The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

This is a fantastic survey of modern globalization- its benefits, dangers, history, major players, affects for all the world's citizens.... mostly from an economic and social standpoint. Friedman covers the "Globalization 3.0" phenomenon, which, rooted in the Internet, now includes the individual as the major player instead of corporations (2.0) or nations (1.0). The effects of globalization on art and spirituality are not touched upon very much, but are arguably not the subject of this book and are certainly not Friedman's area of expertise. This book is written in a light hearted tone, with many interviews, stories from trips, and facts that support his theories well without being overbearing. He is a Pulitzer prize winning journalist and demonstrates his skills fully in this comprehensive look into what will be the backbone of the 21st Century economy. I HIGHLY recommend this book to any member of Generation-Y for that reason.

I actually had to get this book for a college class, and while it isn't the kind of book I would choose for myself to read, it has had quite an impact on my way of thinking.

The world is changing, and those who sit with their eyes closed and pretend it's going to go away are in for a rude awakening. Friedman gives many insights into both the benefits and consequences of having a global communication via the internet, the world wide web, and other technological advances. This is just scratching the surface, but to go over everything in the book would take much more than just a few paragraphs.

Overall, I found it tough to get into (maybe because I was required to read it), but once you get into it, it really makes you realize what is going on in the world today and where we stand as a society as the changes come.

Simply put, this is a book that any student of business or politics needs to read to claim currency. It's insightful, controversial, yet raises valid arguments for globalization.

In summary---"You can't put the genie back in the bottle" so get with the program or be left behind.

Thomas Friedman shares with us the most updated human value system, Philosophy, we have to live on with passion and curiosity. This book presents the direction of human evolutiion with increased demand for more personal touch to thrive in this automated society. Thank you very much for your humanity.
Hak-Nam Kim from McAllen, Texas

Friedman is excellent at 'at the factory' reporting on supply chains, outsouring, reporting on the strengths of Bangalore and China, how services are now exported and imported and how all corporations are now effectively multinational. The world really is quite different than it was fifteen years ago and Friedman describes this well. Friedman's analysis of how to 'surf the wave' however amount to little more than bromides. Friedman encourages constant learning, stresses engineering and the sciences, avoiding slip ups etc. It is not the Friedman is mistaken it is that Friedman doesn't develop anaylyses of the trials and tribulations of the 'flat earth' in depth. Friedman seems to be saying both that 'this is paradise' and the 'sky is falling' with the message going back and forth between the two. Friedman's analyses of how to take advantage of and how to avoid the pitfalls of the 'flat earth' are lacking. The first 200 page deserve five stars but the rest is more or less padding.