Joanie's Reviews > Electric City: The Lost History of Ford and Edison’s American Utopia

This book, along with Bill Bryson's "One Summer: Summer, 1927" remind me that our world has always been rapidly advancing. We like to believe that today's technology is enabling an evolution that has never been seen. When we read books about little-known periods in time like the early 20th century, it's a jarring reminder that mankind is always forward-thinking and entrepreneurial. That said, one thing that was uber interesting was noting the similarities between Henry Ford and Donald Trump. For example, many "common folks" supported him running for President because he didn't really have any positions on any major issues, and that is what they liked about him. Sound familiar? He appealed to people who were unable or unwilling to ruminate on complex issues. Since Ford was an avowed anti-semite, it is frightening to imagine how our world might be different today had he been President during WWII instead of FDR. They say that people who fail to understand history are doomed to repeat it, and that makes me that much happier that I read this book.