How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back

The recent demise of American across many landscapes is based upon fact, not opinion. This book does a great job tracing how it happened, and what (hopefully) can be done to get us back on course. In the meantime, hedge your bets and start learning Mandarin.

After reading Thomas Friedman's book I bought copies for my adult children as stocking stuffers. As a "mature adult" approaching retirement my ability to influence the future is somewhat limited, however, I felt like Mr. Friedman supplied the next generation with a user's manual for rescuing the U.S. It was truly a thought-provoking and inspiring work.

Masterful summarization of history/events that are weakening our Country. Drew on any contributors to support the theory. Not presented to blame only one political party. Offers programs and action that could turn the decline around.

This is a book all politicians, educators and policy-makers should read. If offers a realistic picture of America's decline in the global economy and what needs to be done to get American back on track as a leader and economic power house.

Great read on treadmill, as half hour read is enough to digest during the day. really made me wonder why this topic is not being openly discusseed in mainstream media/political debates. Very thought provocking.

This book is great! I wished every American and politician in America would read it. These guys have figured out our problems (somewhat) as a nation and a solution to said problems. I love the book, and I even have the unabridged book on CD! Great Book!

Lots of insight that swings the liberal direction. There was some history that I found interesting and appeared to be accurate. Unfortunately I did find it pretty boring after a while so I never finished the book.

The book does a nice job telling america we better get it together we are falling behind. But there is hope if the government can use they money wisely(good luck) getting america educated and ready for future generations.

This book is amazing, I shared this sentiment before but they provided it in a very coherent and collaborative way that helped me make ties in the parts of my logic that were missing. I think there are a few other issues aside from the big 4, but they are definitely the most important. EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS ESPECIALLY OUR LAWMAKERS! Thanks guys!

We heard these authors speak about this book at the Library of Congress Book Week celebtation early this year. Both are talented and thoughtful. This book speaks plainly about what made this country great and what happened. It states that we have a choice of future paths. Which will we take?

I recommend this to anyone who wants a clear view of how this country has changed.

The authors use the voices of many experts and "players" in the fields of science, politics, education and history to effectively place our nation's challenges in historical and global perspective. The writing is superbly clear, and the authors' purpose is obviously without a hidden ideological agenda. I can further recommend the DVD "Carbonnation". This documentary is for those who want to see how real people are currently developing solutions to our environmental problems. Thomas Friedman appears in this DVD.

Bought this book in very good, like new, condition. Certainly a worth-reading work by Thomas Friedman, which I have read before. So having my own copy so neat and nice is a great pleasure for book loves.

Thomas Friedman has done it again. His book on the environment was great and this book on the state of the US is also something worth reading. I am a conservative, so someone from the New York Times is not a person I would give much credibility too. But, this book is honest and has some great ideas which should be considered when electing politicians this fall. I also purchased it as a Christmas gift and gave it to relatives.

I was so impressed by his thoughts on how schooling differs in both Scandinavia and Asia, that I am going to alter my class at Santa Clara University to reflect the idea of group interactions.

I recommend this book to anyone who is frustrated with the educational and competitive environment which one feels the US is not competing as it should. It clearly sets a challenge of what the US is capable of.

The rehash of Friedman's previous books is disappointing. His attempt at a positive outlook sounds like Kumbaya. Paraphrasing - "If we all hold hands and fix the education system and government, we can get through this. If we all get creative, we can be successful." I really enjoyed the author's previous books, but expected something dramatically new. Instead, it's more of an update on prior statistics and trends, with a long, drawn out editorial on the education system.

The book is like a very long newspaper article spreading to people of medium knowledge the basics realities of the modern world. It is repetitive, but for the purpose of educating people that frequently are misinformed by ideological repetition. I would recommend reading the book to all the people that have no time to find their own proper understanding, through other means. For them, the Book could promote a life-saving adjustment to the realities of the world, in a concentrated amount of time.

whether about USA or many other Western Conutries, authors clearly and with live examples show how and why this disfunct politics is leading us down the black hole and how we should get our act together! - another must!

I have read most of Michael Mandelbaum's other books and only one by Thomas Friedman ("The World is Flat"). I much prefer Mandelbaum's style and clarity.

For me this book was "rescued" by several of the the store.com reviews which I believe were superior the book itself. Three of the reviewers recommended another book titled "The Lights in the Tunnel", by Martin Ford. I fully agree that Ford's book provides a much clearer description of this very important topic.

