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1st out of 61 books
—
5 voters
The Power of Place: Geography, Destiny, and Globalization's Rough Landscape
by
H.J. de Blij
The world is not as mobile or as interconnected as we like to think. As Harm de Blij argues in The Power of Place, in crucial ways--from the uneven distribution of natural resources to the unequal availability of opportunity--geography continues to hold billions of people in its grip. We are all born into natural and cultural environments that shape what we become, individ...more
Hardcover, 280 pages
Published
July 1st 2008
by Oxford University Press, USA
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De Blij a naturalized American, who was born in the Netherlands, is a Professor of Geography at Michigan State. He is the author of many articles and books including Why Geography Matters. For seven years he was the geography editor for ABC's Good Morning America.
The objective of The Power of Place is to partially refute Friedman's The Earth is Flat. De Blij's point is that all people are not favorably affected by globalization because they do not live in the right place or because of many other...more
The objective of The Power of Place is to partially refute Friedman's The Earth is Flat. De Blij's point is that all people are not favorably affected by globalization because they do not live in the right place or because of many other...more
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This book answers the question to which extent progress, economy and culture depend on geographical factors. The main message of the book: Yes, even in a globalized, interconnected world our geographical situation greatly determines our individual opportunities regarding wealth, education, health and freedom. Even more, today's world is strictly divided into the affluent core which are the industrialized/OECD countries and the fringe (developing countries). Addressing topics such as race, gender...more
I really wanted to like this book. I was very put off by Thomas Friedman's "The World is Flat," and judging by the title - The Power of Place - I thought I would find the perfect rejoinder in this book.
(If you want a good rejoinder, read this PDF: http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/document... )
All that said, I was supremely disappointed by the book. I can't say I learned anything from it. The most interesting parts of the books were the occasional maps; outside that, I don't think de Blij adds much t...more
(If you want a good rejoinder, read this PDF: http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/document... )
All that said, I was supremely disappointed by the book. I can't say I learned anything from it. The most interesting parts of the books were the occasional maps; outside that, I don't think de Blij adds much t...more
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 problems...more
My husband made me read this because he's a huge fan of De Blij. Frankly, the overall argument was nothing new to me, and I agree with it. It was backed up with a litany of facts (sometimes it reads like a list), some facts new to me, some not. The writing style is pretty dry and academic. Since he's a geographer, he deals mainly in generalizations, which is sometimes annoying to me since my academic background is anthropology. But, if you're a "facts junkie" like my husband, you'll like it.
It was really fun to read a geography book again. I remembered why I loved the outlook of this discipline. deBlij was a geographer when I was so he must be older than the hills, but his writing was so intelligent and his reasoning so clear that I was amazed. I learned new things and remembered old things. Nice.
I will admit, it was funny at some points. He was clever, insightful, and interesting. But the overall message of the book (facts and graphs aside) is not something we should have not figured out already on our own.
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The premise of the book is that while globalization is in fact happening, it hasn't had any positive effect on the vast majority of humanity. It describes in detail how most peoples' lives are still laregly determined by the place they were born. Interesting, but dry and pessimistic.
A decent book about globalization. I don't really agree with his thesis though. Its also a little cynical.
Interesting book, see Oxonian review piece on it.
great primer for geography learners, funny, compassionate, and up-to-date. you WILL need a magnifying glass for some of the maps though. Blows friedman's "world is flat" out of the water, read this by de blij instead of that bestseller drivel.
Recommend it for understanding of international events, and business
Written as a reminder that the world is not flat, "The Power of Place" makes a convincing argument. However, while the book contains much data and many factoids, the narrative fails to elicit emotional or visceral responses to it's many good points. The writing tends to be dry and is devoid of anecdotes which could draw the reader closer to its subject matter.
I wish I could give this 2 and 1/2 stars because certain parts were boring, certain parts were okay, but other parts were really interesting. But when I considered the book as a whole, I could only give it two stars.
This is a GREAT read for public health folks and those that have an interest in infectious disease. The chapter on religion is brilliant. Highly recommended.
An answer to Friedman's The World is Flat arguing that there are many natural, social, cultual barriers which still divide the world's citizens.
read to page 74
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