A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy
by Sara Bongiorni
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Book Summary Information
Author: Sara BongiorniEdition: Hardcover
Published: 2007-06-29
ISBN: 0470116137
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Wiley
Book Reviews of A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy
Book Review: Not a complete disappointment, just wasn't what I expected.
Summary: 3 Stars
This book is light reading; with 227 pages it's a quick read and at times funny and insightful. However, I didn't get the point.
The "rules" of living a year without felt flimsy; granted, it was a work in progress, but what's the point if you're going to keep breaking the rules? Example: the "gift" exception. You can always ask a relative to buy something you need that's made in China.
If you're going to go a year without, * really * go a year without! Perhaps a better approach would have been to write a book titled "A Year of Made in the USA"... now that would have been tough! Here the writer goes to great lengths to buy items made from other countries.
Personally I think the entire book could have / would have done well as a lengthy article, and I would have gained just as much insight. What the book lacks, and what others have mentioned, is a pairing of this family's decision with a discussion about China. The reader could have benefited from a historical explanation as to why China has infiltrated our economy, and why it's difficult to go without purchasing items made there. I actually consider this a disservice to the reader.
Oh well... not a complete disappointment but it wasn't what I expected.
Summary of A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy
Includes a Foreword by Joel L. Naroff, PhD,President, Naroff Economic Advisors, Inc.
Chief Economist, Commerce Bank
"Over the past century, Americans' images of China have fluctuated wildly from victim, to heroic fighter, to Communist fanatic. We have loved them and feared them. And now, as Sara Bongiorni shows in vivid personal terms, we are in a new phase where it is a little of both. China has become an economic giant that can step on our toes, but that we must embrace."
-John Maxwell Hamilton, Dean and Hopkins P. Breazeale Foundation Professor Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University
"When the writer resolves to forgo Chinese imports for one year, she leads her lively family in a fascinating experiment that requires surprising feats of will power and ingenuity. The family's adventure through the maze of modern America's consumer life is both thought provoking and delightful to read. Those little 'Made in China' labels will never seem the same again."
-Mark Fabiani, former White House special counsel and media/political consultant
"Breaking up is indeed hard to do, as Sara Bongiorni proves in this winning memoir of her household's one-year boycott of Chinese products. Equal parts Erma Bombeck and economics, A Year Without 'Made in China' is that lively miracle-a crash course in globalization that is also consummately entertaining."
-Danny Heitman, columnist for The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
"A funny and engaging story about one family's experiment in our global economy. The Bongiorni family does without sneakers, sunglasses, and printer cartridges, but develops a dogged creativity and much needed sense of humor. The myriad moral complexities in the relationship between American consumers and Chinese factory are evident in each shopping trip."
-Pietra Rivoli, PhD, Professor, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University and author, The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy
"You will never go shopping the same way again! It's impossible to read Sara Bongiorni's book and not be captivated by the complexity and challenge of her task, and to then try it yourself for a day and fail miserably at it by lunchtime. This is the rare book that makes you think about how big global issues actually hit home, and it will have you discussing those issues with your friends."
-Chuck Jaffe, Senior Columnist, MarketWatch host, Your Money (www.yourmoneyradio.net)
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