Rating: 
Summary: In Praise of Eamon Fingleton!
Review: Shades of Nostradamus. Despite Mr. Fingleton having published this book in 1998, it is not out of date nor is it too late to read it in 2002. The author is a prophet, and I only wish I had read the book earlier, certainly before the stock market bubble popped. Furthermore, I wish this book had been the a critical document forming American political debate for the past four years. In summary of the thesis, the pathology of the nation's declining economy is manifest in the hollowing out of the manufacturing sector. We will be generations correcting the problem, or we will be another Argentina. Like a skilled coroner dissecting the victim of a brutal murder, Mr. Fingleton takes apart the myth of "postindustrialism," certainly as it pertains to the consensus of economic thinking in the US. Oh Gods of Hubris, what violence have we wrought upon our once mighty American economy by following the chimera of well-packaged economic fads. So you think steel and shipbuilding are rust-belt industries, better suited to the "third world" and without which the US is a better place? Not after you read this book. So you think we should be teaching children that their goal in life should be to grow up and be computer programmers because that is the pathway to a good job and secure future? Not so fast, pilgrims. So you think that the US does not need these so-called "commoditized" high tech manufactures like the chips and circuitry that go into the guts of even a run of the mill computer? To paraphrase a certain disgraced former President of the United States, "It all depends on what you mean by 'commoditized.'" You will probably never understand what is happening to the US economy unless and until you read this book. I am not in the business of giving advice to the President of the United States, but I will make an exception and recommend that he read "In Praise of Hard Industries." Heck, I will send him my copy if he wishes. And then, I hope that he recommends the book to every Cabinet officer, sub-Cabinet official, Member of Congress, Federal Judge, and any one else whose decisions affect policy in this country. This book is that important.
Rating: 
Summary: What are people smoking?
Review: You should read this book because it runs counter to the long line of "new age information society" books that have come out since "the Third Wave" by Alvin Toffler. Since the 80's (and rise of Microsoft) it has been fashionable to push software as the future, and Fingleton tackles that myth with gusto! It's also important to keep in mind that the author wrote this book before the internet bubble burst on the stock market, which gives me even more respect for the book. As someone working in the software business I found that Fingleton has some blind spots and can go a bit too far, but he still has a voice that should be heard. While the book has some flaws (I didn't find all the information on target) it still opened some doors for me and made me think, and that alone is a good reward for any reader.
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