Rating: 
Summary: The Ford Century
Review: I've never read a corporate history before. But I saw an excerpt dealing with the Model-T in "American Heritage" magazine and was immediately hooked.Douglas Brinkley parlays his well-honed historical research skills with an obvious passion for cars and a gift for storytelling in this excellent account of the first century of the Ford Motor Company. The history -- written with the encouragement and cooperation of Ford and particularly its CEO, Bill Ford, Jr -- is a "warts and all" presentation of Ford Motor's out-szed impact on the 20th Century. The first two-thirds of the book, devoted to the life of Henry Ford, is by far the most interesting. We see a master promoter who had a penchant for co-opting the best ideas of others and for purging the best minds around him. He was also filled with abundant contradications -- the best friend of the "working man" (he summarily doubled wages with the stroke of a pen) who later stood by as his organization violently repressed the budding union movement; the vile anti-semitic (Hitler adopted some of his pronouncements) who was also ahead of his time in minority hiring; a committed (often irrational) pacificist who nevertheless took advantage of military contracts during both world wars; the pioneer who did as much as anyone to advance the industrial age as well as the spread of suburban sprawl, all the while clinging to the quixotic belief that America's redemption lie in a return to the rustic origins of his youth. The list could go on. The book loses some of its narrative energy in the final chapter (ironically titled, "Momentum"), which is mostly a desultory account of the Ford Explorer tire recall imbroglio as well as a catalog of recent Ford marketing and advertising initiatives. Also, it is obvious that Brinkley finds Bill Ford, Jr. a kindred spirit, but his portrayal of the current Ford CEO is a little too fawning for my taste. For these reasons, I downgraded the book to a four-star rating. Nevertheless, readers looking for a better understanding of America in the 20th Century will find this book most enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: The Ford Century
Review: I've never read a corporate history before. But I saw an excerpt dealing with the Model-T in "American Heritage" magazine and was immediately hooked. Douglas Brinkley parlays his well-honed historical research skills with an obvious passion for cars and a gift for storytelling in this excellent account of the first century of the Ford Motor Company. The history -- written with the encouragement and cooperation of Ford and particularly its CEO, Bill Ford, Jr -- is a "warts and all" presentation of Ford Motor's out-szed impact on the 20th Century. The first two-thirds of the book, devoted to the life of Henry Ford, is by far the most interesting. We see a master promoter who had a penchant for co-opting the best ideas of others and for purging the best minds around him. He was also filled with abundant contradications -- the best friend of the "working man" (he summarily doubled wages with the stroke of a pen) who later stood by as his organization violently repressed the budding union movement; the vile anti-semitic (Hitler adopted some of his pronouncements) who was also ahead of his time in minority hiring; a committed (often irrational) pacificist who nevertheless took advantage of military contracts during both world wars; the pioneer who did as much as anyone to advance the industrial age as well as the spread of suburban sprawl, all the while clinging to the quixotic belief that America's redemption lie in a return to the rustic origins of his youth. The list could go on. The book loses some of its narrative energy in the final chapter (ironically titled, "Momentum"), which is mostly a desultory account of the Ford Explorer tire recall imbroglio as well as a catalog of recent Ford marketing and advertising initiatives. Also, it is obvious that Brinkley finds Bill Ford, Jr. a kindred spirit, but his portrayal of the current Ford CEO is a little too fawning for my taste. For these reasons, I downgraded the book to a four-star rating. Nevertheless, readers looking for a better understanding of America in the 20th Century will find this book most enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: Get to know the true history of Ford
Review: It takes a true master author to write an 800-page biography of a well-documented and known history while keeping the reader fully engaged like a mystery novel. I was at first intimated by the size of the book but then pleasantly surprised at how well it was written. The author takes us through the journey of Henry Ford's life from birth to the creation of Ford Motor all the way to the arrival of the 3rd Ford family member to take over the company in 2002. What makes this book so good is the fact that the author strikes a perfect balance between giving the reader intimate details of the Henry Ford's day to day life as well as moving the story along. In the end I believe the author did a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of Ford Motor Company, its struggles, its success, its failures, and its challenges through the life of its leader. This book is highly recommended as the first car history book you give a young reader.
Rating:
Summary: Packed with Knowledge!
Review: It would be difficult to conceive of a more detailed corporate history. Author Douglas Brinkley offers an interesting, lucid narrative of Henry Ford's early experiments with the automobile, and his first, unsuccessful companies. He promises and delivers a "warts and all" picture of Ford's history. Brinkley is at his strongest discussing Ford's origins. But the book is also sprawling, diffuse and unfocused, with a somewhat confusing tendency to jump back and forth along the twentieth century timeline. It is more than a biography of Henry Ford, but less than a thorough history of the Ford Motor Company. The author nods in the direction of the technological, managerial and financial forces that have shaped Ford since the 1950s, though he presents Ford's (both man and company) earlier history in vivid detail. The impact of what Henry Ford did and how he did it still shapes industry in the United States. We recommend Brinkley's book for its revealing picture of one of the twentieth century's most influential industrialists.
Rating:
Summary: Henry Ford & Ford Motor -- what a story!
