The World Is Flat - A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century [Import] [Paperback]

Thomas L. Friedman (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 593 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books; First Edition Thus edition (2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141022728
• ISBN-13: 978-0141022727
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,570,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Thomas L. Friedman has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize three times for his work with The New York Times, where he serves as the foreign affairs columnist. Read by everyone from small-business owners to President Obama, Hot, Flat, and Crowded was an international bestseller in hardcover. Friedman is also the author of From Beirut to Jerusalem (1989), The Lexus and the Olive Tree (1999), Longitudes and Attitudes (2002), and The World is Flat (2005). He lives in Bethesda, Maryland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Long winded, April 2, 2008

By 

reenum (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World is Flat (Paperback)

Friedman's points are well taken. Globalization has taken over the world and it is interesting how much more connected the world is today.

My problem with this book is that Friedman doesn't make his points succinctly. After reading to page 300, I see no reason why this book should be as long as it is. Friedman's long windedness causes him to use 500 words when 50 would be appropriate.

For this reason, I lost interest and abandoned this book.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Winning in a new era, September 23, 2006

By 

Ilya Grigorik "igrigorik" (San Francisco, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The World Is Flat - A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century (Paperback)

Perhaps it was not meant as one, but I found this book to be great source of inspiration and motivation. As a graduating computer science student I could identify with many sociological and technological trends identified and discussed by Thomas Friedman.

From the impact of the 'digital convergence' (internet, primarily) in our recent years which has fueled great 'horizontal collaboration' and emergence of 'Web 2.0' to the shortfalls of our educational systems and rise of China and India - all of these factors are working together in intricate ways to reshape our world. It's a book meant to be read with an open mind and fair dose of introspection. The era of the knowledge worker is passing and we need to re-brand ourselves to succeed; in many ways it's harder because of the greater competition, but in many ways it can also be far more rewarding if we position ourselves correctly.

I've recommended this book to a number of my classmates and received positive feedback from everyone that picked it up. It's a rewarding read and well worth the time. "A Whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink and Chris Anderson's "The Long Tail" complement this book well, all building on the same observations. Whether you're on the brink of joining the workforce like myself, or looking into advancing your career, these are indispensable resources.

3.0 out of 5 stars Far from complete., July 6, 2008

By 

Surianarayanan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The World is Flat (Paperback)

I think this book is OK but far from complete, Let see here..

Pros -
- Comparatively detailed analysis on offshoring, near-shore centers.
- Explains well about the corporate needs - References to Dell, Wal-Mart and explain why they need it (including supply chain). Both are good examples today's corporate operating modalities.
- Gives a new perspective of offshoring, if you look at carefully. With the economic dynamics of developing nations, the offshoring model will continue to exist, BUT it may not be just one country/continent - It will go where most cost effective.

Cons -
- I'm not sure why so much references to Al-Qaida, baffles why economic book need so much reference about this org - not much helping to point. It's just verbose
- Too much optimism added on the offshoring/India, but there are places where it burned the US corporations. This shows shallow view on the Authors understanding in Indian model.
- Too much reference quite a few companies
- Nothing specific about where the offshore will move to next generation of it, just explains current and past - More like a history text rather than future vision incubator.

- Suria