Read Online Reboot America How the US can Beat China at its own Game edition by Karan Doshi Politics Social Sciences eBooks

Product details File Size 1730 KB Print Length 305 pages Publication Date April 1, 2019 Sold by  Digital Services LLC Language English ASIN B07P1D49DK

Reboot America How the US can Beat China at its own Game edition by Karan Doshi Politics Social Sciences eBooks Reviews

• I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway. Because of this, I will be creating a more in-depth review than I normally give books, and this review will also be more brutally honest than some others that I have written.
  I had originally entered the giveaway because the premise of the book (as stated in the synopsis) sounded very interesting. However, my interest in this book quickly began to wane, being replaced with confusion and annoyance. The author’s writing style was poor; somehow, he managed to be both simplistic and pompous. Some of the confusion in his writing might possibly be traced back to the dialect of English spoken in India (such as the phrase “by me,” when Americans tend to use “to me”), but this is the least problematic aspect of his writing style. His use of “viz” and “e.g.” was extreme and unnecessary to the point that it actually became a distraction. He also inserted words like “obfuscate” and “fillip” where simpler (and still academically acceptable) words would have sufficed, especially since he speaks negatively about others who use “unnecessary jargon.” Further, the goal of this book was supposedly to lay out logical arguments, but then the author inserted “come to think of it,” as if he were simply speaking to friend, not writing a researched argument.
  The central discussion of the book – wealth creation – also failed to convince. The book spoke time and again of wealth creation coming almost exclusively from manufacturing, and some of the arguments the author presented actually made sense. However, the logic in these arguments fell apart frequently; for example, the author tried to argue that industries like healthcare were a “zero-sum game” because wealth was transferred from one citizen to another but then failed to see how selling manufactured goods to citizens was also then not true wealth creation but a zero-sum game because wealth was transferred from one citizen to another. In fact, the type of scenario the author envisioned seemed to more closely resemble mercantilism than capitalism.
  Further, the author failed in some of his research. His discussion on the benefits of extracting fossil fuels from shale completely ignored the negative geological impacts which have been recorded for at least three years.
  Finally, the author added a chapter on terrorism and global warming that, by his own admission, had little-to-nothing to do with the stated purpose for this book. Why he decided to add this chapter instead of simply writing another book is a mystery, especially since (as mentioned above) his research was lacking.
  This is not to say that the book was worthless. There were some good ideas and some interesting points that the author made. The author is correct that the U.S. has not done itself any favors by outsourcing so much of its manufacturing to China, and he is also right that China is not looking at peacefully entering into the world economy but is looking to become a (if not the) dominant power in Asia. Some of his ideas for countering China’s blatant expansionism are both plausible and sound. Sadly, these are not the norm for this book.
  In conclusion, the author created a book that is an interesting conversation piece but not one that is widely usable for debate and research. His writing style, failures in presenting logical arguments, and scattered thoughts all lead to a point where the reader (at least this reader) is left disappointed and slightly annoyed. The potential for an interesting and important work exists, but this potential is drowned out by the negative aspects of this book.
  The author uses the old saying, “For want of a nail, the shoe was lost./ For want of a shoe, the horse was lost….” I would amend that for this book “For want of a good editor, the book was lost.”
• It was an interesting concept to read about globalization and the role China plays in the world economy and how it had impacted America. Not sure I always agree with the author's point of view - some I did, some I didn't, but it was an interesting read nonetheless.