global warming is either not man-made or will in the long-term benefit human society. As to the first point, he greatly exaggerates the proportion of greenhouse gases that is naturally occurring. For instance, my prior knowledge of science tell me that it impossible that more than minute quantities (like, say, a few grams per year) of sulfur hexafluoride or other exceedingly potent fluorine-containing greenhouse gases could be naturally produced each year. Because there is no natural sink for them, natural production of fluorine-containing greenhouse gases in the quantities asserted by Horner would inevitably turn the Earth into an inferno with temperatures hot enough, say, to melt copper. He also understates the proportion of other greenhouse gases that are man-made, notably carbon dioxide where emissions from combustion are far greater than those from biological decay, fires, volcanoes and oceanic release.
Horner's viewpoints about the extent and effects of global warming are also very poorly done. For instance, he suggests that increases in global temperatures have been due to closures of stations in the Russian Arctic. As a person with knowledge of how mean temperatures for an area are calculated, I know well that is unlikely unless every single station in Arctic Russia was closed (which is not what he says): the few that remain would be always given greater weight owing to the large areas they represent and the closures would not affect the average. Although he rightly asserts that the Southern Hemisphere is warming much less than the Northern, my knowledge of Australian climatology suggests this is almost certainly due to the large increases in rainfall that have occurred not only over pastoral areas of Western Australia but also in similar latitudes of South America. Large increases in rainfall naturally lead to reduced temperatures because it has become much cloudier. For example, 2000, whilst the fifth warmest year on record globally, was one of the coolest on record in pastoral areas of Western Australia owing to general record-breaking annual rainfall. In areas of Australia that have dried out, there has been as much warming as in the Northern Hemisphere.
Horners' idea about the question of "global cooling" is similarly weak. The issue rose form the fact that it was thought upon studying previous glacial-interglacial cycles where 10,000 years of interglacial were followed by 90,000 years of glacial that we were near the end of the Holocene and that the next ice age was due to begin soon. Recent data show that we are moving towards an era of longer - but cooler - interglacials (and relatively shorter, less cold glacial periods).
Horner's other chief thesis is that warming always benefits civilisations. He cites the effects of the Medieval Warm Period upon European civilisation as an example - for instance the settlement of Greenland by the Norse and its ending with cooling and the Little Ice Age. However, there is little evidence that this rule holds in hotter and more fragile environments. For instance, the Hohokam of Arizona declined after reaching a peak in the eighth century just before the Medieval Warm Period, and some Mesoamerican societies also declined from the ninth century, apparently due to climate change. In any case, because many areas that are major agricultural regions today were not farmed in the Middle Ages, comparisons are not possible.
Horner's viewpoint that reducing greenhouse emissions would be immensely costly is also impossible to accept. Government welfare to polluting corporations is extremely large, as are budgets for building utterly unnecessary freeways. These could easily be completely redirected to supporting renewable energy and public transit at great benefit to everybody except some exceedingly powerful vested interests in car and fossil fuel corporations. Although Horner is actually right in saying the US' per capita emissions show greater decline than Europe's, the difference is not significant and if it reflects anything at all, it is probably the greater willingness of Americans to accept less comfortable lifestyles.
The way in which Horner accepts only the evidence that suits his viewpoints is really the worst kind of science you will ever see. It recurs time and time against throughout this book and for this reason alone I would not recommend "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming".
What the media won't tell you about this farce called globla warming.......2007-09-22
This book covers all the stuff you need to know to become informed about so called global warming. Yes the climate does change but it is cyclic not due to man made causes!!!! The powers that be that worship this religion are only in it to pick your pockets and gain power!!!
It is a fallacy that man is causing this to the degree that the greens and the great Goreacle want you to believe.
Read this and become informed to put to rest the misinformation that they want you to believe.
Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming is Well Written.......2007-09-22
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Global Warming answers the unscientific and alarmist notions by Al Gore and the environmentalists. The book proposes reasoned thought instead of arm-waving and rhetoric. It proposes that no science is "settled" and everything is still open to question and should be studied in order to improve the human condition. The human condition can be improved by studying the previous history of the planet,finding out how the environment changed and adapted through time and various challenges. Tne human condition cannot be improved by adopting some apocalyptic measures thought out at 2 A.M. and not reexamined in the light of day.
Book Description
“Politics is stuck,” writes Bill Bradley, in this insightful, informative, and provocative book about America at a crossroads, but “idealism isn’t dead. It can be reawakened.”
What will it take to make America a better, stronger, truer country? asks the bestselling author, former Knicks star, and onetime presidential candidate. Bill Bradley believes that America is at a teachable moment when we are compelled to reevaluate our political system, our leadership, our agenda as a nation, and ourselves as citizens. With clarity and urgency, Bradley shows why the story we are being told now about who we are as a people is not true. He then offers a new story about our nation, based on America’s rich heritage and his belief in the character of the American people. Bradley explores what changes need to be made in our parties, in our politics, and in citizen activism to ensure America’s future. He asserts that the American people are ready for the truth and suggests that the party that chooses to embrace this new story will be in power for a generation.
Writing from his own experience in politics and drawing on his knowledge of history, Bradley shows how the Republican Party has built a solid pyramid structure since the 1970s, at the base of which are money, ideas, and media, whereas the Democratic Party’s structure is an inverted pyramid, with too much emphasis put on the need for a charismatic leader to hold the pyramid up. Each party, for different reasons, fails to deal with the real issues that now confront America.
This informed and inspiring call to action is addressed not only to the parties and elected leaders, but to citizens as well. Bradley proposes things every American can do to shape our nation’s future. He points out that if eighty percent of the electorate voted, instead of fifty percent, it would be the most important change in American politics since women got the vote. Now more than ever, he says, we need to embrace an “ethic of connectedness,” a combination of
collective action and individual responsibility, to solve our nation’s most pressing
problems, and he argues that the fate of all countries is bound together as never before. Writing today with the freedom of a private citizen, Bradley provides this transformative and eye-opening book about the danger and the promise of America’s choice at this crucial moment in the nation’s history.
Customer Reviews:
A "HOW-TO" for citizenship and political leadership.......2007-09-29
Why should you read this?
- If you care about our democracy and want to help make it strong again
- If you want to understand the big domestic challenges we face today
- If you want thoughtful proposals to addresses those challenges
- If you want to better the understand the Democratic and Republican parties; what makes them function, what makes them DYSFUNCTIONAL
- If you want to hear an insider's take on what makes our democracy tick, what makes it great, and what threatens its survival
This is a terrific book. If I had the money, I'd buy one for every member of Congress.
I listened to this book unabridged on audio, narrated by Michael Prichard. He does a good job capturing Bill Bradley's dignity, but to my ear doesn't quite capture his enthusiasm and passion for good government.
excellent.......2007-08-28
bradley is a truly brilliant man. the book is filled with hundreds of good ideas. hopefully he will stay involved in politics. the problem is that the people who need to read this book will not. our government is controlled by big business and greedy men with their own agendas. how soon is that going to change? i highly reccomend this book.
Call to Greatness.......2007-08-20
You'd swear Bill Bradley was running for office or dashing down court for a breakaway three-pointer. This one-time presidential contender and New York Knicks superstar writes with the energy and urgency of a man on a mission.
Read his book, The New American Story, and you'll be tempted to join him. Bradley has issued a powerful call to action--one that promises to rescue our nation from political infighting and restore America's leadership role in the world.
His is not a story of military might and moral superiority; it is the story of our nation's founding principles, written by the men and women whose active engagement at pivotal points in history assured the country lived up to its highest ideals.
We have a choice before us that could transcend our current state of affairs, says Bradley. A choice that puts country over political party, the common good over the distracting issues that divide us.
