In one of the early seasons of "Saturday Night Live," Al Franken announced that the 80's would be "The Al Franken Decade."  The notion was, more or less, that the world should and would revolve around... Al Franken.  It's hard to read this book and not think of that skit, because the word "me" appears so frequently (and gratuitously).  World leaders never just "say" things; they say them "to me."  It's a construction clearly designed to enable Friedman to depict himself as an oracle whose advice is sought by a wide variety of famous folks.  Parts of the book are prescient, especially Friedman's discussion of the potential for terrorism.  Many of the "future is now" points are interesting and thought-provoking (although more than a few are already a bit dated).  Unfortunately, the pompous approach often gets in the way.  Several times during the book, Friedman goes so far as to write long speeches that represent things he claims people SHOULD have said, rather than words they actually spoke!
In one of the early seasons of "Saturday Night Live," Al Franken announced that the 80's would be "The Al Franken Decade. "  The notion was, more or less, that the world should and would revolve around... Al Franken. It's hard to read this book and not think of that skit, because the word "me" appears so frequently (and gratuitously). World leaders never just "say" things; they say them "to me. "  It's a construction clearly designed to enable Friedman to depict himself as an oracle whose advice is sought by a wide variety of famous folks. Parts of the book are prescient, especially Friedman's discussion of the potential for terrorism. Many of the "future is now" points are interesting and thought-provoking (although more than a few are already a bit dated). Unfortunately, the pompous approach often gets in the way. Several times during the book, Friedman goes so far as to write long speeches that represent things he claims people SHOULD have said, rather than words they actually spoke!