This revolutionary new means of communication captured fords interest because it allowed him to transmit messages within his vast operation. Fordlandia discussion questions history book discussion. Fordlandia part two chapters 9 23 flashcards quizlet. In the 1920s the us industrialist wanted to found a city based on the values that made his company a success while, of course, producing cheap rubber.
We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. In 1927, henry ford, the richest man in the world, bought a tract of land twice the size of delaware. A professor of history at new york university and a recipient of fellowships from the guggenheim foundation and the new york public librarys cullman center, he has served on the united nations. However, there was a novel written about fordlandia fordlandia. Even by pregreen standards, the arrogance and ignorance is shocking. Fordlandia also tells equally fascinating stories of creation and destruction that are less well known than fords. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city, a pulitzerprize finalist, is a 20thcentury tale of industrial ambition, mismanagement, and.
The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city by greg grandin hardcover, 432 pages. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. On one side was the car magnate, lean, austere, the man who reduced industrial production to its simplest motions. Fordlandia in 1927 and fords death in 1947, he never set foot in the. Inspired by the tropical ghost town, this project by studio swine imagined a world where fordlandia is a success, where nature and industry have entered a symbiotic relationship to create sustainably and beautifully. Fordlandia early twenties, the story about a forbidden love between a young brazilian professor joanna mitchel and an american worker who cross the boundaries of time and lives to tell us one of the most dramatic and interesting brazilian sagas. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city pdf. 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, ice. I found the book surprisingly wellwritten and easy to engage, wanting to read more and more. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city ebook written by greg grandin. While what was happening elsewhere in the ford empire and in the private life of the man himself was interesting, i wasnt always entirely sure that it pertained.
With sales of his modelt booming, the automotive tycoon saw an opportunity to expand his reach further by exploiting a downtrodden brazilian rubber industry. Read fordlandia by greg grandin for free with a 30 day free trial. The following questions are for our discussion fordlandia on wednesday, february 18, 2015. At that time the sole source of rubber was the south american tree hevea brasiliensis, whose sap is natural latex. Dec 23, 2010 this massive project, well researched and chronicled in this book, is a peek into the world of how henry ran things. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city we speak with nyu professor greg grandin about his new book.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read fordlandia. The film addresses the recent transition from failed rubber to successful soybean cultivation for export, and its. Kevin rushby enjoys the cautionary tale of one mans. Fordlandia henry fords forgotten jungle city failure. Read fordlandia online by greg grandin books free 30day trial.
In january 2009, al jazeera went to fordlandia in the brazilian amazon to see the mythical place that henry ford created to cultivate rubber to make tires for his automotive industry and found a. 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. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city by greg grandin. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city metropolitan books, promises to make its existence known to a wide audience. 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.
Fordlandia quotes goodreads meet your next favorite book. Greg grandin is the author of several books, including the empire of necessity, which won the bancroft prize, and fordlandia, which was a finalist for the pulitzer prize and the national book award. Mar 21, 2012 since 1865 class, for instance, i used a threeminute clip on fordlandia, a ford motors experimental plantation in brazil. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. He celebrated the industrial production that made him the richest man on earth, but also the pastoral. Fordlandia is the sixth fulllength studio album by icelandic musician johann johannsson.
Henry ford was in a spirited mood as he toured the ford industrial exhibit with his son, edsel, and his aging friend thomas edison, feigning fright at the flash of news cameras as a circle of police officers held back admirers and reporters. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city greg grandin metropolitan buy from indiebound buy from amazon. The original purpose was to grow rubber trees, harvest rubber, and use the rubber to make tires and automobile parts. Oct 11, 2010 in january 2009, al jazeera went to fordlandia in the brazilian amazon to see the mythical place that henry ford created to cultivate rubber to make tires for his automotive industry and found a. In 1927 the ford motor company attempted to establish rubber plantations on the tapajos river, a primary tributary of the amazon. During the covid19 pandemic, independent news is more important than ever. Thats why weve partnered with local experts to help you plan and book tailormade trips that are packed with personality and stimulating adventure at all levels of comfort.
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. Fordlandia education for justice education for justice. Its a wreck of a hundred bed hospital built from a sketch by albert kahn, the architect of. List of books and articles about ford motor company. Fordlandia was his vision of putting the american suburbs in the brazilian jungle. The journalist walter lippmann identified in henry ford, for all his peculiarity, a common strain of primitive americanism. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. Greg grandin is the author of empires workshop, the last colonial massacre, and the awardwinning the blood of guatemala. Today in detroit usa, an american woman trying to understand her recurring dreams and searching for explanations, she finds out that she lived another life in the early 30ies during fordlandia s construction saga by henry ford. An exciting spiritual story, which has its starting point.
