Contents

Writers Nook
Discussion List
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From Beirut to Jerusalem
(Updated with a New Chapter)

Intimate Enemies
Jews and Arabs in a Shared Land

The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization
by Thomas L. Friedman

Yikes! He cited Enron and its officers as "models of a corporate adaption to the global economy" ... bad choice, but then again, who knew? This isn't the only reason Friedman's book "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" has inspired such controversy.

Part of the controversy surrounds his self-created terminology ... creating words which maybe he assumes will become part of the new and updated dictionaries of the future? Who knows... The thing is, most readers appeared to find this part of his writing style as highly detracting from the book.

Another part of the controversy stems from his "ignorance" on some of the subjects he attempted to explain, relying on personal experiences or interviews rather than actual objective research. Whenever someone is highly knowledgeable on any subject close to their hearts, they will spot a fake a mile away. I'm not saying Friedman is "faking it" ... but if you read through the more than 200 reviews by readers at Amazon.com you'll soon find others who do say he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Yet more controversy swirls around his use of statistics and/or documentation to back up his "facts". When he does give them, he seldom provides the real source in footnotes or otherwise, stating instead, something along the lines of "The Economist says..." -- I can see where detail oriented people would find this highly frustrating.

In a bookclub controversy is great - it inspires discussion. It's also a great way to land on the Bestsellers list, which of course Friedman has with this book "The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization."