The solutions that the authors posit are investment in education, investment in R&D, building infrastructure, immigration, and regulation. Few years old [s]. It was a gift to me and I gave my best shot to read it but after about 1/3rd of the way through I couldn't finish it. That Used To Be Us is a call to action. To smo znali biti mi: Kako je America zaostala u svijetu koga je sama bila stvorila i kako se može vratiti) je knjiga koju su godine 2011. objavili američki publicist Michael Mandelbaumi novinar Thomas Friedman. Tom Friedman (forget his liberal bent) is a rational and broad-based writer. The first 80% of it is a damning exploration of how the US has lost its way - educationally and politically, primarily. Even if you don't agree with their proposed solutions it seems incredibly naive to ignore the evidence that these problems are real and their criticality is growing exponentially. The authors, New York Time political commentators by trade, are most in their element when talking about this political system and their best points grow out of the admission that the 24/7 news cycle created to cover the 9-11 attacks are massively counter-productive when reporting on nuanced matters of public policy. I used to be a high school principal, before I changed careers. And some people love books about falling in love. While reading this book, it's very hard not to feel overwhelmed. "The tree used to be green" tells us that the tree was formerly green but now, alas, is no longer green. Welcome back. What to Know. Sure, China's near double-digit sustained GDP growth threatens to make it the world's premiere place to do business just as Japan's did in the late 80's. If we don't work together and fix our country soon, we will crash and arrive at a point where the freedoms we enjoy today and our current prosperous way of life will be gone. I love how his books are up to date, giving a good view on how the world is currently changing. It tells us that there was a repeated action or state in the past which has now changed. Farrar, Straus and Giroux; First Edition (September 5, 2011). This part of the book highlights how America has failed to keep up with the rest of the world in science and math education, and how politicians - left and right - insist on making up their own facts to suit their ideology, science and research notwithstanding. The four challenges the US faces, in the author's opinion, are globalization, the revolution in IT, our deficit, and our energy consumption. That Used To Be Us is a call to action. I used to drink coffee every morning but now I drink tea. In That Used to Be Us, the blockbuster Michael Mandelbaum wrote with Thomas L. Friedman, the authors analyzed the challenges America faces, including globalization, and described a path to recovering America’s greatness. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2016, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 29, 2014. While this book's theme was based around changes in America, there were just as many pieces of the book devoted to other parts of the world besides the US. Used to Konstrukcję tę stosujemy mówiąc o zwyczajach, nawykach z przeszłości, które obecnie już się zmieniły. 400 pages. That Used To Be Us was written by Thomas L. Friedman (a New York Times columnist) and Michael Mandelbaum (Director of Foreign Policy at Johns Hopkins). The authors nailed it on the head when th, Let me start by saying that, as a moderate/centrist, I really loved this book! They explain how the paralysis of our political system and the erosion of key American values have made it impossible for us to carry out the policies the country urgently needs. Well, we had essentially a third-party candidate in Trump, and he just brought out America's dark side and tried to set the country back 60 years. I think this book sums it up - better get cracking at educating yourself and/or starting your own company. However, the solution presented here is weak at best and positively stupid at worst. I thought that this was a very intriguing book. I thought that the picking and pulling a part of the left and the right was fantastic. The section on education is disturbing but much too detailed. This book would have been so much better if I had read it closer to its publication date of 2011. For me, four stars means it is an excellent book I completely enjoyed. They explain how the end of the Cold War blinded the nation to the need to address these issues seriously, and how China's educational successes, industrial might, and technological prowess remind us of the ways in which "that used to be us." "That Used to Be Us," by Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum, subtitled, "How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back," describes the current state of deterioration in which America finds itself. Friedman and Mandelbaum may indeed have a point. I was a huge fan of world is flat but only kinda liked hot flat and crowded. We in America should be working hard within our own communities rather than waiting for a political savior to come to our rescue. Every American should read this book, all 377 pages of it. Its publication date is September 5, 2011. The authors are correct in their assertion that we must come together and act collectively, taking the best ideas of both philosophies, if we intend to improve America. Eastern education practices work well partially because their basic culture holds education in high-esteem. Friedman and Mandelbaum paint a gloomy picture for the future of America. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Every month our team sorts through... America is in trouble. Firstly this is not the first time the nation has been threatened. The analysis of the present is discouraging as long term proble. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. And sure, the U.S. worries about reliance on continuing Chinese investments to pull the economy out of its doldrums just as it looked to the east during the '90 to '92 recession. Used to definition is - familiar with something so that it seems normal or usual. High quality example sentences with “are to be used for” in context from reliable sources - Ludwig is the linguistic search engine that helps you to write better in English . The authors first describe the current state of America. Used to refers to something familiar or routine, as in "I'm used to getting up early for work," or to say that something repeatedly happened in the past like "we used to go out more. People get mad at business for not hiring while having $2T on the sidelines, but their anger is unjustified in the fact there is not enough demand or economic stability to make such an investment. When is the last time you heard why can't the U.S. be more like Japan? And what’s worse, “People have sort of gotten used to it”, according to Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Madelbaum, authors of That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World. Friedman and Mandelbaum analyze the economic and social conditions (as well as legal codes) which allowed our remarkable growth. I've listened to the last couple books by Friedman. In the U.S. being called an "Einstein" is not necessarily a compliment. To be used to = accustomed to something (normally out of habit or experience) Notice how Used to ends in –ed which normally means the verb is in the past tense. 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