by Thomas L. Friedman

People around the world can sense that things are changing fast, but it’s difficult to put a finger on why. Our lives are being transformed in so many realms at once that it is dizzying.

Friedman does the difficult work for you by looking through a half century of worldwide technological and geopolitical innovation in order to highlight the ways that things have changed beyond recognition—even in the last 10 years. By explaining the exponential powers of Moore’s Law for technology, the ‘States of Destruction’ that countries are descending into post-post-Cold War, and the devastation that environmental degradation and booming populations have caused to the natural world, Friedman points the finger at where things derailed in the modern world—and what we can do to get back on track.

Friedman argues that “being late” means taking time to pause and appreciate the amazing historical epoch we are living in and reflect on its possibilities and dangers. Most surprising are his conclusions about living in an accelerated world when he revisits his hometown in Minnesota and explores how communities can create a topsoil of trust to anchor their increasingly diverse and digitalized populations.