Reviews for The Geography of the World Economy

The average rating for The Geography of the World Economy based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-11-04 00:00:00 Masayoshi Itoh I've had this book since the 1970's and thought I'd enjoy it but Bergman's writing style is hard for me to stick with. It was difficult for me to concentrate and follow and I found myself reading so that I could finish and get on to something else. The book is exactly what the title says. Film plots are analyzed and social problems that were depicted were discussed. I appreciate that writers from the 1930's like Arthur Schlesinger and James Agee are referred to. Their work interests me so I'll appreciate reading them directly. I remember being relieved that I recognized films that Bergman discussed, and, for example, I could picture an innocent Spencer Tracy in FURY being burned alive in a jail because mob rule superseded the rule of law. Given the polarized state of America since 2016, it was shocking to realize that as recently as 1932 a federal anti-lynching law was being filibustered by southern politicians, and that since 1882, ninety-nine percent of lynchings had gone unpunished in the U.S. State and local governments would not convict, so the NAACP drew up federal legislation to end the atrocity. The book started as a dissertation and has that feel to it. Each chapter discusses genres as they developed along with what was happening socially. Gangsters, Shysters, G-Men, Gold Diggers, Juvenile Delinquents were depicted as society developed during the decade of the 1930's. It has a good bibliography and decent index so can be a good reference tool. This is a dense little book that covers a complicated time and subject matter.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-12-29 00:00:00 Stewart Johnston Good review of the Depression period and the ways in which Hollywood responded by trying to assign blame and speak to audiences. The writing is a bit dry and academic, but if you like the topic, you'll probably be into it. 3.5/5