A few years ago, I was asked to speak at a school district convocation in Avon, Massachusetts. The school superintendent highly recommended the book The World is Flat – a Brief History of the Twenty-First Century by Thomas L. Friedman. I had heard quite a bit about this book before and decided to read it. The book was very helpful to me and has assisted me in comprehending what I see as I travel Asia.
Seeing windmills popping up in remote regions of Vietnam while property prices in District 7 of Saigon soar above those in many of the most exclusive regions of Atlanta, Chicago or New York City was something I never saw coming. Friedman helps us understand the dramatic changes that are taking place in our country and around the world. Since the first edition of the book came out in 2005 we can see that not every prediction the author made has proven to be correct. At the same time, much of what he says is on point.
The author takes great pains to point out the intensive demands on our educational system to keep America and other countries growing and thriving. His optimistic message emphasizes room for many parts of the world to thrive. The author points out that for the United States to grow, our educational system must keep pace with this almost frantically evolving world.