From Silk to Silicon: The Story of Globalization Through Ten Extraordinary Lives

Globalisation often seems to be an impersonal and abstract phenomenon. Whether in everyday culture or matters of policy, its force has been experienced as something at once general and monolithic. By contrast, From Silk to Silicon is the first book to tell the history of globalisation through the lens of the people who shaped it. Taking ten extraordinary individuals, this book examines what these men and women did, how they did it, and how their combined will and vision continue to influence our world today. Drawing together their various stories, Jeffrey E. Garten finds the common links between these figures. Placing the individual at the forefront of history, Garten explores some critical issues, including: How does the growing power of international trade affect nations’ sovereignty? How much influence can any one person have in transforming our society? He argues that, in our increasingly globalised world, our progress and growth will come to be guided by many more such leaders and innovators. From Silk to Silicon presents a future full of human possibility.

About the Author :
Jeffrey E. Garten teaches on the global economy at the Yale School of Management, where he was formerly the dean. He has also held senior positions in the Nixon, Ford, Carter and Clinton administrations, as well as having been a managing director on Wall Street. He is the author of four previous books on the global economy and has written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Newsweek and the Harvard Business Review.

Review :
‘This is a tale of globalisation and leadership that is both sweeping and personal. By focusing on ten transformational people, it shows how individuals can affect the flow of history. It’s a guide to the future as well as the past.’ ‘Impressive, fascinating, and very creative. Garten draws on decades of experience in the modern world economy. He not only brings the creation of our present world into focus but also widens our understanding of how the world may well evolve in the future.’ ‘From Silk to Silicon creatively combines the impersonal forces of globalisation with the very personal faces of biography in an engaging and thought-provoking story. Ranging over eight centuries of empires, exploration and enterprise, Garten’s colourful histories portray how willpower and persistence can propel societies to new achievements – and he says the best is yet to come.’ ‘A tour-de-force – imaginative, informative, and just plain fun to read.’ ‘From Silk to Silicon is a most nifty work, as well as being serious history. Garten persuasively shows how, in the broad unfolding events that brought us from the Dark Ages to the twenty-first century, individuals really did make their own history and changed things irrevocably. Here are case studies for business school, lessons for CEOs, and a good read for the rest of us.’