Hot, Flat and Crowded

Thomas Friedman's latest book, Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution and How it Can Renew America is a continuation of his last book, The World is Flat. This book explores how the rise of the middle classes throughout the world (flat) has led to rapid population growth (crowded) and an increased demand for energy, food, and natural resources (hot). A world that is hot, flat and crowded causes a growing demand for energy, climate change, rapidly accelerating biodiversity loss, and a transfer of wealth to oil rich countries. My favorite blogger, the Citizen Reader, recently mentioned her distaste for Friedman, calling him a tool. I usually agree with her tastes in reading, but on Friedman we disagree. I like Friedman's writing style and I enjoy reading his opinion pieces in the New York Times. But, she is right that he basically takes a hot topic, adds his own two cents and produces an instant best-seller. Not much of what he says in this book is new information. If you've been paying attention to the state of the world, you have heard it all before. But, I like his spin on the topic, and his books make you think. The only complaint I really have with Friedman is the length of his books. His articles in the NY Times are just right-long enough to pique my interest, but not too long that I end up getting bored. But I found that there was just too much information to digest in Hot, Flat and Crowded and The World is Flat. Did he really need 400 pages to say what he needed to say?