James Fallows

The authors recount their frequent small-plane flights to various small and mid-size cities across the Lower 48 (most of the places they visit can't really fairly be called towns). In each section they highlight the unique aspects of each place and how the area was coping with various pressures in the mid-2010s, finding common themes that tend to unite the success stories. They tend to downplay discord and systemic problems, and often their tales come off as a bit more optimistic and boostery than perhaps is warranted. (I am, to be fair, perhaps more jaded than the ideal reader for this book).

I'd be curious to read about some of the places they mention in passing that didn't seem to be doing as well, for example. But there is a lot of interesting content here, anyway, and the book gives a good sense of how some cities are finding imaginative ways to thrive.… (mere)

Having not read too much about life in China, other than what occasionally makes it into the news, I found this to be a thought-provoking, if somewhat repetitive, analysis of the aerospace industry in China. I had not given enough thought to how a Communist country even went about trying to foster a high-tech industry that seems to thrive on competition and innovation. The answer, as seen in this book, is that it cannot. As long as the government sets the parameters for growth and success, its version of the industry will always be at least a step behind the rest of the world.

This book is easy to read and often interesting. The main issue is that about a third of the way through, the author has really made all of his main points. The rest of the book becomes more of the same. But if you haven't kept up with what's going on in China, this can be an easy way to get a glimpse inside.… (mere)