Award-winning author David Halberstam's The Reckoning gives a riveting account of the most decisive economic confrontation of this century--between Detroit's Ford Motor Company and Japan's Nissan. Here are young Ford, renegade Iacocca, visionary Katayama--everyone needed to reveal the crucial nuances behind two nations competing for commercial supremacy. HC: Morrow.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
The kind of history no one writes anymore:
David Halberstam wrote in 1986 his view of the history of the carmaking industry. He focuses on Ford and Nissan. Other players get mentions here and there, but no more than that. While a broader look at the whole carmaking industry might seem better, Halberstam's approach works. No one writes this kind of history any more. Rather than lecture, Halberstam brings out details that tell the story themselves. He picks people and follows their careers, mistakes and successes, as they make their contribution... more info
ten stars:
This book is a masterpiece of narrative journalism. Based on five years of research and interviews, it tells the story of how the Japanese came to dominate the American car industry by telling the stories of key individuals, in the U.S. and Japan, who played important roles in that story. Halberstam is such a skilled writer that every one of these people comes alive on the page; you will meet the Fords and their Japanese counterparts at Nissan, and executives, car designers, union leaders, and workers in... more info
Cars, egos, leadership, family, unions, and rises and falls ...:
I'm really not into cars. However, I happened onto The Reckoning because of having read and liked earlier Halberstam books but ... and found it to be one of the best I have ever read, an absolutely great book. On more than one occasion, I have talked way too much about the remarkable stories it includes, way too long. The Ford:Nissan comparative history is a good mechanism, but the stories are the really great part - the totally hilarious (the salesman in the Port of LA changing the nameplates, trying to... more info
A wonderful book:
The Reckoning is a wonderful book that shows how the United States lost its dominance in the automobile industry. In true Halberstam fashion MacNamara is one of the main villains but through stunning research Halberstam paints a very clear picture of what happened. Japans attention to detail and innovation overshadow America's downfall. The big three are unable to respond and those who are running the Japanese business in the United States who were far more inventive. This book is still relevant even in... more info
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