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Jan 29, 2012

Delway rated it:

A perceptive and informative book, while at the same time frightening. Tom Friedman (forget his liberal bent) is a rational and broad-based writer. His access to sources is unique and he is a keen observer, mixing both statistics and anecdotes. If anything he should be faulted for what he leaves out. The book is an analysis of how the good old USA got into this mess. Firstly this is not the first time the nation has been threatened. The analysis of the present is discouraging as long term More...

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Oct 12, 2011

Villate rated it:

Some good thoughts about what is and is not working in America, but an awful lot of "kids these days" sort of talk, too. The authors' fetishization of Asia is also troubling. Having worked closely with Asian students for more than 10 years now, I would say that a large proportion of their vaunted higher educational attainment is either purchased or cheated, not earned. That is not to say that we have nothing to learn from Asian methods of pedagogy, or that they are not in fact "be More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Jan 10, 2012

Loyola University Chicago Libraries rated it:

While reading this book, it's very hard not to feel overwhelmed. It's not just that the United States faces a single, all-consuming problem; it faces dozens, if not hundreds of them. There's not very much that's going right in America these days; from our failing schools to dismal unemployment rate to crumbling infrastructure, we barely resemble the global super power that confidently dominated world events after WWII. And even if these problems were easy to solve, our current gridlocked politi More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 05, 2012

Michael rated it:

I will be the first to admit that I am a fan of Friedman. The authors did a good job of trying to stay in the center of the aisle, but believe that they ultimately are a little to the left. To be honest, I don't really care what one's political views are, but rather that we are working together to better America in general.

The authors brought to light the four following issues that are discussed in further detail consistently throughout the book: Globalization, the Information Techno More...

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Jan 05, 2012

Ellen rated it:

That Used To Be Us was written by Thomas L. Friedman (a New York Times columnist) and Michael Mandelbaum (Director of Foreign Policy at Johns Hopkins). That Used To Be Us is a call to action. It's a bucket of cold water meant to wake up Americans and get them to see what's really happened to our country. Friedman and Mandelbaum take a look at four challenges that our country is facing: globalization, the revolution in information technology, the nation's chronic deficits and our pattern of exces More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 02, 2012

Jerry rated it:

This book talks about four Major Challenges:
How to adapt to globalization
How to adjust to the Information Technology (IT) revolution
How to cope with the large and soaring budget deficits stemming from the growing demands on government at every level
How to manage a world of both rising energy consumption and rising climate threats

The authors at times are balanced in their analysis but tend to lean left of center favoring progressive solutions. They note the impact o More...

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Dec 14, 2011

Jason rated it:

I'm not sure it is fair to compare US education scores with other countries, I've never been convinced that it isn't the apple and oranges game. Reading this book I think there are many apples and oranges brought to the front. The United States is not at this time the captain of industry and energy production; it will no longer be the captain of space exploration; and it will certainly never again be the leader in anything other than video games -- in a breath real and in a thought impossible. T More...

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Oct 26, 2011

John rated it:

An excellent look at the America of the future. Like several other books written by Thomas Friedman this particular book looks at the things America needs to correct and soon if we want to remain a prosperous and free nation. Although like many reviewers I think the author's bent towards liberal views to solve most of these problems are sometimes off base; he is correct in noting that none of this can get done with strict party partisanship and the lack of a third more moderate vision for Americ More...

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Sep 30, 2011

Jorge rated it:

That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World it Invented and How We Can Come Back by Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum

“That Used to Be Us” is the thought-provoking and topical book about the steep economical challenges that America faces. The authors take a systematic approach on what ails America and what can be done to cure it. This 400-page book is broken out in five parts: Part I. The Diagnosis, Part II. The Education Challenge, Part. III. The War on Math a More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 13, 2011

Fallensnow rated it:

"Unscathed by the great disruptions, unburdened by the necessity of great sacrifice, unpressured by the daily effort of confronting a huge global predator... the baby boom generation has in too many cases displayed too little fiscal prudence, too much political partisanship, and too short a sense of history to engage in the collective nation-building at home that America badly needs today."

In summary, the message is clear: Dear Baby Boomers, you fucked up big time. Please f More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Dec 20, 2011

Meg - A Bookish Affair rated it:

Full disclosure: I'm a big Thomas Friedman fan. I think he has a lot of interesting things to say and a lot of good ideas. I'm less familiar with Michael Mandelbaum although some of his books are now on my TBR based on what he discussed in this book.

