Rating: 
Summary: Road Trip for Business Majors
Review: I don't quite know how to describe this book other than to say it was very disappointing. Anyone wishing to read an insightful travel adventure story, beware. I don't know what Jim Rogers studied at his Ivy League alma mater but it must not have been history, literature or political science. His is the "business man's" perspective, which is to say he looks at everything, exotic locales included, with an eye toward investment. Consequently, the beauty, "feel" and atmosphere of many places is overlooked. I was wondering why the book was in the business section and not with the travel narratives! Unfortunately, even the business advice is sketchy at best. Everything is tainted with Jim's know-it-all, condescending attitude. He is a very wealthy man, thanks to his knowledgeable investing, but that doesn't make him an expert on the world. I seriously get the feeling that much of the history and country facts he spouts were gleaned from an almanac, long after he returned from the trip, while he was punching the book out on his computer. The descriptions of the dozens of countries he visited are sketchy at best. In Turkey he describes a "glorious stretch of road with gorgeous scenery." Details, please. He says it's one of the ten best road trips in the world. From someone who's driven the entire globe I'd like more insight. Europe, for the most part, is glossed right over. I used to live in Luxembourg and wanted to see what he said about it. Nothing. Granted, on a trip that long he can't go into detail on everything but I'd like less analysis on the finances of Turkmenistan and more on what the guy actually saw. I'd like to know more about what it feels like to see Victoria Falls than the fact that they "were revealed in all their awesome glory to Paige Parker (his wife) on June 14, 1999." Having just returned from New Zealand I was looking forward to some expert descriptions of that wonderfully scenic country. Unfortunately, Mr. Rogers sums the place up in three paragraphs mostly about its investment potential and Paige's dream to open a sheep farm and vineyard there. I got no feeling whatsoever for La Paz, Bolivia, a place I'm contemplating traveling to. Instead, the author regales us with his trials and tribulations on tracking down a shady investment partner there who owes him $3000. Who cares? The guy is on a 152,000 mile road trip. Let's hear more about the road. He chows his way down on every squirmy, ghoulish local "delicacy" he can sink his teeth into (various snakes, etc.), winning the Rush Limbaugh Traveling Gourmand Award for irresponsible cuisine. Are any of the things he comsumed endangered? They may be but the author never raises the question. The simplistic solutions to the world's financial problems Rogers comes up with are easy to put on paper but, in most cases, impossible to enact. Passports may be an annoyance but I don't see them being done away with in my lifetime. I agree that the United States, contary to popular opinion, needs more immigrants to maintain its productivity but don't count on the US government to increase the numbers allowed in. I'm sorry but talking to two or three guys on the street of any national capital doesn't give one a lot of insight into how that country is faring. You could talk to another three guys a week later and get a completely different picture. I think what Rogers relies on to make money and survive a trip like this is instinct...and he seems to have a good one. More power to him. That doesn't make him a good writer which, consequently, means this reader came to the conclusion that he made a lousy investment when adding "Adventure Capitalist" to his library. A better bet is Paul Theroux's "Dark Star Safari."
