Interesting to learn more about Ford and his grandiose ideas.

The subject matter of this book is interesting, but unfortunately it was a real slog for me. I think it was just that Grandin put in SO MUCH detail and information that it was overwhelming. I mean, it's really good to be thorough in your research, and to back up what you're saying, but no one should EVER have to write another book about this subject EVER AGAIN, because they can't possibly find any more information that Grandin didn't include.

That said, my overall impressions were that Ford was a rotter and the whole idea of Fordlandia was VERY poorly executed, paying no attention to botany, climate and other environmental factors OR to the social and cultural climate of the area. The last chapter, discussing how capitalism and industry have affected the Amazon right up to today (well, to 2009), disgusted me to the point that it almost made me physically nauseous. These are the things we don't think about when we visit the supermarket, or buy a new car that contains steel and plastic created by really despicable practices.

I learned a lot, and the book made me think... it just took me FOREVER to get through it.

Yet another book club selection that I failed to finish. Got through Part 1, though. Seemed good, I just ran out of time.

A fascinating look at Henry Ford, his rise to American prominence, and his attempts to build an American society in the Amazon rainforest. Greg Grandin does a great job of discussing the contradictions in Ford's beliefs and his social and business initiatives. In the sobering last chapter of the book, he also discusses how Fordlandia was one of the first steps in the perhaps inevitable exploitation of the rainforest. Really great book.

Some of Greg’s prose can be tough to follow sometimes & I did discover some new words while reading this book but overall an essential if you are interested in Pan American history!

An interesting story told with admirable thoroughness but, to be honest, I found it a bit of a slog towards the end.

Bit of a slog, but what a wild story.

This was as much a mini-history of the Ford Motor Company and a mini-biography of Henry Ford as it was about Ford's efforts at creating an Amazonian rubber plantation. In an effort to show how Fordlandia was an example of Ford's efforts at social engineering as much as anything else, Grandin spends much time discussing other experiments, such as his Upper Peninsula mill towns and his attempts to control the after-work lives of his employees.

A very interesting story, told from the points of view various Ford employees and managers -- mostly from the U.S. There seem to be very few Brazilians left who remember the days of Ford's Amazon rubber plantations, which is shame, because it would be interesting to hear about this grand experiment from their point of view.