“Captivating … an enthralling read. To his great credit, Friedman embraces much of his flat world’s complexity, and his reporting brings to vibrant life some beguiling characters and trends. . . . [The World is Flat] is also more lively, provocative, and sophisticated than the overwhelming bulk of foreign policy commentary these days. We’ve no real idea how the twenty-first century’s history will unfold, but this terrifically stimulating book will certainly inspire readers to start thinking it all through.”–Warren Bass, The Washington Post
“Nicely sums up the explosion of digital-technology advances during the past fifteen years and places the phenomenon in its global context … Friedman never shrinks from the biggest problems and the thorniest issues.” — Paul Magnusson, BusinessWeek
“[This book’s] insight is true and deeply important … The metaphor of a flat world, used by Friedman to describe the next phase of globalization, is ingenious.” — Fareed Zakaria, The New York Times Book Review (front cover review)
“A brilliant, instantly clarifying metaphor for the latest, arguably the most profound conceptual mega-shift to rock the world in living memory.” — David Ticoll, The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
“No one today chronicles global shifts in simple and practical terms quite like Friedman. He plucks insights from his travels and the published press that can leave you spinning like a top. Or rather, a pancake.” — Clayton Jones, The Christian Science Monitor
“[The World is Flat] is filled with the kind of close reporting and intimate yet accessible analysis that have been hard to come by. Add in Friedman’s winning first-person interjections and masterful use of strategic wonksterisms, and this book should end up on the front seats of quite a few Lexuses and SUVs of all stripes.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)