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Loading... Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can…by Thomas L. Friedman
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Nodosaurus | Jun 18, 2009 |   I really enjoyed this book. It was one of those which I literally couldn't put down. I read it in the bath, in bed, in the yard and even found myself reading bits whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. Friedman pulls no punches in letting the reader know that the planet is in deep, deep trouble and that anyone who thinks replacing their incandescent light bulbs with low energy ones and reading magazine articles and books entitled '50 easy ways to become green' are just kidding themselves that they're going to help in the grand scheme of things. I was very interested to read Friedman's suggested solutions to the problems at hand, particularly the overarching idea that by being at the forefront of a true green revolution, America could not only help save the planet (sounds like a great plot for yet another corny American blockbuster starring Will Smith) but also make money whilst doing it (the only way one feels American businessmen will ever take the whole situation seriously - if there's a buck or two to be made). The only thing I found vaguely annoying about this book was that, like a previous reviewer suggests, the author does seem to repeat himself somewhat which, if you read the book over a period of weeks rather than days, could leave the more absent-minded reader feeling very, very clever ('Nice idea Friedman but I'd already thought of that!'). (  )verdelambton | Jun 8, 2009 | Excellent ideas for approaching the future of a hot, crowded and connected world. (  )addunn3 | Jun 8, 2009 | Talk about a man on a high horse. Tom Friedman clearly feels passionately about the "green" revolution or party, as he calls it. He makes valid points using interesting data and not-very-well known studies and research. I actually listened to this book on a car trip, and I do not recommend it as a book on CD; the topic is too detailed and requires to much attention for that format. ( )Bridget770 | Apr 30, 2009 | I think Thomas Friedman has a wonderful way of taking a large, complex system (examples: economics, politics, ecology) and painting a clear, understandable picture. I generally like his perspective. But please, Mr. Friedman, do you have to repeat every point 95 different ways? Your readers are not idiots. (  )InCahoots | Mar 29, 2009 | 0.050 seconds to build listing  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0374166854, Hardcover)Thomas L. Friedman’s phenomenal number-one bestseller The World Is Flat has helped millions of readers to see the world in a new way. In his brilliant, essential new book, Friedman takes a fresh and provocative look at two of the biggest challenges we face today: America’s surprising loss of focus and national purpose since 9/11; and the global environmental crisis, which is affecting everything from food to fuel to forests. In this groundbreaking account of where we stand now, he shows us how the solutions to these two big problems are linked--how we can restore the world and revive America at the same time. Friedman explains how global warming, rapidly growing populations, and the astonishing expansion of the world’s middle class through globalization have produced a planet that is “hot, flat, and crowded.” Already the earth is being affected in ways that threaten to make it dangerously unstable. In just a few years, it will be too late to fix things--unless the United States steps up now and takes the lead in a worldwide effort to replace our wasteful, inefficient energy practices with a strategy for clean energy, energy efficiency, and conservation that Friedman calls Code Green. This is a great challenge, Friedman explains, but also a great opportunity, and one that America cannot afford to miss. Not only is American leadership the key to the healing of the earth; it is also our best strategy for the renewal of America. In vivid, entertaining chapters, Friedman makes it clear that the green revolution we need is like no revolution the world has seen. It will be the biggest innovation project in American history; it will be hard, not easy; and it will change everything from what you put into your car to what you see on your electric bill. But the payoff for America will be more than just cleaner air. It will inspire Americans to something we haven’t seen in a long time--nation-building in America--by summoning the intelligence, creativity, boldness, and concern for the common good that are our nation’s greatest natural resources. Hot, Flat, and Crowded is classic Thomas L. Friedman: fearless, incisive, forward-looking, and rich in surprising common sense about the challenge--and the promise--of the future. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:24 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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His analogies strike me as weak and often pointless. In one chapter he referred to an effort as the equivalent of 1,000,000 Noahs in order to stress its difficulty. Then repeatedly refered to 'leaking arks'. The analogy had no other significance - aside from religious symbology.
His understanding of human nature seems weak at times, too. He only devotes a few pages to explaining to the green resistance why global warming is real. He seems to trivialize their position without providing any new proof of climate change.
He further goes to explain how the new technology to deal with our environemntal problems will be inevitably good for the companies, and how we will eventually pay lumber companies not to cut wood, and how concrete is bad for the environment without ever discussing what we're oging to replace as new building materials.
He does have a lot of good information and ideas, though. But it seemed overly difficult to read this book to get to them. And I don't feel he has provided any real insight as to how to address them. But he is avidly pronouncing that we cannot continue business as normal.
I don't think he will reach the ears he needs to reach. Only the already-green public is likely to pick up this book.
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I wrote this yesterday, upon rereading it, I feel its accurate but overly negative. I did enjoy most of the book and value the information I got out of it. Most of my complaints are about the presentation. Overall, I would prefer Al Gore's books and writing style. (