One of our nation's most admired leaders--Abraham Lincoln--knew a thing or two about bringing a divided nation together. When he was president, Lincoln would often sneak out of the White House on Wednesday nights to hear sermons of a well-known preacher at the New York Presbyterian Church. One night, an aide asked Lincoln what he had thought of the sermon. "The content was excellent. The minister had a strong voice and a good delivery," said Lincoln, pausing. "But he forgot the most important part. He didn't ask us to do something great."
Bill Bradley is asking us to do something great.
"The answers to our problems rest in our hearts as well as in our heads," Bradley says in the introduction to his book, "and until we understand that, we'll make marginal improvements, but we won't make the quantum leaps that our Founders made and hoped we would continue."
I am drawn to stories of ordinary Americans who overcame obstacles to achieve great things. Freedom fighters on the Underground Railroad. Journalists who exposed unethical business practices at the turn of the 20th century. The immigrants who built our transcontinental railroad. A country lawyer who became a United States Supreme Court Justice, America's chief prosecutor of Nazi War criminals, and the founder of international law. These are the stories I want people around the world to know about when they think of America and its unique contributions to the world. That's why my husband and I make historical documentaries for a living.
Bill Bradley's book had me from hello, or at least from the moment I read the book jacket blurbs written by David McCullough, David Halberstam, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Robert A. Caro, all Pulitzer Prize winners. Because I love history, and because I believe in the strength of our nation's collective character, I kept on reading.
There is no question the bold policies outlined in Bill Bradley's book will be hotly debated in the coming weeks. He takes both political parties to task, taking aim at the current administration's policies with the finesse of a seasoned athlete and senator. And while I don't agree with every single one of Bradley's strategies on health care, education, environment, tax reform, and national defense, if this American story is to have a happy ending, I, like all other Americans, will have to look for common ground, and make sacrifices for the greater good.
Bill Bradley has faith that, given the right information--the true American story--we will do the right thing.
Current state of affairs for the middle class .......2007-08-07
I confess I have read many other books on the current status quo and state of politics in our country before reading this book. If you have too, this may be a bit repetitive as most issues have been discussed before. What I do like about Bill Bradley's book is it is not simply a laundry list of complaints. He offers at the end of each chapter (designated to each issue) some thought out solutions. This is a good book for eye-opening for our major issues - health care, education, energy... and would recommend it to readers who want to learn more about the who, what and why our social issues are being ignored by government. I also recommend "War on the Middle Class" by Lou Dobbs or "Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class -- And What We Can Do About It" by Thom Hartmann. I enjoyed reading those a little more.
Long-winded and Confusing Story.......2007-07-29
I'll confess right up front that I haven't finished the book yet, and I'll update this review when I do. I'm still slogging through lengthy, wandering passages that fail to make any points. I keep waiting for any kind of "here's a solution" or "here's what we should do" sentence, but I have yet to find one. He spends a lot of pages in the first 25% of the book telling the reader about the "story" that he says we're being told -- by whom? On every issue he seems to pick the most extreme right-wing position as representative of this "story" rather than the positions that the majority of Republicans and conservatives hold. And thus far all he's offered for his "new story" is idealistic pie-in-the-sky notions with no plan to get there. I trust that he gets there in the second half of the book.
Just one example of the poor writing and editing: In the section titled "Inequality" in chapter on The Economy, he goes on for quite a while about financial inequality, then about globalization and technological change, finally claiming that you can no longer get ahead by working hard. He then admits that that there is no way around benefiting the wealthy if you want to encourage investment. And then this sentence:
"But there is no excuse for failing to conduct rigorous oversight of and increase resources to education ... which in the long run will result in ... greater equality."
Okay, he tied it back into equality, but how did he suddenly switch from tax cuts and investing and unions to education in the middle of the same paragraph? Where did this out-of-the-blue accusation come from that someone isn't overseeing and funding education? I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with that accusation, just pointing out that it's completely out of place in any kind of logical or narrative flow.
