Rating: 
Summary: a good read
Review: An intelligent, optimistic and fun book - definitely eye opening and stimulating. One thing that I would like to point out to Mr. Friedmann on his "no 2 countries that each have a McDonalds have ever gone to war" theory: how do you explain the fact that both Pakistan and India - BOTH having McDonalds' (and KFC, Pizza Hut etc etc) are constantly at each others necks? I think this proves the point that although intelligent, Mr. Friedman has the tendency to sometimes simplify and airbrush complicated issues that people care about deeply.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Thesis on Globalization
Review: I bought this book because I always like Freidman's political perspectives as well as writing style in The New York Times. This book was interesting in providing an interesting and pretty compelling view on trends in globalization. I thought his major points could have been made in a long article, or series of articles, and there wasn't enough "meat" to justify a 300+ page book on this topic.
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Friedman writes the same way he speaks.
Review: While this book could have been written by a ghost writer, the evidence would dictate otherwise. Mr. Friedman writes exactly as he speaks. There is a looping, almost non-linear style to both forms of his communication. At first, I found him difficult to listen to on Washington Week in Review on PBS. Likewise, I found his writing style awkward to read at first. However, the importance of his points in the book overshadow any distraction his style might cause. Globalization seems to be a rather obvious phenonmenon. Nevertheless, Mr. Friedman has a keen grasp of its ramifications. Sometimes the obvious has unintended or unforeseen implications. He deals effectively with these. The book is enjoyable, incisive, and at times poetic. He engages in a lot of name dropping, but this may be forgiveable, since the names support his examples, and after all, he is a reporter who would actually know the "victims."
Rating: 
Summary: Another book on globalization
Review: Hmmm...globalization...now there is a vacuous concept that lots of "intelligent" people throw around to explain things they're too stupid to think through. Ever notice how no one ever gives us a definition of globalization? Basically, its just the lowering of transaction costs and guess what kids, its been around since the beginning of human history. Leftists find the concept useful to scare people -- "Look! The globalization monster is sneaking up on us to lower our standard of living, create massive unemployment and make everybody miserable." (Oh, wait, that's not happening.) What ever happened to the leftist cry of internationalism? This book gets a big "DUH!" and so does the guy worried about endism (another useful concept). Am I an endist? I like to finish what I started, so I must be (Fukuyama aside).
Rating: 
Summary: The internet is the freeway to globalization
Review: This big blue marble that we live on just got a lot smaller thanks to the internet. Friedman is both insightful and prophetic in his observations as a reporter for the New York Times. He has turned his experiences as a foreign correspondent into valuable information for the business person, investor, citizen. The revelation that no two countries that both have a McDonalds have ever gone to war against each other is brilliant. The key to world peace may be found through free, open markets. Consumers will not tolerate a war with a significant trading partner as the demand for their goods outweighs the cost/benefit associated with wars. Every manager, investor, citizen should read this text, as the insight is imperative to survival in todays global economy.
Rating:
Summary: Why world changes affect us all.
Review: An excellent explication of how macrochanges in the world affect everyone, rural or urban, American, Mongolian or Sudanese. What is particularly good is how he illustrates major trends with real life vignettes. The subject is weighty, but the presentation is lively and interesting. Run faster, run smarter.
Rating:
Summary: Utterly banal endism
Review: This thorouhly predictable and banal endist claptrap will come as a disappointment to those who have enjoyed Friedman's work. However in this book Friedman isunable to abandon preconception so and we get a wishy washy packet of neoliberal nonsense. Ignore this endist consumerist nonsense.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent primer on where the world is headed.
Review: An excellent primer on the interplay of finance, technology and democratic institutions, and how sound management of these three are destined to control our standard of living. My only complaint is that I thought he was too superficial on the things the USA needs to do to maintain its central role in globalization. I would have liked more on his views of what government should be doing regarding the regulation of commerce and only a bear mention of the dangers of the plaintiff's bar and prosecutorial indescretion.
Rating: 
Summary: Review from The New Statesman
Review: The Lexus and the Olive Tree is particularly satisfying for me because it confirms, vividly and in rich detail, the truth that we have indeed reached the end of history: the ambassador for McDonald's is more highly regarded than the ambassador from the US. Earlier in the decade, Tom Friedman used to ring me, saying, "You know, you're essentially right about the victory of democracy and markets around the world." He would then cite specific examples from his own observations as a journalist. He has collected all these insights into a single, powerful volume that comes as close as anything we now have to a definition of the real character of the new world order. Francis Fukuyama, Hirst Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University, Virginia, is author of "The Great Disruption".
Rating:
Summary: Who Thomas Friedman really is.
Review: The guy is a self-proclaimed "expert" in globalization and foreign affairs, but his "global" expertise is mainly on the former Soviet Union, and not much of anything else. On July 5, 1999, at an appearance in Aspen, Colorado, after repeatedly asked to explain why he is against Bulgaria becoming part of NATO, all he could come up was "Who gives a #%@* about Bulgaria?" - a rather ignorant answer for somebody who claims to be an expert in world affairs.
| 
