From Silk to Silicon
The Story of Globalization Through Ten Extraordinary Lives
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Narrated by:
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Tom Perkins
About this listen
From Silk to Silicon tells the story of who these men and women were, what they did, how they did it, and how their achievements continue to shape our world today. They include:
- Genghis Khan, who united east and west by conquest and by opening new trade routes built on groundbreaking transportation, communications, and management innovations.
- Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who arose from an oppressive Jewish ghetto to establish the most powerful bank the world has seen and ushered in an era of global finance.
- Cyrus Field, who became the father of global communications by leading the effort to build the transatlantic telegraph, the forerunner to global radio, TV, and the worldwide Internet.
- Margaret Thatcher, whose controversial policies opened the gusher of substantially free markets that linked economies across borders.
- Andy Grove, a Hungarian refugee from the Nazis who built the company - Intel - that figured out how to manufacture complex computer chips on a mass commercial scale and laid the foundation for Silicon Valley's computer revolution.
Through these stories Garten probes critical questions, such as: How much influence can any one person have in fundamentally changing the world? From Silk to Silicon is an essential book to understanding the past - and the future - of the most powerful force of our times.
©2016 Jeffrey E. Garten. (P)2016 HighBridge, a division of Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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The English East India Company was the mother of the modern multinational. Its trading empire encircled the globe, importing Asian luxuries such as spices, textiles, and teas. But it also conquered much of India with its private army and broke open China's markets with opium. The Company's practices shocked its contemporaries and still reverberate today.
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Not what I expect from a history book
- By Bobby on 10-09-18
By: Nick Robins
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This Brave New World
- India, China and the United States
- By: Anja Manuel
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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In the next decade and a half, China and India will become two of the world's indispensable powers - whether they rise peacefully or not. During that time, Asia will surpass the combined strength of North America and Europe in economic might, population size, and military spending. Both India and China will have vetoes over many international decisions, from climate change to global trade, human rights, and business standards.
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Good book, could be better
- By General on 09-23-16
By: Anja Manuel
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A Brief History of the Future
- A Brave and Controversial Look at the Twenty-first Century
- By: Jacques Attali
- Narrated by: Alan Robertson
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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What will planet Earth be like in 20 years? At mid-century? In the year 2100? Prescient and convincing, this book is a must-read for anyone concerned about the future. Never has the world offered more promise for the future and been more fraught with dangers. In this powerful and sometimes terrifying work, Attali analyzes the past and pinpoints nine distinct periods of human history, each with its world center of power and prestige, and predicts what the tenth will bring by the end of this century.
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feels like a popular mechanics article
- By Robin on 07-11-17
By: Jacques Attali
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The Tycoons
- How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J. P. Morgan Invented the American Supereconomy
- By: Charles R. Morris
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The modern American economy was the creation of four men: Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J. P. Morgan. They were the giants of the Gilded Age, a moment of riotous growth that established America as the richest, most inventive, and most productive country on the planet. Acclaimed author Charles R. Morris vividly brings these men and their times to life. The Tycoons tells the incredible story of how these four determined men wrenched the economy into the modern age, inventing a nation of full economic participation that could not have been imagined earlier.
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Good book wrong title
- By Hectoris on 10-06-16
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Saudi, Inc.
- The Arabian Kingdom's Pursuit of Profit and Power
- By: Ellen R. Wald PhD
- Narrated by: Paul Ansdell
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Over more than a century, fed by ambition and oil wealth, al Saud (as the royal family is known) has come from having next to nothing to ruling as absolute monarchs. Their story starts with Saudi Arabia's founder, the lowly refugee Abdul Aziz, embarking on a daring gambit to reconquer his family's ancestral home: the mud-walled city of Riyadh. And it ends with al Saud's most ambitious move yet: taking Aramco, the multinational business that has made them the wealthiest family in the world, public.
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Excellent modern history of Saudi Arabia
- By Rob Hafen on 05-31-18
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The Looting Machine
- Warlords, Oligarchs, Corporations, Smugglers, and the Theft of Africa's Wealth
- By: Tom Burgis
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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The trade in oil, gas, gems, metals, and rare earth minerals wreaks havoc in Africa. During the years when Brazil, India, China, and the other "emerging markets" have transformed their economies, Africa's resource states remained tethered to the bottom of the industrial supply chain. While Africa accounts for about 30 percent of the world's reserves of hydrocarbons and minerals and 14 percent of the world's population, its share of global manufacturing stood in 2011 exactly where it stood in 2000: at 1 percent.
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Frightening, Fascinating, Fatiguing
- By Scott on 07-29-18
By: Tom Burgis
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Capitalism in America
- A History
- By: Alan Greenspan, Adrian Wooldridge
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 16 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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From the legendary former Fed Chairman and the acclaimed Economist writer and historian, the full, epic story of America's evolution from a small patchwork of threadbare colonies to the most powerful engine of wealth and innovation the world has ever seen.
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Explains a lot
- By Scott on 02-18-19
By: Alan Greenspan, and others
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Dealing with China
- An Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower
- By: Henry M. Paulson
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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When Hu Jintao, China's then vice president, came to visit the New York Stock Exchange and Ground Zero in 2002, he asked Hank Paulson to be his guide. It was a testament to the pivotal role that Goldman Sachs played in helping China experiment with private enterprise. In Dealing with China, the best-selling author of On the Brink draws on his unprecedented access to both the political and business leaders of modern China to answer several key questions.
