Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City 1st (first) edition Hardcover – January 1, 2009

Fordlandia is that rare non-fiction written by an historian that is a great read. Author Greg Grandin takes the reader on a wonderful voyage down the Amazon as he uncovers a magical mystery escapade of Henry Ford. Not unlike many of the recent forays into Southeast Asia and the Middle East, Ford's desire to claim the hearts, minds and raw materials of Latin America, specically Brazil seem very modern and familiar. He seems to have made all the classic errors of neo-colonism: ignoring the host culture, trying to impose an inappropriate culture and economic system, sending personnel not schooled in the language or culture.On top of this, the Amazon was an unfriendly climate for those used to the cold winds of Michigan and the Puritan work ethic of the United States. Insects, diseases, "indolent" workers, lack of modern conveniences and the very essence of the area combined to doom Ford's dream of establlishing a town/plantation devoted to cornering the market on rubber.Ford's efforts to transplant his River Rouge auto plant to the jungle of Brazil makes for fascinating and thought provoking reading.

Henry ford, a self- made industrialist changed the world as much as his good friend Thomas Edison and anyone else in the early twentieth century. He spent the later part of his life trying to reshape his rural America back to a more pastoral era that his creation - an inexpensive car - did so much to destroy. In Brasil he tried to re-create his idolized version of small town farming community by creating a rubber plantation in the Amazon, in part to source this important automobile component through the ford family.The author is quick to discount the manner in which ford "blindly" set up the plantation, and the book would be stronger with more external verification of his claims. I do not doubt they are in part correct - just that they could be presented more convincingly.I enjoyed the book very much. Having been raised in Michigan, I already knew most of the ford history, and still think a visit to greenfield village is one of the highlights of American cultural history. Its lesson on how long it took manufacturers to re- design the workplace for electricity instead of steam has played out again in my lifetime as first personal computers and then the Internet have had similarly profound impact on how we work.This book added to that understanding. By pushing agriculture into the forest in an effort to better people's lives - as well as make money - ford was a pioneer in outsourcing. The lesson this failure taught was that trying to control the whole process just because you control most of it is often not as efficient as letting others do what they may be able do better than you. Ford himself learned this lesson can as he later bought rubber from s.e. Asia after the war. I suspect in fact he had several irons the fire with regards to sourcing.Towards the end of the book, we see in contrast that ford's failed idea later took root as some of the Amazon was ploughed over to plant his beloved soybean. Soy grown there that is now being used as he had foreseen in manufacturing. A good idea, germinating at the wrong time, may not bloom - but it is still a good idea. Henry ford was a complicated guy, and this book serves to shed light on only some part his life. But it does a good job telling a very interesting, somewhat prophetic story.

Being a Detroiter whose grandfather and mother who worked at the Rouge, and who worked in the Iron Foundry and on the trains beneath the Rouge, who later in life researched Ford's schools in the US, who studied with great care the relationship between the Fords and the workers, I thought I knew Ford. I did not. In this brilliant and carefully documented (read the footnotes for sure) study of not just Fordlandia, but the social relations people form in their struggle with nature in order to create life, means of production, knowledge, and freedom, the author investigates one form of capitalism that mostly likely Ford and others believed would create abundance, hence equality and harmony. How that worked out is done in well written detail in this wonderful book that I am urging everyone to read as we witness other Fordlandias growing---as nations under fire.

I thought Greg Grandin's Fordlandia was a solid effort. To be honest, I read this book after reading in rapid succession The Lost City of Z and The Thief at the End of the World - both of which cover quite a bit of the same ground and I have to admit to some Amazon and Rubber Trade fatigue setting in. This may have unfairly colored my perception of this book.I don't have a great deal to add that hasn't already been covered elsewhere so I'll limit my comments. While I liked the book, thought the topic was fascinating and the research comprehensive, it was not one of those non-fiction works that grabbed me and dragged me along like a freight train with a "can't put it down" narrative. And maybe that's the primary thing that was missing for me...I never felt emotionally invested in the outcome, nor did I feel we were building toward something. The book is an interesting and pleasantly written presentation of the facts, and maybe there's a great story in it, but I thought this book sometimes sacrificed a great yarn by being so painstakingly thorough.

Henry Ford's reach went far beyond American shores even though everything he did was geared to solidifying his grip on those American shores. This book tells the story of the rise and ultimate fail of his reach into the Amazon countryside which was one of the few things he could not control despite valiant attempts. But this story is about more than Henry Ford. Thankfully. Because the jungle itself, its animals and human inhabitants, the people who worked there (both Americans and natives), the abuse and exploitation, the difficulties, the weather and health, the lives and the pretend and actual lifestyles all come alive in this compelling narrative. I highly recommend it.