Anyhow, I really liked this book. The authors start out with talking about how we've kind of lost our way as a country. We've had a lot of things (such as the recession) thrust upon us but we've sort of gotten lazy too. The book op More...

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Feb 05, 2012

Matt rated it:

The first book I read by Thomas Friedman was his Pulitzer Prize-winning book on the Middle East, titled "From Beirut to Jerusalem." Before that, I read his columns whenever they appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer, and now his other books, such as "The World is Flat" and "The Lexus and the Olive Tree," are on my list of books of read. This latest book, co-written with Michael Mandelbaum, the director of American Foreign Policy at the Johns Hopkins School of Internat More...

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Sep 23, 2011

Steve rated it:

This was a very good book; I agree 100% with their arguments.. I disagree with some of the approaches to resolving their arguments, but many times I do disagree with these author(s) being a conservative.. That said the authors' books are always informative good reads, thus I read enjoy reading them.. This book continuous the authors trend of good books, it is a very interesting book, and I enjoyed the read very much..

The part of the book that I enjoyed the most was education chapter More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 18, 2011

Chris rated it:

Once you get past all the cliches and bumper sticker slogans, Tom again has a good book. I was a huge fan of world is flat but only kinda liked hot flat and crowded. This book is kind of the love child of both (but not exactly). Although I don't agree with a lot of his politics, he hits the nail on the head with education and business. For some reason people just don't seem to get that the world and business has shifted for good. You don't need lots of people to make lots of money anymore and as More...

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Oct 02, 2011

Zacho rated it:

This book is fantastic just like all of Thomas Friedman's books. Most of the book paints a pretty dismal picture of the current state of America. Nearly all facets of America are slipping or have slipped behind - education, innovation, infrastructure. The most discouraging aspect is that these problems require big and difficult changes that our current political atmosphere aren't ready or willing to handle like both increasing taxes and decreasing spending. I like the solutions laid out in the b More...

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Jan 10, 2012

Elizabeth rated it:

While reading this book, it's very hard not to feel overwhelmed. It's not just that the United States faces a single, all-consuming problem; it faces dozens, if not hundreds of them. There's not very much that's going right in America these days; from our failing schools to dismal unemployment rate to crumbling infrastructure, we barely resemble the global super power that confidently dominated world events after WWII. And even if these problems were easy to solve, our current gridlocked politi More...

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Dec 27, 2011

Phil rated it:

That Used to Be Us is nothing less than pure genius. It represents a candid, imperative, and chilling look at the state of our country--as well as its future. Those looking for scapegoats exclusively on the right and/or left can keep looking. Both parties are at fault. But pinning the problems of our nation on the political system is the last thing that the authors do. Rather, global and technology trends have exacerbated poor decisions made by our leaders.

I am not as hopeful as Mandel More...

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Nov 24, 2011

Keith rated it:

For me, four stars means it is an excellent book I completely enjoyed. Five stars mean it is not only excellent, but that it is a rare and important book that everyone should read. I want to give this book 6 stars that means not only excellent because this is important and urgent -- drop whatever you are doing now and read this book NOW!

Tom Friedman's "The World Is Flat" (2005) book had a tremendous impact on our culture, but it presents a defeatist tone. "That used t More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 15, 2011

Becky added it

Page 278: --the baby boom generation has in too many cases displayed too little fiscal prudence, too much political partisanship, and too short a sense of history to engage in the collective nation-building at home that American badly needs today.
Page 75: "Who Ate My Job" --The big change wrought by the merger of globalization and the IT revolution, ..., was the creation of "a labor market that greatly rewards workers with college and graduate degrees but is unfavorable to More...

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Oct 30, 2011

Ray rated it:

Friedman and Mandelbaum produced a thought-provoking book about many of the ills facing America, and some insights as to how these problems could be corrected. Major topics included our Educational System, Energy, technology, climate change, budget deficit, and globalization. Our Educations system was explored in some detail, and I enjoyed some of the improvements made in Colorado, and how the Teachers Union partnered in those ideas.

The authors also took issue with our current po More...

