Fordlandia book discussion groups

Fordlandia by national book award finalist greg grandin tells the enthralling tale of henry fords failed attempts to transform a connecticutsized chunk of brazilian rainforest into a homespun slice of american utopia. Grandin is one of blessedly expanding group of gifted american historians who assume that whatever moral. Jul 05, 2011 for groups that have had a discussion of the zookeepers wife, did it lead to a good discussion time. Grandin is one of blessedly expanding group of gifted american historians who assume that whatever moral the story of the past may yield, it must be a story well told.

The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city paperback apr 27 2010. His intention was to grow rubber, but the project rapidly. He was committed to a vision of individualism, but also to a paternalist model of the workplace. Stay in the loop with reading group choices, get notified about the release of our print editions, and receive handy materials from our publishing partners. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city ebook. Although the actual events of what happened in the amazonian jungle with henry ford creating fordlandia was interesting, i did not like the book. No matter the genre, age, notoriety, or length of the book of the moment, book club questions can kickstart or enhance your group discussion. The book follows fordlandia s eventual downfall and explores themes of capitalism, imperialism, and commercialism, as well as how they persist today.

On henry fords 150th birthday, a look inside his failed. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city greg grandin isbn. The stunning, never before told story of the quixotic attempt to recreate smalltown america in the heart of the amazonin 1927, henry ford, the richest man in the world, bought a tract of land twice the size of delaware in the brazilian amazon. If you decide to read or listen to the book you can then get the book from mason public library. Select a number of questions, write each on an index card, and distribute. Grandin effectively underscores how fordlandia is also the story of. Nonlibrarians are welcome to join the group as well, to comment or. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city by greg grandin kevin rushby enjoys the cautionary tale of one mans plans for a workers paradise. Ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book.

The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city grandin, greg on. It is a great way to discover new authors and books of interest. Fordlandia is a 2009 national book award finalist for nonfiction. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. It didnt quite work for various reasons that this book details, but it is a fascinating journey. Henry ford sat in the first auto he built circa 1898. Youll also find printable book club questions at the end of this post to bring to your meeting. Grandin is one of blessedly expanding group of gifted american historians who assume that. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city, by greg grandin, picador 2009, cover design by rodrigo corral. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike.

Google groups allows you to create and participate in online forums and emailbased groups with a rich experience for community conversations. With sales of his modelt booming, the automotive tycoon saw an opportunity to expand his reach further by exploiting a downtrodden brazilian rubber. He celebrated the industrial production that made him the richest man on earth, but also the pastoral. It is a good idea to plan on finishing the book a little earlier than you might otherwise so that you have time to think about it and prepare before your book club meets. Discussion questions for the overstory pbs newshour. His fordlandia project in brazil is an interesting study of ford as a business man and individual. The film beyond fordlandia highlights several pressing issues related to environmental destruction, human rights, and development in the amazon region of brazil. Horacio is one man among many who comes to fordlandia, the brazilian rubber plantation that henry ford established in 1929, in order to be rid of past mistakes in. Were a nationwide nonprofit organisation with a 46year track record. It was named among the best books of the year by some of the most popular newspapers and magazines in the country. The library has a number of sets of books available for discussion groups. His intention was to grow rubber, but the project rapidly evolved into a more ambitious bid to export america itself, along with its golf courses, icecream shops, bandstands, indoor plumbing, and model ts rolling down broad streets. These groups can be organized in a variety of ways.

But the author puts fordlandia, the project, in the context of the times and of the ford empire. We invite you to learn about and take action to address these important issues. Select a number of questions, write each on an index card, and pass them out. We speak with nyu professor greg grandin about his new book, fordlandia. Groups receive enough copies of their selected title to allow everyone in the group to read the same book at the same time. Obc is the interactive, multiplatform reading club bringing passionate readers together to discuss inspiring stories. General book club questions for study and discussion. There are adult groups, studentled groups, motherdaughter groups, fatherson groups, and parentchild groups, to name just a few. Library book discussion groups greenfield public library.

The following questions are for our discussion fordlandia on wednesday, february 18, 2015. Fordlandia on flickr historic images from the benson ford research center, a library and archive located at the henry ford museum. The timeframe is a little after new years after the ratification of the land grant. Bungalows with modern plumbing and screened windows. Few people are aware that henry ford tried to build the worlds largest rubber plantation on the banks of the amazon river. Shop online for our annual print editions, which include book overviews, suggested discussion topics and discussion questions for all our annual books. Fordlandia did eventually produce rubber, but not cheaply enough. Magic happens when a gifted historian and master storyteller finds a treasure trove of untapped materials to exploit.

Grandin is one of blessedly expanding group of gifted american historians. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city. On henry fords 150th birthday, a look inside his failed utopia. This book tells the story of henry fords ambitious, well intentioned yet disastrous attempt to embed a slice of 1920s main street america into the heart of the brazilian amazon. Fordlandias eventual demise as a rubber plantation foreshadowed the practices that today are laying waste to the rain forest. And greg grandins book on fordlandia is simply magical. Home book discussion groups libguides at american library. Our november pick for the pbs newshour new york times book club is richard powers the overstory. Eduardo sguiglias fiction fordlandia proves among other things to be a study of the pitfalls of firstperson narrative. Share your experiences with other book groups by commenting on this post. Readers of greg grandins fordlandia, which was a finalist for the. Our book club edition includes a note from leigh bardugo, a chapter with her handwritten notes, and a reading group guide.

In this disconnection lies the weakness of this thoroughly researched and carefully written book. In 1927, henry ford, the richest man in the world, bought a tract of land twice the size of delaware in the brazilian amazon. The stunning, never before told story of the quixotic attempt to recreate smalltown america in the heart of the amazon in 1927, henry ford, the richest man in the world, bought a tract of land twice the size of delaware in the brazilian amazon. Fordlandia discussion questions history book discussion. This page provides general information about book groups, including with one book programs, some resources for guiding book groups, references for specific types of book groups, and an anonymously contributed guide to establishing and running. We tackle important lincoln books chapter by chapter as a means to delve into the life, learning, and. Fill out page 2 of the form to list your group below. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city greg grandin, author.

Join our monthly book discussion, held in the friends room of the miller memorial library from 6. Here is the truly epic tale of american adventurers dispatched by henry ford in 1928 to conquer and civilize the amazon by constructing an industrialagricultural. Each member or a team of 23 takes a card and answers the question. The book tells the story of henry ford, the richest man in the. Lincoln group of district of columbia book discussion group. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city audiobook. Connect and share ideas around your favorite subjects. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. Family members now hold ford stock that gives them 40 percent voting control. Read fordlandia by greg grandin for free with a 30 day free trial. I found the book surprisingly wellwritten and easy to engage, wanting to read more and more. Fordlandia ebook king county library system bibliocommons.

Fordlandia s eventual demise as a rubber plantation foreshadowed the practices that today are laying waste to the rain forest. From 19281945, the ford motor company built the fordlandia and belterra plantations in an attempt to establish a permanent rubber plantation presence in brazil. Become a member of the now read this book club by joining our facebook group, or by. Fordlandia by greg grandin book read online scribd. Whether you are discussing characters and their actions, setting, theme, or images, having a guide to questions. Governor bentes ordered the lake ormoc, a decommissioned ship purchased in 1925 by ford which was sent to the river rouge factory to be rebuilt with a diesel motor, a machine shop, and a water distillation plant this ship ran as the new base ship until fordlandia became up and running to ship supplies. Choose one question at a time and toss it out to the group. Nov 19, 2019 by the end of the week, you will have read the first chapter or so of the book to get a feel for whether or not you would like to read or listen to the book. Each member or a team of 2 or 3 takes a card and answers the question.

In 1927, the american industrialist henry ford began building a private city fordlandia in the depths of the brazilian amazon forest. Discussion of the project began during a july, 1925, luncheon with tire manufacturer harvey firestone, who feared that british and dutch owners of plantations in south asia, which produced the. Fordlandia the rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city book. Did your group do anything extra special to jazz up your meetinglike serving some sort of special food or drink. It was dry, extremely repetitive, and could have been accomplished in fewer pages. In 1927, the american industrialist henry ford began building a private cityfordlandiain the depths of the brazilian amazon forest. A life johns hopkins university press, 2008 all lgdc members are invited to join our book discussion group.