And so goes this story so far. I'll keep at it and hope the writing and presentation of ideas tightens up. Maybe his publisher paid him by the word...
Book Description
With his characteristic investigative eye and Menckenesque prose,
R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. sheds new light on Bill Clinton's post-presidential emotional depression, globe trotting and international deal-making, financial ties to China and the United Arab Emirates, ongoing womanizing, vital support role in Hillary Clinton's anticipated run for the White House, and possible role as America's first "First Man."
Customer Reviews:
Tyrell: American Sphincter.......2007-09-19
Moron Tyrell is yet another wingnut who can't accept that Clinton is gone. They must all have a secret yearning for Hillary in '08 to make their pathetic lives seem worthwhile. Maybe they're all in denial after seven years of G. W. Dumbass and the weekly scandals of his crooks and cronies.
Clinton Crackup.......2007-09-19
While I hated to see Clinton move into the presidency, and, of course, hated his actions even more following Lewinsky, it's a wonder that we still have a country at all. I most certainly would not buy anything that might give him (or her, for that matter) any type of grace, and only scanned the pages at a local bookstore. That was quite enough for me, thank you very much. Now, unfortunately, it looks as though Miseries Clinton might be our next president. Hold onto your wallets, people!
Well done - Emmett needs a thesaurus though.......2007-09-07
No secret that Tyrrell does not like the Clintons. Somehow, those supporting Clinton have a big problem with a book like this and have NO problem with books claiming Bush knew about 9/11, Bush is in tight with the Saudis, etc.
If nothing else, this book is VERY thorough. There were times when I was reading it that I thought "How did the editor let THAT stay in the book?"
Tyrrell has a habit of writing to an MBA level. Which I guess is ok but there are those of us who, while having a complete control of the English language, we don't feel the need to try to impress people with it.
So many times, I read this thinking the author could have used a different word to mean the same thing and not come across as high-brow. Bill Buckley can get away with - he's about the only one.
Bottom line - the book is solid reading, powerful, and damning to Bill and Hillary.
Too Much of the Clintons is Never Enough.......2007-08-30
Sure, the title is hyperbolic, the writing has little of that flinty incisiveness of muckrakers like Tarbell and Sinclair, a good deal of the material is old news, the editing could have been better, but, oh, what fun! For political junkies like me, Our Bill and his lovely Life Partner are simply the gifts that keep on giving. As the wide diversity and vigor of reviewers' reactions demonstrate, love 'em or hate 'em, they are simply fascinating.
Now, one can't expect the shenanigans of Post-Prez Bill to be as interesting as his time in the Oval Office if only because, for instance, there has bobbed to the surface no stained women's clothing--yet. Nonetheless, the mind reels and the spirit soars as Tyrrell not only revisits the low crimes and misde-wieners of the Clintons' time in the Arkansas governor's mansion and the White House, but takes us on a poignant tour of Our Bill's meanderings in the real world, i.e., the world where his only power derives from political suasion and the relentless pursuit of greater wealth. If nothing else, Tyrrell's listing of the President's last-minute pardons and commutations, complete with the crimes committed by those receiving those astonishing absolutions, is worth the price of admission. No one, least of all Bill himself, has ever explained or rationalized how these low-lives deserved legal reclamation, justifying the inevitable conclusion of critics then and now that they were exchanged for past, present, or future consideration, much of it brokered by the Clinton and Rodham siblings.
And then there's Hillary. Just as I conclude my reading, what breaks but another campaign contribution imbroglio involving The Hill. Turns out that Norman Hsu, one of the Mrs.'s large contributors for the last several years, is a wanted fugitive from California justice and is somehow related to the Paw family of Daly City, several members of whom have made contributions coincident with those of Mr. Hsu which may or may not have been illegally funded by the latter. Mr. Paw, also Chinese, is a mail carrier, and yet the family has somehow found 45 G's to give to The Hill. The eyes tear and the throat constricts with mirth as one of the Paw family members turns out to be named Winkle. (Does the Supreme Being stay up at night devising names for those involved in Clinton scandals, you know the rich Marc Rich, et al? Does Winkle have siblings named Blinkle and Nod? But I digress.)