Rating: 
Summary: This book made me think
Review: Let me start by saying that Jim Rogers has grown up some since Investment Biker was writen. There is much to like about this book both as a travel monologue and as one man's assessment of the world's financial markets. I do have problems with it but they are on a personal level. First, I am greatly disappointed with the final chapter of the book:the analysis is shallow and as seems to be the wont of investment and financial books these days the emphasis is on ad hominum attacks and rather childish analogies. Many will no doubt find it entertaining but I am looking for something more. After all, Rogers is a graduate of Yale and Oxford. But he thinks about and analyses many subjects like a graduate of the local junior college. This is especially apparent to me when he analyses subjects which intersect with my life that I am knowledgeable about and it makes me wonder about the accuracy of his other observations. Nevertheless there is enough of interest in the book to justify five stars. One reviewer stated that this is a book without heart and without usable business advice. The later is simply not true although when Rogers writes about subjects of depth his lack thereof shows. As far as it being a book without heart the author speaks passionately about those subjects which truly interest him and they are the ones related to money, investing and economics. In one place he speaks of his unborn child as the child but this will change I assure you when the child is born. I had a college professor similar to Jim Rogers who got married rather late and proceeded to have children and they rapidly proceeded from disembodied concepts to tangibles. Children have a knack that way. I know. What is perhaps most tragic about this book is that the author has not yet matured to the point that he can really speak about some of the places and people he visited. But he will get there if he stays married this time and it will be interesting to see what the next book is like. Another fact of note is that some of the controversial aspects of Investment Biker have been avoided this time around. This is probably due to the fact that much of the trip was communicated via a website in "real-time" giving Jim Rogers a chance to probe the waters. An interesting idea.
Rating:
Summary: Investment advice or travel diary? Probably nothing.
Review: The whole idea of someone visiting hundred some countries and comparing the scope for investment in each of them lacks credibility. The book is full of author's own (and mostly incorrect) conclusions about issues which are deep and puzzle even the experts. Most of the book's focus is on the local food and entertainment rather than investment climate. A look at the author's conclusions seems that Mr. Rogers left for this trip with a pre-set bias in his mind. If you like to read personal travel diaries, this book will be an average one (not good). If you are looking for investment advice, please avoid it. Go and find yourself. But trust me its impossible to gauge countries and economies in 10 days.
Rating:
Summary: A work to savor
Review: I savored every minute of this audiobook (5 hrs, 38 min.). Rogers is a southerner with a classically liberal turn of mind and a strong grasp of market economics. What fun to "ride" with him on a monumental excursion, and hear his myriad insights. This isn't an investment book, but his breezy prognostications for the future of various countries are surely valuable. In the end, I just like Jim Rogers. Here is one audiobook which might be more valuable than the printed book. His naration is quite pleasant, and it adds to the work's personality. Highly recommended for armchair economists and geographers.
Rating:
Summary: On the Road Again With Jim rogers
Review: If you love travel and you love adventure you'll love this book. Jim Rogers knows his way around the world since this is his second trip and he leads the way again with his indomitable curiosity , embrace of the unknown and laser like intelligence. You quickly find yourself swept along in his three year journey and the foreward momentum never stops. Along the way you will discover many new and intriguing places and learn much about how the world really works. Jim likes to visit with the "little man" in every country to learn what he is thinking and experienceing rather than relying solely on the herd mentality of the so called local experts. This makes for interesting reading when it comes to Jim's area of expertise...finance. And the fact that he listens at all to what these folk have to say makes Jim seem like a man with whom you'd like to share a beer. Not bad for a world reknown finacial expert. His comments on finance, world economics, politics and especially NGO's give the reader a chance to learn without pain and provide insights rarely available in our world of homogeneous media information. In fact maybe the best aspect of what Jim has to tell us is that since he is beholding to no one he can use his experience and intelligence to cut through any event or story and see it clearly without being influenced by the prejudice and propaganda of the "good old boy" network. This makes for refreshing reading. And for anyone who rode with him in "Investment Biker" our indefatigable adventurer has matured with age and he reveals a dimension of himself new to readers. His description of the Sahara at night is purely lyrical, his respect for the courage of the world's immigrants is deeply heartfelt and most of all his thoughts and feelings regarding his father who is dying of cancer in Alabama during the later part of this trip discloses a man's struggle with one of life's most painful and difficult challenges..and this challenge is traversed within oneself not across the planet. As an adventure/travel book I could not put it down...except to digest some of Jim's remarks about the world's economic systems and their implications . Then in short order I was on the road again waiting for the next adventure to unfold.A wonderful and timely read.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice, easy read
Review: A good book to read if you are curious about the world (current, or rather, not-so-current affairs) and investing. But beware - what Jim gives you is just a taste and feel of the places he visits, and his (unjustifiably) strong opinions of the economic viability of these places. Based on my own experience of living in Malaysia and Singapore, I can tell that, while it is clear that he did speak to some of the local people in these places, he quite obviously needs to do a little more homework before coming to the strong conclusions he did about these places. So go ahead, pick it up and read it, but don't put any money on anything based on what he says (it is also useful to remind yourself that he is a multi-millionaire who can afford the kind of "diversification" he is so fond of). Ultimately a good read, but I should've waited for the paperback version :-)
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe I missed the point
Review: Years ago when I read Jim's first book, Investment Biker, I was spellbound at his adventures. He told exciting tales while he offered investment insight as he traveled the world. In this latest book, I didn't find that excitement. Certainly there were episodes of interest, but I felt the book lacked overall interest. I was also disappointed at the lack of investment insight. Perhaps the point he was trying to make is that the world, at present, doesn't offer much investmenmt opportunity save for a couple of places that he specifically mentions.