Review: Last year, I read a book about Henry Ford and his anti-Semitism. At that time, I had a very narrow view about the man - I wish now that I had read this book, Douglas Brinkley's study of Ford and his company, before I had read that one.
Brinkley's mammoth volume on this one man and the company he created is a tremendous addition to American business history. Brinkely gives us a comprehensive study (about half of the book) of Henry Ford the man and how he created the Ford Motor Company. This segment of the book really gave me a new respect for the man as an innovator and an idealist, though his engineering skills were apparently lacking (at one point Brinkley tells his audience that Ford couldn't even read a blueprint). Brinkley intertwines the story of Henry's son Edsel, who was given the unenviable task of running Ford Motor while Henry was still alive and wouldn't release control over some of the day-to-day operations.
After seeing Edsel die an untimely death, we see Ford Motor transition to Henry II. This is the first time that Henry Sr. relinquishes some control, and we see what the company can do (and does) during this period. Brinkley vividly tells the story of Henry II and his interactions with the labor movement in conjunction with operations at Ford Motor.
Towards the end of the book, we see the post Henry II era. We see a couple of different CEO's, including Donald Peterson, who seemed to help the company, and Jac Nasser, who probably isn't missed much by the Ford family - his reign saw the depletion of massive cash reserves from the corporation. At the conclusion of the book, Brinkley shows us the path that the company is taking today under the leadership of Bill Ford, Jr.
I believe that Brinkley has given us a wonderful book here - telling us the story not just of a man or a company, but a combination of so many facets of American history. What made Henry Ford tick? Why did he create Ford Motor Company? What did he do to make it survive? How did Ford Motor Company impact Michigan and America as a whole? All of these questions, and so many more, are answered in this splendid book. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a strong understanding of how one man and the business he built can have such a tremendous impact on America and the rest of the world.
Rating:
Summary: The Big Picture
Review: This book actually brings new things to the Ford story. 1. New details especially in interviews with workers through the years. 2. Emphasis on how the business was really built, and credit to the whole circle of people responsible; also more information than ever on the other Fords, Edsel and Henry II, who are usually glossed over. 3. A lot about Ford's effect on the world outside of cars. Much more about the excitement of the product (the cars) than the usual business history, too. I have read everything out there about Ford and a lot of books of business history. They usually miss the big picture, but this book doesn't. Well-written, well-researched, highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A Family and a Company History
Review: This is the story of four men: Henry, Edsel, Henry II and Bill Ford. These four men built and guided Ford Motor Co. to where it is today. It is also the story of the many men who also shaped Ford but ultimately were tossed aside. This book is a treasure trove of information. For instance, who knew that Cadillac had its roots at Ford? Who knew that the auto industry was so tied in together? The Dodge Brothers helped finance Ford. An executive left Ford and started buying up other car makers to form General Motors. The man brought in to add professional engineering left Ford to found Cadillac and then left there to found Lincoln, which Ford bought and brought this same man back to Ford. Such revelations will have you starting many conversations with, "Did you know . . .?" Dr. Brinkley's work is not perfect, though. Not surprisingly, Henry Ford is the giant of the book and most ink is given to him. However, the 70's, 80's and 90's receive almost a summary treatment. Also, not enough time is given to the cultural shift to SUVs and how Ford moved from a car company that had a truck division to a truck maker that also happens to sell cars. Most disappointingly, the book has too few pictures. Dr. Brinkley has strong descriptive powers that one wants to see the car or the plant or the person he is describing, but the pictures aren't there. If the Taurus is so important to Ford, especially in terms of styling, why not include a picture of the first model? In the end, this book is a great read. One cheers for Ford when it triumphs and worries about it when it falters. Dr. Brinkley clearly loves Ford: the company, the cars and the men. His work is a labor of love.
Rating: 
Summary: Wheels for the World
Review: Wheels for the World by Douglas Brinkley is a lengthy, but well written book that details the Ford Motor Company's epic history and many accomplishments. Brinkley offers the reader plenty of information on Henry Ford, the pioneer of mass produced auto manufacturing. He details everything from Ford's instabilities and contradicting behavior to his impeccable business savvy. A major downfall for Wheels for the World is Brinkley's inability to make clean transitions from one idea to the next. The reader gets attached to one idea, and the next thing you know Brinkley has begun an entirely new concept. But, in the end I believe the author did a great job of capturing the struggles and successes of the Ford Motor Company, while also taking us through an interesting journey into the life of an extremely intelligent man in our nation's history. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the nation and the auto-making industry.
Rating:
Summary: Wheels for the World
Review: Wheels for the World by Douglas Brinkley is a lengthy, but well written book that details the Ford Motor Company's epic history and many accomplishments. Brinkley offers the reader plenty of information on Henry Ford, the pioneer of mass produced auto manufacturing. He details everything from Ford's instabilities and contradicting behavior to his impeccable business savvy. A major downfall for Wheels for the World is Brinkley's inability to make clean transitions from one idea to the next. The reader gets attached to one idea, and the next thing you know Brinkley has begun an entirely new concept. But, in the end I believe the author did a great job of capturing the struggles and successes of the Ford Motor Company, while also taking us through an interesting journey into the life of an extremely intelligent man in our nation's history. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the nation and the auto-making industry.
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