From one of our most perceptive commentators and winner of the National Book Award, a comprehensive look at the new world of globalization, the int...
read full description
reviews
Dec 17, 2009
Sean
rated it: 
I really do not understand the appeal of Thomas Friedman. I don’t think his writing is very good, and I think his political commentary is inane. I cannot believe smart people take this man seriously.
My synopsis of standard Friedman socio-economic analysis:
I am a genius able to see developments in the world economic order before anyone else. I went to Southeast Asia, because I am a man of adventure with large expense account from a big newspaper. A South Asian man rowed me More...
My synopsis of standard Friedman socio-economic analysis:
I am a genius able to see developments in the world economic order before anyone else. I went to Southeast Asia, because I am a man of adventure with large expense account from a big newspaper. A South Asian man rowed me More...
Sep 21, 2008
Rachel
rated it:
This book is so appalling in so many ways that I cannot understand why it is so popular. I had to read it for a class in school (my Costa Rica sustainable development course) and basically everyone in the class agreed that Friedman had a very disturbing view of globalization. He seems to think that globalization benefits everyone in its race to the bottom because it makes goods and services cheaper and better. Guess what buddy? If everyone is getting paid crap they have no money for those go
More...
0 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
May 15, 2008
Angus
rated it:
Thomas L. Friedman is a fuck. The copy of this I have has so much highlighter ink in it that the pages look like rainbows and the only reason I took the time to do that is so that I could easily find all the backward and sometimes down right stupid things he said in it. "..the easier it is to fire workers, the more incentive companies have to hire them." What he should have said in other words: flexible labor market = lower wages (and higher profits). "Air power alone couldn't wor
More...
0 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Sep 29, 2008
steph
rated it: 
friedman has a realistic point of view of the world, but comes from a purely capitalistic mind frame. he has a good perception of how the world works, but then resigns himself to dealing with it by saying 'this is how it is; things will never change.'
what sux is that he points out all the bad crap that happens from free-mkt globalization, and instead of offering good social net solutions, says 'it is what it is, so either play the game this way, or you lose.' nothing about how the rul More...
what sux is that he points out all the bad crap that happens from free-mkt globalization, and instead of offering good social net solutions, says 'it is what it is, so either play the game this way, or you lose.' nothing about how the rul More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Oct 05, 2008
Andrew
rated it:
Thomas Friedman is a very smart, well-experienced, well-traveled columnist for the NYT. I really respect his insight and his opinions, and this is why I was very disappointed with this book.
Part of this may be because it was written in 1999 (it was only 9 years ago, but this country has really taken a nosedive since then). In The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Friedman is constantly giddy about the new globalization system that has come to replace the Cold War system. The "globaliz More...
Part of this may be because it was written in 1999 (it was only 9 years ago, but this country has really taken a nosedive since then). In The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Friedman is constantly giddy about the new globalization system that has come to replace the Cold War system. The "globaliz More...
2 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
May 29, 2008
Ed
rated it:
For reasons I cannot understand, this book is treated as canonical in high school economics classrooms across the country. Friedman presents an argument that is not only exceedingly hypocritical but asserted almost entirely through a jungle of personal anecdotes. The Lexus and the Olive Tree is not so much an explanation of globalization as it is a laundry list of interesting people that Friedman knows and you do not. Methodology aside, the arguments Friedman makes are more often than not dee
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jul 20, 2007
AJ
rated it:
Anything from this guy, especially this book, needs to be reframed in terms of the realities of free-market capitalism before reading becomes a valuable exercise.
His explanation of the origins of Globalization feel about right, you could probably guess what he'll suggest as the leading causes before even cracking the cover. He of course, as a proponent, doesn't look at the side of corporate-cooperative political agents that have played a major, if not necessary role in explaining th More...