Rating:
Summary: If I Had A Trillion Dollars, I Would...
Review: Like anyone else working 9 to 5 I've often fantasized about around the world jaunts. Jim Rogers and his Wife, Paige actually did it in a bright yellow Mercedes. At times I found myself wondering what would have happened if the author hadn't had access to tons of cash, but for the most part this was an excellent book with an interesting perspective. Rogers blames government corruption for most of the problems in the world and views anti-American sentiment as the product of our idiotic governmental policies that alienate everyone. This book has brief, but telling statements to make about the future of investing and the state of the world to come. (Hint: Rogers is big on commodities). This book is hard to put down, but a little short on details.
Rating:
Summary: Seeing the world at the right level....
Review: Jim Rogers has taken the great American notion of a road trip, and made it into a sensational read. I was really taken by his first book, i.e. Investment Biker, and followed his next trip via his website. Each time I checked his site, my interst in the book to come increased, and I was not disappointed. I think that Mr. Rogers might have about 5 more books from this one trip, and each one would be better and more insightful as he mulls over the things that he saw and experienced and has the time to take a longer view. I will look forward to buying those future books should they come to pass. The book is well written, thoughtful and persuasive as to the the failings of our foreign policy. It's too bad that national leadership seems to be fashioning a neo-isolationist policy, when the real goal should be to understand how those in the rest of the world really see us. I wanted the book to be longer, to provide more detail as to how he got things done, the stuff that worked, and more on what he saw and experienced. As I wrote this review, I found myself listening to the BBC World news trying to connect with the world that Rogers so eloquently describes. This is a great book, and the kind that should be required reading for students of all ages!
Rating:
Summary: A Journey Well Worth Your Time
Review: Of all the books you read this year, this may be the one you will remember best. As you journey around the world there will be times you may envy Jim Rogers, while at others you may be thankful you were not with him, but always you will have to know what he is going to be doing on the next page. Rogers reveals to you the wonders of places many of us have dreamed of visiting but never will. He does the same for places many have never even known existed. His is not the tourist view, but the genuine article with both the roses and the thorns carefully examined.
As in his earlier classic, "Investment Biker," you may even get a few investment ideas, but Rogers never tells you what to do or not do. Rather he clears away the smoke, reveals the true picture, and lets you make your own decisions. Along the way he also gives the careful reader deep insights into who he is and what he believes. There is much depth here for those who can understand, and it adds greatly to the authenticity of the narrative he relates.
In the last chapter of the book Rogers examines how Americans see the world and in turn are perceived by other nations. If it would not violate the refreshing spirit of freedom that runs throughout this volume, it would be a good idea to make these final pages required reading in our schools, government offices, and corporate board rooms.
I thought I knew a lot about the world. Jim Rogers taught me a lot I did not know. Whenever Rogers writes a book it is always a great privilege to be able to make the journey with him.
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