Astute readers will recall that Our Bill had some problems with Chinese contributors during his reign. One might have thought that those painful experiences would have convinced the Clintons they should limit their Chinese contacts to calling for take-out, but I guess not.
I'm not saying your life won't be complete if you don't read this book, but I found it a very enjoyable meander through these troubled lives. Think of it as a between-meal snack as we await The Hill's nomination for the presidency. Then it can serve as a reference point for the inevitable--and entirely justified--dredging up of the Clinton scandals by the Hillary Haters. Pray with me to the political gods that all this comes to pass: it will be a great 2008!
The Clinton Crackup.......2007-08-23
I have read the book. Tyrell is a gifted writer who records the continuing docu-drama of Bill Clinton's life. Coming away from this book there is the sense of flawed personality aspects outweighing good ones. I,too, wonder why people continue to find Clinton viable, attractive and charming. He is much to be pitied. Are Bill and Hillary a sign of the times - the narcissistic epitome of anything goes?
What Bill does fascinates us all - some love him, some don't. He "is" a national security leak and the continuing saga confirms it. One thing the book makes clear - if you set your sights on a particular goal and then
work towards it you will achieve it. Bill and Hillary had been working a long time to achieve their ambition. Though he did not win by a majority, other forces helped in the achievement of Bill's amibition.
These 2 people are very focused individuals. The truth of their lives is appallingly clear. If we are a product of our times, what does that say
about the kind of people we elect to high office. And how did we get to this cultural state of affairs.
Book Description
This easy-to-read book emphasizes how to use basic economic theory and where to apply it to international economic issues. It empowers readers to understand the international economics they will encounter in business publications such as the Wall Street Journal, and to use international economics to make business decisions.
The first half of the book covers international trade, factor movements, and trade and economic development; the final ten chapters on international finance can be divided into at least three parts: national income accounting and exchange rate determination; purchasing power parity and the real exchange rate; and open economy macroeconomics.
A useful reference for government officials dealing with international trade and finance issues, and for private citizens who want to learn more about the effect of international economics on business in the 21
st century.
Customer Reviews:
Simplified, but not dumbed-down.......2007-07-09
I found this text to be an excellent introduction to international economics, especially for a student who is not an economics major. As a business and political science student, I found the text simplified many of the concepts to a point that was understandable but not insulting. Moreover, the range of topics was perfect for a semester.
My takeaways from the text were:
-The scope and content of international trade.
-Why international trade is important and beneficial.
-Absolute vs. Comparative Advantage.
-The barriers of trade, and their effects at the macro- and micro-economic level.
-National income accounting and Balance of Payments.
-Introduction to International Financial Markets.
-An overview of trade agreements, especially the WTO.
The text built a solid foundation. The companion website to the book really helped me understand the information on a broader level, and was an invaluable tool in finding great sources for my research.
Book Description
Bill O’Reilly is the very embodiment of the idea of a Culture Warrior—and in this book he lives up to the title brilliantly, with all the brashness and forthrightness at his command. He sees that America is in the midst of a fierce culture war between those who embrace traditional values and those who want to change America into a “secular-progressive” country. This is a conflict that differs in many ways from the usual liberal/conservative divide, but it is no less heated, and the stakes are even higher.
In Culture Warrior, Bill O’Reilly defines this war and analyzes the competing philosophies of the traditionalist and secular-progressive camps. He examines why the nation’s motto “E Pluribus Unum” (“From Many, One”) might change to “What About Me?”; dissects the forces driving the secular-progressive agenda in the media and behind the scenes, including George Soros, George Lakoff, and the ACLU; and dives into matters of race, education, and the war on terror. He also shows how the culture war has played out in such high-profile instances as The Passion of the Christ, Fahrenheit 9/11, the abuse epidemic (child and otherwise), and the embattled place of religion in public life—with special emphasis on the war against Christmas. Whatever controversies are roiling the nation, he fearlessly confronts them—and no one will be in the dark about which side he’s on.