Although dry at times, it does create a fascinating story of the industrial revolution and how men tried to take it a step too far. It also provides a look into the life of Henry Ford, devil or angel. A little of both.

Great story about a fascinating period in time. Recommended.

Storia spiegata molto dettagliatamente!Consigliato per chi vuole approfondire questo argomento (Capitalismo, Ford, situazione foresta amazzonica anche agli inizia del 21 sec, ...).

I read this Book after reading Henty Fords Autobiography. What a remarkable Man way ahead of His time. So I had to read Fordlandia, I highly recommend it.

Tao filosofica como economica, esta aventura de Henry Ford, nao levou á nada, americano sabendo de tudo, brasileiro sempre um pé atras, e Amazon por cima. Quem ganhou sem duvida é Greg grandin, com sua escrita enxuta á serviço de uma documentaço primorosa. A leitura nao é para qualquer um, mas quem se interessa pro Brasil moderno nao pode dispensa la.

Kindle版　紙の本の長さ： 436 ページ出版社: Metropolitan Books; 1版 (2010/4/27)ASIN: B00FO7LVHA　のレビュー。　フォード自動車の創業者ヘンリー・フォードが、ブラジルの奥地にゴム・プランテーションを開発し、同時に労働者の理想の都市フォーランジアを建設しようとした顛末を描いた歴史物。　1920年代、フォード社はすでにトップ企業となり、創業者のヘンリーは60歳を過ぎてから計画された。東南アジアにゴム・プランテーションを持つヨーロッパの企業のカルテルに反対し、それならばブラジルにフォード社が独自にゴム農園を開発しよう。さらに、USAのミシガン州で実現された（ように思えた）高賃金の労働者のための理想の都市を建設しよう。アメリカ式の能率化、労働管理、衛生指導、生活指導をモデルに、アマゾンの熱帯に新都市を建設しよう。そういう理想にもえた、しかし机上の空論ですすめられた計画である。　第1部　創業者ヘンリーの人物、1920年代の自動車産業、ゴム供給の現状、ブラジルの中央政府と州政府など背景が説明される。そして広大な土地のコンセッションを獲得し、準備ばすすめられる。第2部　最初から不手際。地元の有力者とのトラブル。林業や生態の専門家がいない派遣部隊。労働者を確保するための苦労。そしてなによりも、マラリアや寄生虫病の猛威、暑さと湿度、天候不順が計画を阻害する。1929年に株の暴落でアメリカ全体が大不況になったのだが、フォード社は株投機などに手をそめてなかったので損失はほとんどない。しかし不景気による需要の低下で本社の運営は打撃を受ける。しかし、それでも理想郷フォーランジアの開発に莫大な資金を投入する。　第2部は労働者の反乱で終わる。が、フォードはあきらめない。第3部　ゴムの供給源、営利企業としてのフォーランジアは、いくら手を尽くしても軌道にのらない。一方、労働者のための都市建設、衛生指導はなんとか形になる。　第二次世界大戦で、アジア方面のプランテーションが日本に占領され、ゴムの需要は沸騰するが、フォーランジアで供給することはできない。結局、創業者ヘンリーの死後、コンセッションはブラジル政府に戻される。　以上のような顛末を描いたもの。すさまじく無駄な投資、現地の環境や住民を無視した計画、派遣された幹部社員のトラブルがこれでもかこれでもかと続く。ただし、著者が第14章で述べているが、小説『闇の奥』のようなヨーロッパ人の心の闇があらわれるような事態にはならない。派遣された幹部社員や技術者は、アメリカ中西部の生活になんの疑問も抱かず、全世界で自分たちの生活様式が通用すると思っている人たちなのである。現地の労働者とはまったく交際せず、暑い暑いと不満を言っているだけ。だから劇的なトラブルや殺戮はない。　このフォーランジアの土地は、博物学者のウォレスやベイツが探検した地域なのだが、フォードの社員たちは、自然にまったく興味がない。生態にまったく関心がない。だからゴム・プランテーションが失敗したのは、今からみると当然に思えるが、彼らはまったく予想できなかったのだ。　史料を丹念に集めた著作で、全体の3割ぐらいが注と索引。本文中に写真多数。　文章はやや難。しかし当時のアメリカ外交、労働運動、ブラジルの政権、アマゾンの生態などていねいに説明されているので、予備知識はほとんど不要。　おっと、一つ忘れていた。現地で雇われたのは、先住民ではない。カリブ海方面から黒人出稼ぎ労働者もはじめは少々いたが、雇われた労働者は大部分が自称〈白人〉です。