The follies of colonialism and the testing of the belief. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. With fordlandia, greg grandin, a professor of history at new york university, tells a haunting story that falls squarely into this tradition. The second installment in johann johannssons trilogy of albums about technology and iconic american brand names, fordlandia expands on ibm 1401, a users manual by chronicling, among other things, the failure of henry fords brazilian rubber plant with the power of a 50piece string orchestra. More than a parable of one mans arrogant attempt to force his will on the natural world, fordlandia depicts a desperate quest to salvage the bygone america that the ford factory system did much to dispatch. His intention was to grow rubber, but the project rapidly evolved into a more ambitious bid to export america itself, along with its. His fordlandia project in brazil is an interesting study of ford as a. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction.

Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. A ya superstar delivers her first novel for adults, and its an incredible, pulsepounding story of power, privilege, and dark magic set in the secretive world of the ivy league elite. Fordlandia was the prefabricated town at the heart of a rubber. Read for the fiction book club bookies at clpl for june 20, but this is a nonfiction selection. Ostensibly a heartofdarkness rewrite set in the amazon damaged protagonist travels upriver on an unknown mission to correct the dysfunction that corrupts a jungle enterprise, only to surface his own demons the book has an. Each set includes eight copies of the book, as well as a folder with potential discussion questions, all in a convenient bag. If you are the publisher or author of this book and. Henry ford was the bill gates of his day a man who took a good idea, and himself, to the heights of public consciousness. The album was released on 3 november 2008 via 4ad, his second new release for the record label following 2006s ibm 1401, a users manual. Quick start guide book discussion groups libguides at. A place where all goodreads members can work together to improve the goodreads book catalog. Governor bentes ordered the lake ormoc, a decommissioned ship purchased in 1925 by ford which was sent to the river rouge factory to be rebuilt with a diesel motor, a machine shop, and a water distillation plant this ship ran as the new base ship until fordlandia became up and running. It was established by american industrialist henry ford in the. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten city in 1927, henry ford, the richest man in the world, bought a tract of land twice the size of delaware in the brazilian amazon.

Grandin tells us, a wily group of brazilian businessmen and bureaucrats, in cahoots with americans in the u. Fordlandia is precisely thata genuinely readable history recounted with a novelists sense of pace and an eye for character. Proving that truth can indeed be stranger than fiction, fordlandia is the story of henry fords illadvised attempt to transform raw brazilian rainforest into homespun slices of americana. They met in late january at a nondescript conference center near. If you get to pick the book, here are some recommendations for engaging books that are likely to promote discussion. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. The lincoln group of dc book study group is reading volume 2 of michael burlingames essential twovolume set. Aug 08, 2019 many libraries provide meeting space for book clubs or administer one or more book discussion group.

The goal of setting up the ford motor company of brazil was twofold. Henry ford except that this book totally celebtates the poilitics surrounding fordlandia and completely ignores the people who lived there. Fordlandia remains grandins most famous and acclaimed book, and was a finalist for multiple awards, including the pulitzer prize for history, the national book award, and the national book critics circle award. Jul 05, 2009 it was, instead, capitalism itself the relentless competition unleashed by the very fordism that once promised prosperity to all.

Greg grandin the stunning, neverbeforetold story of the quixotic attempt to recreate. If you dont find it there, post a description on our unsolved message board and we can try to help each other out. Fordlandia was meant to be the place that would supply henry fords rubber insufficiencies back in the states. Are you looking for good conversation about science and health. Grandin latin american historynew york univ empires workshop. Fordlandia is the sixth fulllength studio album by icelandic musician johann johannsson. As a member or leader of a book club, you are likely to be reading books on a wide variety of topics, both fiction and nonfiction. I direct your attention to the lessons of history fordlandia was just such a city as you are proposing i.

Fordlandia part two chapters 9 23 flashcards quizlet. Apr 27, 2010 as greg grandin shows in this gripping and mordantly observed history, fords great delusion was not that the amazon could be tamed but that the forces of capitalism, once released, might yet be contained. Fordlandia was his vision of putting the american suburbs in the brazilian jungle. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city is a fascinating story of an extraordinary attempt to impose a vision of the american way of life in the amazon jungle, written by a professor of latin american history at new york university. Any history book that celebrates guns and speeches but ignores the harrows and the rest of daily life is bunk. The history of america wasnt written in washington, it was written in the grass roots. The rise and fall of henry ford s forgotten jungle city democracy now, broadcast 2 july 2009, video and discussion transcript available. A book discussion group is a forum where readers can come together and talk about books and the reading experience. Book clubs for every genre and discussion groups around every literary topic imaginable.