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cehtempleton's review against another edition
2.0
ugh... great ideas, Friedman, but stick to the op-ed length!
sherming's review against another edition
4.0
I'm about half way through this and so far this is a much more productive read for me than Friedman's earlier "The World is Flat." The book is at different turns disturbing, depressing, and yet inspiring and somewhat hopeful. This will definitely be on my recommendation list for anyone who cares about the future of the USA and the world.
bluenicorn's review against another edition
1.0
Um... I'm on page 3 and bored out of my mind.
Alright, I don't feel so bad- out of my book group, the three who came admitted that they didn't read this, and the other guy outright told me he would not be coming- and he's always there.
It's not an awful book- but these were the common complaints:
1. It was too scary- people don't want doomsdaying, they want solutions- and upfront.
2. It was boring.
3. It was not made relevant to our lives.
4. Some of his "solutions" were overly simplistic (fix the energy problem in Africa, and then AIDS won't be a problem? I've oversimplified, but that was one that the group just didn't buy)
So what I did was read my favorite Nancy Pearl-ism (from Book Lust): (Paraphrased)Don't finish a book that you don't enjoy just because you feel obligated to read it. If "everyone" loves a book, but after 70 pages you want to beat yourself over the head with the book, DON'T KEEP READING!! There are too many other books out there that you will fall in love with- don't waste your time on ones you don't. You can come back to it later, but don't feel obligated!
End of rant.
Alright, I don't feel so bad- out of my book group, the three who came admitted that they didn't read this, and the other guy outright told me he would not be coming- and he's always there.
It's not an awful book- but these were the common complaints:
1. It was too scary- people don't want doomsdaying, they want solutions- and upfront.
2. It was boring.
3. It was not made relevant to our lives.
4. Some of his "solutions" were overly simplistic (fix the energy problem in Africa, and then AIDS won't be a problem? I've oversimplified, but that was one that the group just didn't buy)
So what I did was read my favorite Nancy Pearl-ism (from Book Lust): (Paraphrased)Don't finish a book that you don't enjoy just because you feel obligated to read it. If "everyone" loves a book, but after 70 pages you want to beat yourself over the head with the book, DON'T KEEP READING!! There are too many other books out there that you will fall in love with- don't waste your time on ones you don't. You can come back to it later, but don't feel obligated!
End of rant.
caleb_perkins's review against another edition
4.0
Hot, flat, and crowded was good overall. However, it was a little long winded.
ljcostel's review against another edition
1.0
Enjoyed the first ~75 pages, then he went off on Islam and I tuned out. Abandoned
scottkirkwood's review against another edition
4.0
I'm still reading this book, but I'm disappointed with his section on 'crowded'.
Friedman mentions (correctly) that there will be 9.6 billion people on the planet in 2053. What he fails to mention is that 9.6 is probably going to be the maximum population and that from then on will slowly decline to less than 9.6.
Not mentioning this makes it appear that the population will continue to grow for ever larger for those who aren't up on their demographics.
The book is also preaching to Americans, which I'm not - so the whole book comes off a little whiny to me.
Friedman mentions (correctly) that there will be 9.6 billion people on the planet in 2053. What he fails to mention is that 9.6 is probably going to be the maximum population and that from then on will slowly decline to less than 9.6.
Not mentioning this makes it appear that the population will continue to grow for ever larger for those who aren't up on their demographics.
The book is also preaching to Americans, which I'm not - so the whole book comes off a little whiny to me.
vladco's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent writing (clear, vivid, entertaining) full of anecdotes and data. Better written than most books that cover these issues. And that's its flaw. Many books cover these same topics, and though none of the rest are as well written as this one, this book doesn't advance more effective proposals, nor does it necessarily arrive at any unique insight about how to deal with the problem of our failure as a species to address climate change or its impacts. I don't expect a miracle fix, but I'm still hoping for someone that can preach beyond the ranks of the already converted. We don't have that voice yet.
boureemusique's review against another edition
3.0
The first half drove me mad with the repetition, and the second half was good, inspiring stuff. Sadly, the 1 and 2 star moments equaled the 4 and 5 star moments, so this book evens out. I recommend skimming the second half if you want a pick-me-up.
barrysweezey's review against another edition
Carbon tax, "energy internet", efficiency, and protecting ecological hot spots: these can be to America's competitive advantage.