Culture Warrior showcases Bill O’Reilly at his most eloquent and impassioned. He is an unrelenting fighter for the soul of America, and in this book he fights the good fight for the traditional values that have served this country so well for so long.
Customer Reviews:
Boot-licking propaganda pimp.......2007-10-16
One hardly knows whether to laugh or cry. It is a little frightening to know there are people out there that can put their clothes on and food in their mouth, and actually give attention to the likes of O'Reilly and Coulter. What pathetic little tics full of drivel, I mean, just look at the guy.....freak supreme. If this is your cup of tea, please consider thinking for yourself and waking up a bit and try something sane and reasonable, compassionate and loving, creative and expansive for a change. Otherwise, see you in Hell.
Eye Opener.......2007-10-14
This book will definitely give you a different perspective when you view the news media. There is a lot of truth here!
interesting read.......2007-09-27
Well written book. I'm not sure of the validity of all the things he talks about because he is often defending himself, but I think he makes some very smart points. I can see some of the effects of the sp movement that Bill mentions in his book almost everyday.
Bill's strawman.......2007-09-25
Mr O'Reilly is somewhat of an enigma to me. I find his show entertaining. He sometimes speaks very rationally about current issues and presents his point of view very reasonably. But there are times when he appears to let his emotions completely overrule his logic, and then he looks foolish and petty. So it is with "Culture Warrior."
Bill blames nearly all of America's ills on secular progressives. The S-P movement (according to O'Reilly) wants to completely dismantle all that is good and replace it with atheistic, socialist programs that would undermine America's moral fiber and promote malaise and complacency.
Pure bunk! The truth of the matter is that Bill's Republican Party has held the White House for all but 12 years since 1968. In all this time, the party of "family values" and "personal responsibility" has done little, if anything, to improve our nation's social problems. A good argument could be made that many of those problems have actually gotten worse. And yet, here's Bill trying to shift the blame to some small minority of the population with practically no political power.
Of course, he's preaching to the choir with his simplistic scapegoating. If you're a Fox news fan and an O'Reilly-phile, you'll no doubt be blind to his flaws in logic and his stretching of the facts.
I would love to have Bill as a dad .......2007-09-16
My grandma read me this book.I thought it was good and it's fun too.It never gets boring and I feel like he is the greatest guy in the world.My grandma says she will read all the books he writes to me and that will make me real happy and I'm looking forward to that.
Book Description
The history of America's political, military, and intellectual involvement in the Middle East from George Washington to George W. Bush.
From the first cannonballs fired by American warships at North African pirates to the conquest of Falluja by the Marines—from the early American explorers who probed the sources of the Nile to the diplomats who strove for Arab-Israeli peace—the United States has been dramatically involved in the Middle East. For well over two centuries, American statesmen, merchants, and missionaries, both men and women, have had a profound impact on the shaping of this crucial region. Yet their story has never been told until now. Drawing on thousands of government documents and personal letters, featuring original maps and over sixty photographs, this book reconstructs the diverse and remarkable ways in which Americans have interacted with this alluring yet often hostile land stretching from Morocco to Iran, from the Persian Gulf to the Bosporus. Covering over 230 years of history, Power, Faith, and Fantasy is an indispensable work for anyone interested in understanding the roots of America's Middle East involvement today. 68 illustrations; 4 maps.
Customer Reviews:
A Bumpy Magic Carpet Ride.......2007-09-29
Michael B. Oren makes history come to life in this saga that begins and ends with Dartmouth.
