The World Is Flat

Further Updated and Expanded

By: Thomas L. Friedman

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 27 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

When scholars write the history of the world twenty years from now, what will they say was the most crucial development in the first few years of the twenty-first century? The attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 and the Iraq war? Or the convergence of technology and events that allowed India, China, and so many other countries to become part of the global supply chain for services and manufacturing, creating an explosion of wealth in the middle classes of the world's two biggest nations? And with this "flattening" of the globe, has the world gotten too small and too fast for human beings and their political systems to adjust in a stable manner?

©2007 Thomas L. Friedman (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

Critic reviews

“Excellent...[This book's] insight is true and deeply important... The metaphor of a flat world, used by Friedman to describe the next phase of globalization, is ingenious.” —Fareed Zakaria, The New York Times Book Review (cover review)

“Captivating . . . an enthralling read. To his great credit, Friedman embraces much of his flat world's complexity, and his reporting brings to vibrant life some beguiling characters and trends. . . . [The World is Flat] is also more lively, provocative, and sophisticated than the overwhelming bulk of foreign policy commentary these days. We've no real idea how the twenty-first century's history will unfold, but this terrifically stimulating book will certainly inspire readers to start thinking it all through.” —Warren Bass, The Washington Post

“No one today chronicles global shifts in simple and practical terms quite like Friedman. He plucks insights from his travels and the published press that can leave you spinning like a top. Or rather, a pancake.” —Clayton Jones, The Christian Science Monitor

Please read before you pass over

1. You may be tempted to pass over this book because initially it will appear anachronous for the 2017 reader. Please do not make that mistake. Endure the obvious, from the perspective of a decade or so beyond the original publication, and glean many riches of perspective, especially at the conclusion. No, don't skip to the end - you need the context of Friedman's argument. Your perspective will make this text, like food marinated for a long time, a delicious addition to this excellent work. Be patient, and reap.

2. Should a future narrator be selected to read, I recommend an older voice. It is difficult to mesh Friedman's wisdom with such a young (sounding) voice, and distracts me from the sage advice one seeks from such a voice as Friedman.

Still Relevant in 2015

Flat Land invites me to question where would the U.S. be if we didn't have the Depression of 2008? While I am very sensitive to cynical journalism and fear based writing Flat Land has really opened up a new perspective to me. To get there in Flat Land there is some negative views to tolerate.

Timed material

Author is right on the money. Unfortunately he'll have to update it every 4 years!

Meh

It's okay. I think the author had to much personal political commentary but i did enjoy the history aspect of it.

Insightful but a little naive

While Friedman is certainly very insightful on a lot of points and has clearly had a lot of experience and done a lot of research, and while his anecdotes are very helpful and engaging, he can't seem to help but be frustratingly optimistic at points. At least he does admit it. And, at least he does go into the dangers of terrorism and extremism. But, given that he covered extremism in the Middle East for a long time, I can't help but feel that he let his intense focus on his field of interest blind him to other dangers. I don't think he covered other forms of extremism as much as he could have, but what frustrated me more is his complete silence on the issue of pushbacks by major corporations. Did he really not even contemplate that big businesses might use tge flat world tl form conglomerates and monopolies that push other people out and cause inequality? He touched upon this a bit in the Wal-Mart section, but it didn't get nearly as much attention as it deserved. Especially given what has happened and the way the landscape has changed since Friedman wrote this book, I found this absence particularly infuriating. So, while Friedman does certainly have his merit and is certainly very bright and well-spoken, The World is Flat did end up feeling a bit incomplete

awesome book

I really appreciate the way author explains the flatness of the world. Its a must listen. Thanks Friedman.

Great read

This book is quite the eye-opener on why globalization is possible and unavoidable and how it's changing our world forever

Excellent perspective, makes me wanna leave the US

Good book. Makes some very good points. Changes the jewels you can pass on to your children. Things are not as they used to be - old advice doesn't apply. What does work though, Love your neighbors and be of good nature. Do the right thing.

Relevant now and will be after another decade

There's so much covered in this book: economics, politics and future of work. I got a hold of it after 11 year s of publication and still find it relevant. The examples of convergence may change but the context will continue to hold for next decade as well

The book defacto dates itself, but worth a listen

I really enjoyed this book. I live in the UK, travel quite a bit, but work completely online and am employed in the US. I therefore experience some of the flattening effects this book talks about.
What I enjoyed: His examples of how technology is changing the world.
His almost prophetic words in part 4 about what technology could do to the Arab world (i.e. the Arab spring, spread of rights to individuals).
The author's focus on India and China in today's economy.
What I did not like:
-There is a reason 3.0 was the third edition in as many years. Because of the design of this book, it automatically dates itself. There are so many things that have happened technologically and globally that are not mentioned (the great recession, he notes $50 a barrel oil as being expensive, the iphone/smart phenomena, netbooks and tablet computers, wireless mobile broadband access in your computer without wifi, etc.)
-I suppose 3.0 just added new material rather than actually reformat parts of the book. The author's voice changed at times, and I took that to mean it was an addition to the book.
-By part 4 I was ready to finish the book.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, and think it is worth the listen.