Harm J. De Blij (1935–2014)

I really like the basic premise of this book, that geographical factors of various kinds make the world "rough" rather than "flat" for the vast majority of people. The author provides good examples and the maps really brought the concepts across well. I'm troubled by the author's somewhat sly hostility toward religion. WHile I can agree that violent and/or deeply intolerant religious ideas do much to make the place a more dangerous place, I think the author puts too much emphasis on the show more problems created by religion while allowing other strong cultural factors a by. Overall, this is a fairly basic geography overview of some of the major factors that lead to inequality in the world. The most important lesson reinforced here is that no one is "self-made" and the poverty and disadvantage are just that, disadvantageous. Worth reading, but when the author strays into philosophy, I got frustrated. show less

Thomas Friedman may have sweepingly said, "the world is flat" to capture the changes that have occurred in the way we live in the 21st century, but De Blij reveals how that is the narrow perspective of those privileged few who live in the "global core". For everyone else (the majority of the world's population) the power of place -- geography/place of birth -- continues to hold billions of people in an unrelenting grasp.

This is a work that is at war with itself. An intriguing title, geography, climate, China, and global terrorism, all beckon the reader, yet de Blij fails to reconcile these discordant topics although it is an interesting exercise. He states the obvious: geography matters a great deal yet many people are ignorant of its details and it is a crucial factor in international relations. There is nothing new in stating the point. Climate change, largely no longer global warming as people have show more become more aware of "junk science" so the name changes, also states nothing compelling. It is a rehash of standard Euro thinking on the matter. China is a rising power but not really a threat to anyone. This is hardly the case. China is polluting more than almost anyone on the planet, it has little in the way of rectifying the problems, and their pollution reaches the U.S. Global terrorism is a problem which arises out of the legitimate concerns for resource equity. I do not buy it.

The work promises a great deal but fails to deliver the goods. show less

I had to buy this textbook for a class; I started reading it on my own before the semester even started. It's very interesting and informative, and well organized, with a clean layout.

I do not regret for a second buying this book, and had I looked through it at the store I would have bought it even if it wasn't required.