Few people are aware that henry ford tried to build the worlds largest rubber plantation on the banks of the amazon river. It was established by american industrialist henry ford in the amazon. 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. Visiting fordlandia is an exciting and interesting learning experience during amizade programs in brazil, an opportunity to see how the influence of american industry can stretch all the way to the vast brazilian wilderness. 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. Fordlandia was the prefabricated town at the heart of a rubber. Jul 05, 2009 it was, instead, capitalism itself the relentless competition unleashed by the very fordism that once promised prosperity to all. I found the book surprisingly wellwritten and easy to. See all 14 formats and editions hide other formats and editions.
On line opinion is the only australian site where you get all sides of the story. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city ebook written by greg grandin. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city grandin, greg on. Until recently, fordlandia remained a mere footnote to the henry ford story. 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. Kevin rushby enjoys the cautionary tale of one mans. With fordlandia, greg grandin, a professor of history at new york university, tells a haunting story that falls squarely into this tradition. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city paperback apr 27 2010.
Fordlandia part two chapters 9 23 flashcards quizlet. See more ideas about quilts, applique quilts and antique quilts. Discussion questions use our litlovers book club resources. It was, instead, capitalism itself the relentless competition unleashed by the very fordism that once promised prosperity to all. Help us spread the work of amizade around the world. On one side stood the industrialist who had perfected the assembly line and broken down the manufacturing process into ever simpler. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city by greg grandin kevin rushby enjoys the cautionary tale of one mans plans for a workers paradise.
At that time the sole source of rubber was the south american tree hevea brasiliensis, whose sap is natural latex. Fordlandia s eventual demise as a rubber plantation foreshadowed the practices that today are laying waste to the rain forest. And greg grandins book on fordlandia is simply magical. In this disconnection lies the weakness of this thoroughly researched and carefully written book. Fordlandia is that rare nonfiction written by an historian that is a great read. How to discuss a book helpful discussion tips generic discussion questionsfiction and nonfiction readthinktalk a guided reading chart also consider these litlovers talking points to help get a discussion started for fordlandia 1. It was named among the best books of the year by some of the most popular newspapers and magazines in the country. A certain grasp of multiple historical contexts highlights his historians end page 293 sensibility. Dec 23, 2010 his fordlandia project in brazil is an interesting study of ford as a business man and individual. Fordlandia remains grandins most famous and acclaimed book, and was a finalist for multiple awards, including the pulitzer prize for history, the national book award, and the national book critics circle award. He was committed to a vision of individualism, but also to a paternalist model of the workplace. In 1927, henry ford, the richest man in the world, bought a tract of land twice the size of delaware in the brazilian amazon.
In 1929, henry ford, presiding in divine authority over his automobile empire, grew tired of the british monopoly on brazilian rubber. Fordlandia did eventually produce rubber, but not cheaply enough. 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. Greg grandins pulitzer prizewinning novel fordlandia is being developed as a potential tv series, with werner herzog attached to direct. We invite you to learn about and take action to address these important issues. The following questions are for our discussion fordlandia on wednesday, february 18, 2015. The film beyond fordlandia highlights several pressing issues related to environmental destruction, human rights, and development in the amazon region of brazil.
At rough guides, we understand that experienced travellers want to get truly offthebeatentrack. Henry ford used wireless radio to communicate within ford motor company fmc starting after october 1, 1919. The timeframe is a little after new years after the ratification of the land grant. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city by. His central story is that of henry fords effort to create a planned town and rubber plantation in brazils amazon, certainly.
More than a parable of one mans arrogant attempt to force his will on the natural world, fordlandia depicts a desperate quest to salvage the bygone america that the ford factory system did much to dispatch. So until now there hasnt been a booklength treatment. With sales of his modelt booming, the automotive tycoon saw an opportunity to expand his reach further by exploiting a downtrodden brazilian rubber industry. The goal of setting up the ford motor company of brazil was twofold. Historian grandin presents a superbly researched analysis of the illfated attempt by henry ford to establish a rubber plantation site, together with a town, fordlandia, on the tapajos river, some 100 miles upstream from santarem in central amazonia. Fordlandia extract stifling heat, deadly snakes, staff riots. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city metropolitan books, promises to make its existence known to a wide audience.
Fordlandia, as the settlement was called, quickly became the site of an epic clash. 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 didnt know quite what to expect of santarem, but its waterfront emblazoned its unique history better than any book. By the end of world war ii, it was clear that cultivating rubber trees around. If there is time to read only one book on brazil this fall, this is the book.