His explanation of the origins of Globalization feel about right, you could probably guess what he'll suggest as the leading causes before even cracking the cover. He of course, as a proponent, doesn't look at the side of corporate-cooperative political agents that have played a major, if not necessary role in explaining th More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 02, 2012
Jason
rated it:
Not really my favorite kind of writing and at odds with many of my feelings about globalization (that it screws just has many people as it helps) but still a mostly interesting read. Friedman has been bashed repeatedly about his views, which I won't contribute to in great depth, but this does feel oddly Utopian, especially the parts that seem to equate industrialization and westernization with peace (The Golden Arches Theory). It's easy to see why a certain type of reader--one who has benefited
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Mar 26, 2011
Adam A.
rated it: 
"[G]lobalization is not simply a trend or a fad but is, rather, [the] international system . . . that has now replaced the old Cold War system . . . ." Thus begins "The Lexus and the Olive Tree," the Thomas L. Friedman book that foreshadowed his wildly popular book "The World Is Flat" a few years later. The two books have much in common both are social and political theory that acknowledges 21st Century globalism as the definitive postindustrial economic system of
More...
Feb 02, 2009
Joseph
rated it: 
Drawing on his experience as a foreign correspondent, Tomas Friedman gives a comprehensive view of the modern worlds state of globalization covering every conceivable angle from multi-national corporate strategy, effects on smaller states as they battle between keeping up with the world and not sacrificing their culture, to how modern capitalism is effected by the integration of state intertwining technology. What I love about Friedman is how unbiased his assessment is. Friedman isn't trying to
More...
Feb 11, 2012
Willis
rated it: 
This book was written prior to Friedman's later book called "The World is Flat". Both of them touch on themes of globalization but I didn't like this one as much as the later book. I think the major reason was that this book was written in the late 90's and so many of his examples and stories talk about things from that time period. Given how fast the world has changed in the last 10+ years the book is already out of date. There is some good information here. Recognizing that this book
More...
Jan 08, 2012
Siby
rated it:
I didn't like this book at all...infact one of those rare books that I decided to leave without finishing.
The biggest problem with the book is the condescending tone of the author; rather than treating his readers as mature well informed adults, he writes as if his reader base is made up of school going kids. The analogies that he uses insults the intelligence of his readers.
There is too much name dropping, like Manmohan Singh said this to me, or the Shah of Iran told me that; Frie More...
The biggest problem with the book is the condescending tone of the author; rather than treating his readers as mature well informed adults, he writes as if his reader base is made up of school going kids. The analogies that he uses insults the intelligence of his readers.
There is too much name dropping, like Manmohan Singh said this to me, or the Shah of Iran told me that; Frie More...
May 02, 2011
Chelsea
rated it:
Tomas Friedman’s The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization was a book required for my Sociology of Globalization class (understandably enough) and does, in my opinion, a wonderful job of outlying some of the key components of globalization, as well as how it differs from the old Cold War system. Friedman hits on such topics like the Electronic Herd (those millions and millions of unseen people moving money around on the internet, whether through banks, online shopping, hedge fund
More...
Aug 12, 2011
I thought that this book would be a good piece of airplane reading- interesting anecdotes describing one of the most important phenomona of the world today. I had read and enjoyed From Beirut to Jerusalem, so assumed this would be another good read.
I was wrong.
First, the book is sadly outdated. This may be obvious, but there are books from 2000 about globalization and technology that still have much bearing on the world today (Like Smart Mobs).
Second, Friedman has a sad knack for trying to ext More...
I was wrong.
First, the book is sadly outdated. This may be obvious, but there are books from 2000 about globalization and technology that still have much bearing on the world today (Like Smart Mobs).
Second, Friedman has a sad knack for trying to ext More...
Mar 30, 2009
Raghu
rated it:
This book by Thomas Friedman is about globalization and how it affects us. Basically, Friedman believes that Globalization, in sum total, is good for the world, notwithstanding its negative effects.
Friedman's primary thesis is that the cold war politics conditioned the behavior of nation states till 1990. Now, it is 'Globalization' and its inexorable movement forward that shapes nations and their behavior internally as well as one another. Friedman introduces the term 'the Electronic herd' More...
Friedman's primary thesis is that the cold war politics conditioned the behavior of nation states till 1990. Now, it is 'Globalization' and its inexorable movement forward that shapes nations and their behavior internally as well as one another. Friedman introduces the term 'the Electronic herd' More...
Sep 06, 2009
Jon
rated it:
Thomas Friedman is hands down the resonant expert on globalization. He is also the most entertaining in describing it. I read his book The World is Flat first (almost out of order from his writings), this is my second book of his I have read. I will be re-reading The World is Flat again but after I read his next book Longitudes and Attitudes. Next on my list is latest Hot, Flat and Crowded.
