
That Used to Be Us
How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back
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Narrated by:
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Jason Culp
America has a huge problem. It faces four major challenges, on which its future depends, and it is failing to meet them. In That Used to Be Us, Thomas L. Friedman, one of our most influential columnists, and Michael Mandelbaum, one of our leading foreign policy thinkers, analyze those challenges - globalization, the revolution in information technology, the nation's chronic deficits, and its pattern of energy consumption - and spell out what we need to do now to rediscover America and rise to this moment.
They explain how the end of the cold war blinded the nation to the need to address these issues. They show how our history, when properly understood, provides the key to addressing them, and explain how the paralysis of our political system and the erosion of key American values have made it impossible for us to carry out the policies the country needs. They offer a way out of the trap into which the country has fallen, which includes the rediscovery of some of our most valuable traditions and the creation of a new, third-party movement.
That Used to Be Us is both a searching exploration of the American condition today and a rousing manifesto for American renewal. "As we were writing this book," Friedman and Mandelbaum explain, "we found that when we shared the title with people, they would often nod ruefully and ask: 'But does it have a happy ending?' Our answer is that we can write a happy ending, but it is up to the country - to all of us - to determine whether it is fiction or nonfiction. We need to study harder, save more, spend less, invest wisely, and get back to the formula that made us successful as a country in every previous historical turn. What we need is not novel or foreign, but values, priorities, and practices embedded in our history and culture, applied time and again to propel us forward as a country. That is all part of our past. That used to be us and can be again - if we will it."
©2011 Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum (P)2011 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















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If you could sum up That Used to Be Us in three words, what would they be?
There are some subjects in this book which are a "wake up call."What about Jason Culp’s performance did you like?
Well read.Any additional comments?
Having read both what others consider conservative and liberal books, I think that thesegentlemen have stumbled on certain truths that all Americans should take a closer look as
gobalization becomes a greater part of our lives. As with any book, this book should be read in context and compared with the reader's experience with other books. Our founding fathers taught us to at least be open to other's ideas. This is a good read especially when
read before or after reading Thomas Sowell books. Another interesting comparision is Mark Steyn books
A Very Good Read
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Amazing!
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I started listening to Friedman's 16-hour audio book but soon realized it required a hard copy to reference. A lot of information some of which is intense. The authors attempt to put a positive spin on the problems that are accumulating in the US but one reviewer noted that simply describing the problems makes solutions seem overwhelming. This book is an excellent compendium of the major challenges that must be resolved. At the heart of their thesis is information technology and the internet have changed everything and the US is slipping behind that curve at an accelerating rate.
For example: On Sunday our washing machine broke. On Monday I called the company who serviced it five years ago. On Tuesday a repairman arrived. If the machine was unrepairable they would give me a $50 credit for a new machine which they would deliver, install and remove the old machine. I asked if they are still in Teaneck, NJ so I could see what they sold. "Henry" told me they closed all their retail stores four years ago and everything is now done on the internet. They would email me links to recommended machines and I could choose one that would be delivered by a third party. I asked if he was in India and he said no, but how can I know? The repairman arrived, diagnosed a defective water pump, took a picture of the plate with serial and model numbers on an iPhone, emailed it back to dispatch and told me it would cost about $300 to repair. The replacement water pump was manufactured in China.
In essence I am dealing with a virtual company and I learned that the repairmen are all contract employes who are dispatched like taxicabs and obtain parts from a central depot. This is the new business model and an significant percentage of our adult population is or will be unemployed as a result.
Note I ordered Friedman's book book from a Seattle company on Saturday and it was delivered with free-shipping for $15.23 on Tuesday afternoon originating in a warehouse somewhere over the rainbow. The audio version was downloaded from Audible and arrived three minutes after placing the order. If you are in the CD &/or Book business (like Borders, Sam's, Circuit City and Tower Records) you are history along with the careers of many otherwise good people.
Our national goals must have much much more majesty than elimination of government and lower taxes. If our national objective is only inwardly focused reductions then our children and grandchildren are guaranteed to drive on roads with potholes, slow trains that run off schedule, intermittent power, diseases brought about by unprocessed sewage from broken filtration plants, increased social unrest, high energy prices, bosses with foreign accents, more Homeland Security initiatives and no meaningful future such as the one many of us found back in the early 1960s when we entered the workforce.
Robert Soudant
We have met the enemy and it is us.... Pogo
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Thorough and eye opening
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Medicine tastes bad but it works
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Would you consider the audio edition of That Used to Be Us to be better than the print version?
I preferred the audio version of this book.Any additional comments?
It is a good recap of history and what we need to do to get back to being a leader in the world!Wake up US - it's a global world
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Excellent Book
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Nice narrative
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I like how this book isn't democrat or republican it's truth and real solutions. It's thoughtful and not political. Perfect for the independent thinker who likes hearing truth and good ideas from whoever they originate. This book covers so much that even Tiger Mom got mentioned. There's so much discussed that I had to take a break with part 1. I'll come back to part 2 I suppose when I get frustrated with politics once again and ...again start looking for answers outside of that world.
Another problem with this audiobook presenting so much information, you sometimes want to stop and further research statements or references made. So it takes you even longer to get through and you wish you really had the physical book so that you could do some actual bookmarking. As a visual, hands-on person sometimes I wish I had the REAL book to go along with my audiobook.
But anyway, politics, the global economy, education, china/BRIC, the "good ole days" in America, should we become more like China?, America's ability to compete in the global economy, what type of jobs will we see in the future, which will become obsolete? So many many interesting topics discussed here. If done as a lecture series or discussion group this would easily be an entire semester's worth of material and you would still have a million assignments to do at home.
Friedman & Mandelbaum do what their title says
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