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Nov 21, 2011

Tony rated it:

I've read several books about the financial crisis, the fall of enron, the US deficit, globalization and what's wrong with the world, but none provide as succinct an answer as Thomas Friedman's latest. While his last 2 books "The World is Flat" and "Hot, Flat and Crowded" are all about the issues of globalization and climate change, this one is about how we can fix our position in the world and get the US back in track to remain the superpower that it is today, because sadly More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Sep 27, 2011

J.D. rated it:

Let me start by saying that, as a moderate/centrist, I really loved this book! I believe, as the authors do, that neither Democrats are right thinking that the government is the solution to every problem, or that Republicans are right thinking the government is the cause to every problem. The authors are correct in their assertion that we must come together and act collectively, taking the best ideas of both philosophies, if we intend to improve America. The authors nailed it on the head when th More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 24, 2011

Michael rated it:

The only thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars was it's anecdotal section near the end of the book, but I'll get to that.
Friedman and Mandelbaum (F&M) do a great job of point out the dreary state our nation is currently in. They claim that America has lost its steam, vigor, and competitive edge in the global economy. F&M back up claims with polls, statistics, finances, and quotes from relevant experts in economics, anthropology, science and engineering, and politics. I think More...

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Jan 05, 2012

Layla rated it:

Excerpt. And yes, that first sentence sums it up quite nicely.

We are nearly complete in our evolution from Lewis and Clark into Elmer Fudd and Yosemite Sam. We used to embrace challenges, endure privation, throttle our fear and strike out into the (unknown) wilderness. In this mode we rallied to span the continent with railroads, construct a national highway system, defeated monstrous dictators, cured polio and landed men on the moon. Now we text and put on makeup as we drive, spend m More...

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Oct 10, 2011

Harold rated it:

Ok, i like Tom Friedman, and the addition of a co-author has tightened up the prose. We don't have to have so many long, self aggrandising stories. Still the book is repetitive, and Friedman has a pentient for the happy ending, so after he spends 300 or so pages to tell us why America is failing, he concludes that we will fix all of the problems. But despite the flabby writing, and imprecise conclusions, the book just stayed with me. Friedman and his co-author Michael Mandelbaum have cogentl More...

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Oct 30, 2011

Reiden rated it:

The beginning and ending were a bit overly-patriotic for my taste, but the main portion of the book made up for that. I've listened to the last couple books by Friedman. I love how his books are up to date, giving a good view on how the world is currently changing. While this book's theme was based around changes in America, there were just as many pieces of the book devoted to other parts of the world besides the US.

A few of the cases made in the book:
1. Our current two-part More...

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Oct 31, 2011

Scott rated it:

Thank you to Mindy Kittay for suggesting this book. Overall, this is a really great book that outlines the challenges this nation faces along with solutions that the authors consider the pillars of American society. The four challenges the US faces, in the author's opinion, are globalization, the revolution in IT, our deficit, and our energy consumption. The solutions that the authors posit are investment in education, investment in R&D, building infrastructure, immigration, and regulation. More...

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Dec 11, 2011

H rated it:

I've never been a Friedman and this book will do little to change my mind. The ultimate in recycling, Friedman repeats his main points from his last two books, including his annoying giddiness over technology. He does little to address the very real problems in America society advocating mostly tired cliches and ideas barely scratching the surface. He makes it worse by his somewhat typical American fear of admitting the need for gov't planning, regulation, and spending -- he qualifies nearly eve More...

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Sep 13, 2011

Nicky rated it:

This book did a good job of cutting through the nonsense talk which seems to be all we hear in the 'news' today. Their long term and unsympathetic look at American economic/policy history- situations, decisions and consequences, was a good antidote for the spin of the moment and gave a framework for discovering what works and what is going wrong now.
Unfortunately, I felt very little was given in terms of how to move forward. The last chapter throws out an idea, but I thought it asked f More...

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Sep 27, 2011

David rated it:

A diagnostic for all that ails America. The authors look at the great things our nation used to do and uses that to figure out what's wrong now. They argue that we need to deal with globalization, information technology, the deficit and energy. We'll need to cut entitlement spending but invest in education and infrastructure. Given that the world is flat, we're now competing with cheap, skilled labor from around the world. Their prescription is weak, at least to my mind. They call is shock More...

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