Thomas Friedman has done it again, this time with a noted expert in foreign affairs, Michael Mandlebaum. From the opening lines to the final word, where the US is and how we got here is told without emotion, without partisanship, and without rancor. The chapters on the War on Math and Science are expertly presented. I believe the reader who is looking for a balanced, bi-partisan approach to solving our country's ills can take this book to heart and use it as a starting point. The Tea Party and extreme left wingers will hate it because it's just so sensible and the historical context is verifiable! For those who love to re-write history to suit their beliefs, this book is not for them. With accountability on all required these days, especially when data is required to back it up, this book surpasses the grade. I never do this but I'm reading it a second time.

Friedman once again, along with his co-author Michael Mandelbaum, shows how brilliantly he can analyze and synthesize today's issues and at the same time provide "common sense" solutions. If I were running for office, this book would be a great playbook for a political agenda. I wished our nation's leaders took these solutions to heart. America would be in a better place.

As a wounded warrior it was difficult to take the author's anti-Vietnam war privileged era spin. Also, the 'China is better than America' argument is appears as mere opinion masked as fact. After reading this work (that was assigned as a 'textbook' in PhD program in educational leadership) I decided to read Marl Levin's 'Ameritopia', and re-read Huxley's 'Brave New World.' Would recommend not letting 'That used to be us' stand alone as a single voice -- it is mere politics and requires a balanced comparative dialectic approach when reading it.

This is another classic Tom Friedman. Not only a fantastic journalist, but a great author, that has inspired and enlightened me over serveral books. He lays it down, but shows where optimism abound, and how we can turn things around.

This is an outstanding sequel to his book "The World is Flat". I'm particularly concerned about how America has lost its manufacturing base, and I was eager to learn Friedman's ideas for us to adapt and thrive in the new global economy.

Interested Readers

I would recommend THAT USED TO BE US by Thomas Friedman most highly to anyone interested in the USA and its economic position in the world, before and now. It provides a lot of insight for readers to consider and it is a book that I believe everyone in the United States--high school students and adults should read. It gives anyone facts that they could and should pass on to their congressmen and senators in case it appears that they have not read the book. A must read book. It is available from the store.

Bill Jackson

Lots of provocative ideas. There is a heaviness to the text
that had me putting it down, but coming back dutifully for more.
It was more, "I ought to read this," rather than "I am enjoying
reading this."

I found myself sitting back after reading a section and saying, "Is
that right? Do their arguments hold up?" A book that provokes that
kind of exercise is worth reading, whether you agree with every point
or not.

But, before you buy it, be sure you are up to a serious read."

This book is a history lesson, a civics course, & brings us all up to date on the mistakes that have been made in education, particularly, but much more. It is very worthwhile reading for anyone. The suggestions for change are OK, but of course unable to go far enough - the whole country will need to work on that!

It's an interesting book on an important topic, written very clearly. Some of the proposed solutions I fully agree with, not only for USA, but for Europe as well (Education). But there were some things in that book that made the European me cringe.

1. The desire of the authors to show both American parties as equally wrong. Sorry, but when they write about how GOP outright lied to destroy the opponents and then state that it's equal to a Democrat saying that Bush II was a liar... Well, the problem is, that the Democrat was right, even if the authors don't like that, as Bush lied about Iraq's link to Al Qaeda and weapons' of mass destruction presence.

2. The text is infused with propaganda of USA exceptionalism. From the text it's clear, that for the authors the USA are entitled to be the moral beacon of the world, and their interventions have always been in good. Sure, I guess Chile, Nicaragua and especially Vietnam would agree, as well as Iraq & Afghanistan now. I understand and respect patriotism as well as defense of political interests (everyone is doing that, with arms if possible) but what I don't understand is the claim to morality of such actions. Honestly, the claim to higher moral ground "just because" is very weird for my European mind.

3. The authors aim for some sort of "middle ground" in discussing budget equilibrium, proposing cuts everywhere and tiptoeing around the extreme inequality of the income, and I see no reason why. It would be logical to propose to raise taxes for the 1% super-riches first and, f.ex. cut some defense budget (close off European military bases) - and _then_ cut Social Security if there's need. But well...

Conclusion: a good book, interesting propositions, but too much "middle ground" and propaganda. Liked it, but would hesitate to recommend.