John Ledyard fled Dartmouth to escape a life in the ministry and circuitously sailed and debarked ships until Eurpoean connections landed him in Egypt, where he explored the Nile. Nathaniel Fick graduated from Dartmouth and became a Marine Corps Captain, where he also landed in Egypt as a stopover before being stationed in Kuwait and fighting in Iraq.
Covering the two centuries between, Oren leads us through a parade of U.S. Presidents, beginning with those faced with Barbary State piracy, imprisonment and ransom demands made on a spanking new nation with no navy. The transformation to a vital young power with its own "sea legs" is neither slick nor linear, with a few tragi-comic hiccoughs along the way.
Oren takes us through the stages of fascination with the exotic Middle East, brought to us with an admixture of horror from the likes of Herman Melville and Mark Twain; and Oren holds the mirror up to our eyes to behold tourists in parasols vandalising ruins for souvenirs, a parade of mutual shock and awe working both was between the visitors and the host natives.
We sit in on the plans of Christian restorationists, zealously dedicated to hastening the re-settlement of Jews in a Palestinian homeland of their own; and we are invited to explore the reactions of Palestines existing populations. Missionaries abound in a geographical setting were proselytizing might cost one his head. We also meet the likes of Samuel Marinus Zwemer and Hannibal Hamlin, who prefer reaching out to young Middle Eastern minds rather than capturing their souls, with marvelous, lasting effects and long-term economic benefits to the United States.
Oren weaves a tapestry of the real and the imgined, and the enhanced: Lawrence of Arabia, "A Thousand and One Arabian Nights," Little Egypt, "Innocents Abroad," and Sol Bloom's Cairo recreation at the Chicago Columbian Exposition of 1893.
Oren gives us a slide show, a side show and living history, ever taking care to counterbalance each perceptable bias with a counterweight, exploring both [all] sides of this sometime blinding prism.
The book is a must for one who wants a sound, vibrant social history of human relations in the Middle East, replete with promising and failed strategies. For those deeply academic history purists who like their history "straight," that's fine - this gives you some mahogany, a place to rest your glass.
I loved this book.......2007-09-25
I loved this book. There was so much to learn.
One thing is clear.... the Muslims can never be trusted, should never be trusted.
The disaster that is our Arabist State Department is testiment to what happens when money is put before what is right.
Understanding the depth and length of American Mideast involvement.......2007-09-09
The first remarkable thing about this very remarkable book is that it traces an over two- hundred year involvement of the U.S. with the Middle East which most people, including myself, did not really know very much about. It shows that in the early days of the U.S. it was involved in dealing with a threat of blackmail and terror from the Barbary Pirates, not unlike those faced today. President Jefferson quite heroically at that time refused to give in to the blackmail, and pay protection money to the pirates as he saw there would be no end to it. Instead he took the action to create a U.S. Naval Force which would operate far from home, and which eventually did lift this threat to America's trade and commerce.
Oren looks at the power relations between the U.S. and the Middle East, but also looks at the part 'faith' has played. Here he reveals just how long the American involvement in working toward a Jewish restoration in the Holy Land was. It preceded that of the modern Zionist movement. He also shows how Faith led to American involvement in other areas of the Middle East, for instance in building the American Universities in Beirut and Egypt. One irony of this story is that the generation of founding Zionist Christians often had descendants who would become opponents of the cause of Jewish restoration.
Oren also looks at the role of Myth, the often romanticized and unrealistic way in which Americans have seen the Middle East.
He is a wonderful storyteller, and a very judicious and careful scholar. While he certainly reveals sympathy to the role of the Americans in helping establish a Jewish state, he by no means paints the relations as uniform and simple. He indicates numerous instances where American leaders have worked against the policies Israel considered to be in its best interest. He tells in a fascinating way of how President Truman against the advice of all his most powerful advisors, made the decision to support the founding of the Jewish state.
Oren provides a tremendous amount of interesting information which will be new to most readers. His account of the Melville and Twain visits to the Holy Land are a prime example of this.