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A Valuable Book on China
- By Michael Moore on 09-04-15
By: Henry M. Paulson
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American Entrepreneur
- How 400 Years of Risk-Takers, Innovators, and Business Visionaries Built the U.S.A.
- By: Willie Robertson, William Doyle
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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The history of the United States is, to a remarkable degree, the story of its entrepreneurs, those daring movers and shakers who dreamed big and risked everything to build better lives for themselves, and their fellow Americans. In American Entrepreneur, Duck Commander CEO and star of the blockbuster Duck Dynasty series Willie tells the captivating true tale of the visionaries and doers who have embodied the American Dream.
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Should have been narrated by Willie
- By Tyler smoke on 12-05-18
By: Willie Robertson, and others
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Inside Money
- Brown Brothers Harriman and the American Way of Power
- By: Zachary Karabell
- Narrated by: Zachary Karabell
- Length: 17 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In Inside Money, acclaimed historian, commentator, and former financial executive Zachary Karabell offers the first full and frank look inside this institution against the backdrop of American history. Blessed with complete access to the company's archives, as well as a thrilling understanding of the larger forces at play, Karabell has created an X-ray of American power - financial, political, cultural - as it has evolved from the early 1800s to the present.
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Brilliant, well researched & highly insightful
- By Mongezi on 02-11-22
By: Zachary Karabell
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The Future Is Asian
- Commerce, Conflict and Culture in the 21st Century
- By: Parag Khanna
- Narrated by: Nezar Alderazi
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In the 19th century, the world was Europeanized. In the 20th century, it was Americanized. Now, in the 21st century, the world is being Asianized. The “Asian Century” is even bigger than you think. Far greater than just China, the new Asian system taking shape is a multicivilizational order spanning Saudi Arabia to Japan, Russia to Australia, Turkey to Indonesia - linking five billion people through trade, finance, infrastructure, and diplomatic networks that together represent 40 percent of global GDP.
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Bigoted, jingoistic, ethnocentric
- By SEAN on 03-08-19
By: Parag Khanna
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What listeners say about From Silk to Silicon
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- 922Vision
- 09-11-17
Fascinating
Travel the ages to find 10 movers and shakers of our world who have struggled and succeeded in tying us together through pain, suffering and with a seemingly singular and similar vision. It's a fascinating view. Arguably, there are others that could be added to the list, but the premise of the book is that in the end we are a global village and when we share our differences, great things happen for the progressive good of the whole and that is when the world moves forward. And it's rarely a rosey journey because when change happens lives often get shattered. That's the ugly side of progress, which the author honestly also includes as a stark reality. Change hurts. Really enjoyed it.
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- Philomath
- 03-21-17
Interesting stories of movers in history
This book was not what I expected. It is an interesting biography of 10 prominent figures in history, who were obsessed and persistent to make real change.
I found the second half of the book much more enjoyable if only because of the impact of those that truly connected the modern world.
These guys may have been great in their achievement, but in most cases it came at a cost. Most had a dark side, and it can be hard to admire such monsters, but they got the job done. They changed the world through hook or crook.
The ends justified the means would be a good attribute to their methods. One cannot deny that each played a major part in history, but it wasn't in isolation. They surrounded themselves with capable allies.
I recommend this book only because their stories are exceptionally dramatic, not so much as role model but as hard men who knew what they wanted and what it takes to force change.
I'm sure they were many more people that were important, but a selection of 10 is reasonable considering the length of the book.
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- Michael
- 06-06-16
Fantastic Journey
Where does From Silk to Silicon rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
One of the top, the author has just the right sense of detail, he's know's your curiosity level, and knows when add details, and when to stream line. The stories are well researched, fascinating, and wonderful.
What other book might you compare From Silk to Silicon to and why?
Sorry, nothing comes to mind.
What does Tom Perkins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
He does a fine job, (not a good question)
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
Again, not a good question.
Any additional comments?
This is great for a person who is interested in technology history, (starting very early 1500's). It's very well written, well researched, and no major faults. Highly recommend. (Ps Im into audible, some 70+ books).
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1 person found this helpful
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- Marilyn
- 05-22-16
Great history of trade and commerce
Would you listen to From Silk to Silicon again? Why?
yes, because it provides great context to connect cultural expansion, integration, and wealth by way of trade/commerce
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- W. Schiemenz
- 05-18-17
Horrible narrator
Interesting book hobbled by narrator who makes some of the most vibrant historical figures boring.
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- Michael E. Brunette
- 09-15-16
seeing history through a focused lens
people make the world, things don't just happen and this book really drives that home. This is a great piece of motivational history for those who dream.
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- Steve
- 07-18-20
Fascinating history of influential figures
Garten's book is simultaneously a fascinating overview of the lives and achievements of 10 immensely influential historical figures, and a salient argument for the ultimate good that globalization can bring.
I was struck by the stories of Jean Monnet and Deng Xiaoping in particular. Most popular history of the post-war period focuses on the Marshall Plan or the rise of the Soviet bloc. But Garten provides a perspective of post-war Europe that is Euro-centric, and of midcentury China that explains its seemingly shocking economic rise.
Garten's summary of each protagonist's globalist legacy helps frame their lives info terms of their longer term impact, which he then summarizes again at the end.
I really enjoyed this listen and now have a few new periods of history I want to learn more about.
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