But, it is also the story of henry ford a man of sharp. He was committed to a vision of individualism, but also to a paternalist model of the workplace. Fordlandia is that rare nonfiction written by an historian that is a great read. Luxury hotels including 5 star hotels and 4 star hotels and cheap fordlandia hotels with best discount rates and uptodate hotel deals are both available in separate. And most businesses, and even most endeavors of successful businesses, fail. Fordlandia, as the settlement was called, quickly became the site of an epic clash.
Ultimately, fordlandia was sold back to the brazilian government in 1945 and left to decay. The construction of the utopic american city fordlandia in the brazilian amazon. The failure of fords jungle utopia henry ford didnt just want to be a maker of cars he wanted to be a maker of men. In the early 20th century, a cartel of dutch and english rubber barons had a stranglehold on the vast majority of the worlds supply of rubber. Beyond fordlandia 2017, 82 min presents an environmental account ninety years after henry fords amazon experience. 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. Fmc used radiotelegraph means to communicate between the head office in dearborn and remote locations, including, fordlandia, a 2. The goal of setting up the ford motor company of brazil was twofold. He thought he could perfect society by building model. I read somewhere that he set out to write a nonfiction account, but that the craziness of it all led him to fictionalize the story. At rough guides, we understand that experienced travellers want to get truly offthebeatentrack.
To ask other readers questions about fordlandia, please sign up. While striving, ruthlessly at times, to increase the pace of production he implemented forced speedups of production lines he also wanted to preserve american values, such as agricultural ways, selfsufficiency, and oldtime. Floods ravaged the cemetery, leaving a stockpile of concrete crosses. Ford rubber plantations in brazil from 19281945, the ford motor company built the fordlandia and belterra plantations in an attempt to establish a permanent rubber plantation presence in brazil. Fordlandia resources catholic social tradition principles dignity of work and rights of workers fordlandia greg grandins book provides a fascinating study of henry fords complex character, while documenting the unraveling of his utopian vision for the amazon. This massive project, well researched and chronicled in this book, is a peek into the world of how henry ran things. Fordlandias most striking building is set back from the river, on a knoll about half a mile in. Ford motor company is a worldwide business empire worth billions of dollars. Following is an edited version of failure s interview with grandin, who visited fordlandia on two occasions during the course of his research. Why we play video games and what they can do for us. Book tv s signature program in depth is a comprehensive, live twohour look at one authors work, with questions from viewers via phone, text, email, and social media.
Complete with whitewashed americanstyle houses set on impeccably manicured lawns, shaded patios, and treelined streets dotted with pretty churches, he called it fordlandia and it was to become the worlds largest rubber production centre. Henry ford used wireless radio to communicate within ford motor company fmc starting after october 1, 1919. The story of fordlandia itself is pretty simple but at the same time the book is wellresearched and there are a lot of interesting snippets and asides to keep the readers interests. Since 1865 class, for instance, i used a threeminute clip on fordlandia, a ford motors experimental plantation in brazil. Gandin, an nyu professor of latin american history, offers the thoroughly remarkable story of henry fords attempt, from the 1920s through 1945, to transform part of brazils amazon river. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city. 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. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city, a pulitzerprize finalist, is a 20thcentury tale of industrial ambition, mismanagement, and failure. The last chapter is a truly depressing account of deforestation and environmental destruction in the amazon, but what the book really brings home is that, though our culture celebrates the successes of private enterprise, we dont talk about private failures a lot.
This is a fine book, both a merciless expose of misplaced idealism and a detailed study of the economic. After some general remarks about imperialism and a few remarks about fordlandia culled from greg grandins fine book on the subject, students viewed the youtube clip. The industrialists conviction that he could make the world conform to his will was founded on a faith that success in economic matters should, by extension, allow capitalists to try their hands with equal success at every other occupation. 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. The ford motor company grew steadily to become one of the greatest and most profitable companies the world over that even survived the great depression. Fordlandia tells the story of henry fords settlement in the amazon, a model of inept planning and design. Browse author series lists, sequels, pseudonyms, synopses, book covers, ratings and awards. Greg grandin is the author of fordlandia, empires workshop, the last colonial massacre, and the awardwinning the blood of guatemala. It didnt quite work for various reasons that this book details, but it is a fascinating journey.
For many years it was the largest familyheld business in the world and was held by the same family for over a century. Aug 19, 2016 in the 1920s the us industrialist wanted to found a city based on the values that made his company a success while, of course, producing cheap rubber. When he built a factory, it was a temple of industry, such as the mammoth plant at river rouge. In the late 1920s, automobile tycoon henry ford transplanted a little piece of the united states to the middle of brazils amazon jungle. So until now there hasnt been a booklength treatment. The album is thematically influenced by the failure of henry fords brazilian rubber plant fordlandia. This is the story of the creation of fordlandia, amazing in itself. Dec 9, 2014 celebrate the best of fiction and nonfiction in 2014 see more ideas about best books of 2014, books and good books. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. His fordlandia project in brazil is an interesting study of ford as a. 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. When he wanted a stable workforce, he paid five dollars a day, a sum that in. The timeframe is a little after new years after the ratification of the land grant.
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