The reason I like him so much is his colorful ways to describe what is going on and the referen More...
The reason I like him so much is his colorful ways to describe what is going on and the referen More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Sep 06, 2009
Beau
rated it:
"Half the world seemed to be emerging from the Cold War intent on building a better Lexus...And half the world - sometimes half the same country, sometimes half the same person - was still caught up in the fight over who owns which olive tree."
This book is a great pre-cursor to "The World is Flat" which outdoes Friedman's more recent book "Hot, Flat, and Crowded." This book is a good introduction to globalization, but not as good (or as interesting) as T More...
This book is a great pre-cursor to "The World is Flat" which outdoes Friedman's more recent book "Hot, Flat, and Crowded." This book is a good introduction to globalization, but not as good (or as interesting) as T More...
Sep 07, 2011
Christina
rated it:
By:Thomas L. Friedman Pages:512
The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization is a book that looks at people from modern and past times. The story is a mixture of contemporary methods of globalization and past methods. The author is looking at both points of view and seeing how Globalization has remained the same, and at the same time is very different. Many references are made to the past and civilizations that were successful in Globalization. The com More...
The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization is a book that looks at people from modern and past times. The story is a mixture of contemporary methods of globalization and past methods. The author is looking at both points of view and seeing how Globalization has remained the same, and at the same time is very different. Many references are made to the past and civilizations that were successful in Globalization. The com More...
Mar 11, 2009
The Lexus represents our drive for sustenance, improvement, prosperity and modernization –all the burgeoning global markets, financial institutions and computer technologies with which we pursue.
The olive tree represents everything that roots us, anchors us, identifies us and locates us in the world – whether it be belonging to a family, a community a tribe, a nation, a religion or, most of all, a place called home.
The challenge is to find a balance between preserving a sense More...
The olive tree represents everything that roots us, anchors us, identifies us and locates us in the world – whether it be belonging to a family, a community a tribe, a nation, a religion or, most of all, a place called home.
The challenge is to find a balance between preserving a sense More...
Dec 28, 2008
Andrew
rated it:
It's a big world. While America is a part of it, we're no longer the only part of it - and union workers like the UAW and incompetent management like that of GM need to realize that they've priced themselves and their lousy products out of it. Oh yeah...and thankfully the Chinese, Japanese, and Taiwanese are a part of it also...America needs to borrow a lot of money from them in order to stay afloat.
As the weasels on Wall Street continue to rape America's pocketbook, this book is we More...
As the weasels on Wall Street continue to rape America's pocketbook, this book is we More...
May 02, 2011
Nuno
rated it:
Um livro que nos mostra com uma linguagem simples e acessível, o advento da globalização, dos mercados livres, da internet, das comunicações e o seu impacto nas vidas de todos nós.
Thomas L. Friedman através da sua experiência como jornalista dá-nos a ver toda uma década de mudança, os anos 90 do século passado e aborda uma enormidade de temas que fazem parte do nosso dia a dia, desde o boom do mercado livre, com todas as suas implicações socio-económicas, o grande desenvolvimento e velocid More...
Thomas L. Friedman através da sua experiência como jornalista dá-nos a ver toda uma década de mudança, os anos 90 do século passado e aborda uma enormidade de temas que fazem parte do nosso dia a dia, desde o boom do mercado livre, com todas as suas implicações socio-económicas, o grande desenvolvimento e velocid More...
Dec 30, 2008
Blake
rated it:
In a nutshell: read "The World is Flat" by Thomas Friedman instead. While I'm sure "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" was an insightful book when published, it has since lost its relevancy and "The World is Flat" essentially repackages and updates Mr. Friedman's thoughts on globalization first presented in this work. In "The Lexus and the Olive Tree", Mr. Friedman marvels at global production, a new era of communication technology, changes in global finance,
More...
Jan 10, 2010
Shinynickel
rated it:
The first criticism I remember hearing about Friedman's writing had to do with his metaphors. Being someone who leans a bit heavily on metaphors at times myself, I felt immediate sympathy. After finishing his book, that feeling has been replaced utterly by the sort of rejection one feels for a member of one's tribe who is a terrible caricature of what you value, and a bad representative of your people. Oh Thomas L. Friedman, why do you use such terrible metaphors? Why do you mix them? Why do you
More...