This is a wonderful, highly readable and informative book which should be in the library of everyone who wishes to understand the role of America in the Middle East.
A Very Good Read.......2007-09-05
I bought this book expecting an insightful book, and the content filled my expectations. The author does a sufficient job in providing information without being dry and most importantly, with little detectable bias. With a topic like this, it would be prudent to be a little reserved regardless of the authors background but there was no propaganda involved. Overall it is a good read, smooth flow, continuity and can make you feel a little more knowledgeable apart from what you hear on the news every day.
Nothing New Under the Desert Sun.......2007-08-28
Bewitched, bothered and bewildered because most Muslims in the Middle East seem to hate Americans? Take comfort from the fact that most of them have hated most of us for at least the two hundred years we have sought to engage them. We have preached, pleaded, prodded, provoked and punished, and nothing has worked for any length of time. As this and many other works on relations between Muslims and the "Infidels" have demonstrated beyond doubt, we persist in believing not only that we can convert them to our religious views, but that there is a good chance that we can all "get along", you know, "live and let live".
The main reason is our refusal to acknowledge that Islam is as much a political as a religious regimen. Politcally and religiously, it has always provided for the accommodation of Christians and Jews: they must pay a tax for living in a Muslim hegemony and acknowledge its supremacy. What could be simpler?
Further, "democracy" is as foreign to the Middle Eastern Muslim mind as the concept of religious tolerance. It is no accident that in the Middle East the only democracy worthy of the name is that of Israel nor that the price Israel and the rest of the world have paid for the novelty is the seemingly perpetual unrest that literally surrounds the country.
The principal value of this wonderfully well-written book is to demonstrate and explain America's long history of involvement in the Middle East which dates back a lot longer than most, even well-informed, readers will have guessed. Its principal-if implicit-message is that there's much of that history yet to be written and, by extension, that out inevitable further exertions are not likely to be any more consistent or consistently fruitful than have our previous endeavors. While some readers (including me) might weary a bit of the extended discussion of our early, mostly military and missionary, involvement, dating back to the turn of the 19th Century, it proves central not only to Oren's wide-screen view of that involvement over the intevening period, but also crucial to his examination of our motives and missteps. The aptness of the title, "Power, Faith, and Fantasy", may be demonstrated in our current situation in Iraq: we had the power to oust Saddam and his army in short order; the Administration's faith in the rightness of our cause was sincere and well-intended; and the chimera of a democratic government in Iraq serving to light and lead the benighted Middle East will turn out to be pure fantasy. I would venture that neither we nor our children will live to see a peaceful Middle East at harmony with the world. But this book makes a very valuable contribution to understanding why that is true. Fell better now?
Book Description
Singer and Avery present in popular language supported by in-depth scientific evidence the compelling concept that global temperatures have been rising mostly or entirely because of a natural cycle. Unstoppable Global Warming explains why we're warming, why it's not very dangerous, and why we can't stop it anyway.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2007-10-17
Fred Singer tells it like it is. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for the facts of global warming rather than the hype.
Singer is truly a gem.
Enjoyable Read.......2007-10-16
Back in the late 70's when I was in college, I started out majoring in Environmental Earth Science. Before coming to my senses and switching to something more practical, one of the things I remember (besides those endless field trips measuring pollution levels in streams) was all of the talk about the impending next ice age.
Several pleasant decades of ignorance followed. In the last few years, I started comparing my recollections of those convincing lecturers with the human-powered global warming alarmists, now in fashion.
Funny how similar and tenuous![The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21VA47B370L.jpg)
History
| Subjects
| Books
| Africa
| Americas
| Ancient
| Arctic & Antarctica
| Asia
| Audiobooks
| Australia & Oceania
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Europe
| Gay & Lesbian
| Historical Study
| Large Print
| Middle East
| Military
| Military Science
| Russia
| United States
| World
![Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0061234001.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
