Synopsis
Columnist Thomas L. Friedman explains why, in a globalized world, crises in energy and the climate must be priorities. Friedman argues further that a globalized world makes it possible as never before to address these issues in a meaningful way, and with positive and significant results. The United States is uniquely positioned to take a lead in this initiative, says Friedman: by working to make the world safer and cleaner, we make America more secure. As always, Friedman is insightful both in diagnosing the problem and in offering solutions, as he describes specific technologies that would be central to a national policy of "geo-greenism." Most importantly, he makes no bones about the fact that the commitment to change must be immediate, and significant. Selected by the New York Times Book Review as a Notable Book of 2008.
Examines America's loss of focus and national purpose since 9/11, and the global environmental crisis, and shows how the solutions to these two problems are linked.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2008-09-09 |
| Size | | Length: | 438 pages | | Height: | 9.3 in | | Width: | 6.5 in | | Thickness: | 1.2 in | | Weight: | 24.8 oz |
Publisher's Note
Proposes an ambitious national strategy to address key issues in climate change and energy shortages, identifying the factors that have contributed to current circumstances while outlining an American-led revolution of clean-technology solutions.
Industry Reviews
"Like it or not, we need Tom Friedman. The peripatetic columnist has made himself a major interpreter of the confusing world we inhabit. He travels to the farthest reaches, interviews everyone from peasants to chief executives and expresses big ideas in clear and memorable prose. While pettifogging academics (a select few of whom he favors) complain that his catchy phrases and anecdotes sometimes obscure deeper analysis, by and large Friedman gets the big issues right."
(09/07/2008)
"Surprising material is scattered throughout, and the final sections may be the book's most rewarding. Its very sprawl emphasizes the scale of these problems and allows the author to make a strong case for the possibility and necessity of addressing them. With a tone of urgent hopefulness--or "sober optimism," as he says--he beseeches voters, executives, and politicians to get on with it."
(09/11/2008)
"The author comes across as a blend of Will Rogers, Jack Welch and Norman Vincent Peale--a plain-spoken citizen outraged at the bullheadedness of U.S. politicians, yet optimistic about the power of ingenuity and finely crafted policy to avert disaster."
(09/13/2008)
"HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED is a compelling manifesto that deserves a wide reading, especially by members of Congress and candidates for president."
(09/17/2008)
"[A]ccessible to the eco-unconverted, [HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED] is grounded in detailed research and repeatedly hits its mark....Above all, it is fundamentally right on the biggest question of our age. If Friedman's profile and verve take his message where it needs to be heard, into the boardrooms of America and beyond, that can only be good--for all our sakes."
(10/05/2008)
"[Friedman's] basic policy guidelines, and most of his specific suggestions...are sound. He really does get globalization, in a way only ceaseless travelers can...."
(11/06/2008)
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