Aug 30, 2008
Kate
rated it:
The Lexus and the Olive Tree is an overview of economic globalization in the post-Cold War era. The author is Thomas L.Friedman, who more recently wrote the bestseller The World Is Flat. I haven't read that one yet, but I hope to get to it if my to-read stack ever starts going down.
My copy of Lexus is the 2000 edition. I'm still in the habit of thinking anything from 1999 or later is quite recent-- it's a little jarring to realize that the first edition of this book came out ten year More...
My copy of Lexus is the 2000 edition. I'm still in the habit of thinking anything from 1999 or later is quite recent-- it's a little jarring to realize that the first edition of this book came out ten year More...
Feb 03, 2008
Mike
rated it:
A simple and interesting read. NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman is fond of using simple metaphors for large concepts. The Lexus symbolizes technology, commerce, and globalization while the Olive Tree symbolizes tradition. He discusses the relationship and tension between the two.
Friedman takes a pretty positive view of globalization, if for no other reason than its inevitability. He claims that trying to stop globalization is like trying to "stop the sun from rising." He More...
Friedman takes a pretty positive view of globalization, if for no other reason than its inevitability. He claims that trying to stop globalization is like trying to "stop the sun from rising." He More...
Feb 10, 2008
Mike
rated it:
I felt it was my duty as an econ nerd and (newly!) certified economics teacher to see what Thomas Friedman is all about. From his New York Times column to the Sunday morning political talk shows, to documentaries, Friedman was everywhere I turned, and I knew nothing about him.
Friedman, it turns out, is both a brilliant scholar of the globalization wave that is quickly sweeping across the globe; he is also the system's main cheerleader. He describes the new world order all the way f More...
Friedman, it turns out, is both a brilliant scholar of the globalization wave that is quickly sweeping across the globe; he is also the system's main cheerleader. He describes the new world order all the way f More...
Oct 15, 2007
Julie
rated it:
The reason I decided to read this book was because it was required reading for virtually every economics class at my University, but never seemed to be part of the reading list during the semester when I took the class (always the semester before or after). I felt like I missed out on part of the academic experience, so two years after finishing school, I finally got around to reading it.
And I was disappointed.
Friedman's rhetoric is exceptional, and he is a very persuasi More...
And I was disappointed.
Friedman's rhetoric is exceptional, and he is a very persuasi More...
Sep 14, 2008
BBBTerri
rated it:
Required reading for those of us who aren't economics majors. Easy read, educational and thought provoking.
"The driving idea behind globalization is free-market capitalism-the more you let market forces rule and the more you open your economy to free trade and competition, the more efficient and flourishing your economy will be. Globalization means the spread of free-market capitalism to virtually every country in the world. Therefore, globalization also has it's own set of economic r More...
"The driving idea behind globalization is free-market capitalism-the more you let market forces rule and the more you open your economy to free trade and competition, the more efficient and flourishing your economy will be. Globalization means the spread of free-market capitalism to virtually every country in the world. Therefore, globalization also has it's own set of economic r More...
Oct 12, 2011
Janele
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book. For some reason I thought it was about the conflict between Israel and Palestinians and I was looking to understand that better. Instead I got
Globalization. I was pulled in easily and learned so much. My husband and I are both business owners and I found so many points throughout the book that were applicable to operating a business in this new global economy. I recommended that my husband read it along with his key managers. I look forward to reading more by Fri More...
Globalization. I was pulled in easily and learned so much. My husband and I are both business owners and I found so many points throughout the book that were applicable to operating a business in this new global economy. I recommended that my husband read it along with his key managers. I look forward to reading more by Fri More...
Jan 15, 2010
Josh
rated it:
Friedman did a really good job explaining globalization and its effects on society. But his analysis of globalization as freedom was very insightful. Does it surprise anyone that free humans do bad things? No. But globalization is not something that is happening, globalization is barriers being removed. Some of his cultural insights were a bit ... uh ... ethnocentric, but that is easily forgivable. He's not an anthropologist.