Fordlandia the lost city of the amazon on line opinion. Apr 27, 2010 magic happens when a gifted historian and master storyteller finds a treasure trove of untapped materials to exploit. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. 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. Bungalows with modern plumbing and screened windows. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city. It is located on the east banks of the tapajos river roughly 300 kilometres 190 mi south of the city of santarem. Check out tripadvisor members 79 candid images and videos of landmarks, hotels, and attractions in fordlandia. He celebrated the industrial production that made him the richest man on earth, but also the pastoral. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. But cars are mostly absent on the towns muddy lanes, eclipsed by the motorbikes found in towns across the amazon.
Firestone, goodyear and dunlop were totem poles lining its shore. Fordlandia was his vision of putting the american suburbs in the brazilian jungle. 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, icecream shops, bandstands, indoor plumbing, and model ts rolling down broad streets. Ag ford has illustrated many awardwinning books for children, including under the same sun by sharon robinson, goal by mina javaherbin, and the new york times bestseller barack by jonah winter. List of books and articles about ford motor company.
I found the book surprisingly wellwritten and easy to engage, wanting to read more and more. His fordlandia project in brazil is an interesting study of ford as a. The death knell for fordlandia was sounded in the general din of the second world war. Apr 27, 2010 as greg grandin shows in this gripping and mordantly observed history, fords great delusion was not that the amazon could be tamed but that the forces of capitalism, once released, might yet be contained. A sharp rebound in demand for rubber for war industries could have saved the project. Here is the truly epic tale of american adventurers dispatched by henry ford in 1928 to conquer and civilize the amazon by constructing an industrialagricultural. A compelling narrative style and tropes of irony and tragedy make greg grandins fordlandia a gripping read. A doc ford novel series randy wayne white marion doc ford may seem to the outside world to be just a marine biologist living on the florida coast, but he applies his skills as a former government agent to protect his town, its shores, and its eccentric inhabitants. Any history book that celebrates guns and speeches but ignores the harrows and the rest of daily life is bunk. Feb 11, 2010 fordlandia extract stifling heat, deadly snakes, staff riots.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read fordlandia. Fordlandia discussion questions history book discussion. His central story is that of henry fords effort to create a planned town and rubber plantation in brazils amazon, certainly to provide rubber for his automobile empire, but. The ford motor company, one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, is based in dearborn a suburb of detroit, michigan. However, there was a novel written about fordlandia fordlandia. Fordlandia is a 2009 national book award finalist for nonfiction. Fordlandia henry fords forgotten jungle city failure. In 1927, henry ford, the richest man in the world, bought a tract of land twice the size of delaware. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city pdf. Brave new world is a dystopian novel by english author aldous huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. 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. Instead, allied scientists developed synthetic substitutes that quickly ended any prospect of profitable rubber production. The rise and fall of henry fords forgotten jungle city greg grandin isbn.
Fmc used radiotelegraph means to communicate between the head office in dearborn and remote locations, including, fordlandia, a 2. Ag ford books, author biography, and reading level. Henry ford except that this book totally celebtates the poilitics surrounding fordlandia and completely ignores the people who lived there. You can use and to define words which must be in the results, or to define words which may be in the result and not to define words which should not be in the result. The history of america wasnt written in washington, it was written in the grass roots. Fordlandia pictures traveler photos of fordlandia, pa. So, with signature hubris, ford decided he would produce his own rubber and set about colonizing the amazon, ultimately investing millions and founding an. And they reported the enterprise as a contest between two irrepressible forces. Readers of greg grandins fordlandia, which was a finalist for the.
List of books and articles about ford motor company online. This revolutionary new means of communication captured fords interest because it allowed him to transmit messages within his vast operation. Largely set in a futuristic world state, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligencebased social hierarchy, the novel anticipates huge scientific advancements in reproductive technology, sleeplearning, psychological manipulation and classical conditioning that. Fordlandia is a haunting, evocative novel at whose core lies a nugget of fact. 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. Where civilisation conquers the wild and untamed heart of the great amazon rainforest. Rubber plantations brazil fordlandia history 20th century. It didnt quite work for various reasons that this book details, but it is a fascinating journey.
On one side was the car magnate, lean, austere, the man who reduced industrial production to its simplest motions. A city forged in adversity, the triumph of will and the product of the daring imagination of henry ford. In an extract from his new book, greg grandin explains why henry fords utopian vision of a midwestern town in the depths of the. 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.
His fordlandia project in brazil is an interesting study of ford as a business man and individual. Ford wouldnt discuss the books he read or anything like that, said albert m. 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 city in 1927, henry ford, the richest man in the world, bought a tract of land twice the size of. He thought he could perfect society by building model. The presidents daughter 1928 is a book written by nan britton, a native of marion county, ohio, usa, who claimed in the book that during a sixyear relationship, she and then senator warren g. If you love planning, but find arranging the logistics exhausting. 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. 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.
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