Author: Thomas L. Friedman
Rating: ****
First Sentence:
"No one ever gave me directions like this on a golf course before: Aim at either Microsoft or IBM."
Hooked or Not Hooked:
Hooked enough to read the next page, which led to the next and the next and...
My two cents:
This book is required reading for anyone who hopes to survive what the author calls globalization 2.0. If you have no idea what that is, read this book ASAP. In a nutshell, many of the jobs humans do today, computers will do tomorrow and better. Of those that require human hands, the flattening of the world means labor will go overseas and cheaper. The aftershocks of the internet revolution have only just begun and the ripples through the American workforce will be grand. No need to panic though. Friedman predicts growth for all those willing to upgrade. The onus will be on the individual.
Best line:
"Girls, when I was growing up, my parents used to say to me, 'Tom finish your dinner people in China and India are starving.' My advice to you is: Girls finish your homework - people in China and India are starving for your jobs." And in a flat world, they can have them.