From Publishers Weekly
Journalist Bongiorni, on a post-Christmas day mired deep in plastic toys and electronics equipment, makes up her mind to live for a year without buying any products made in China, a decision spurred less by notions of idealism or fair trade-though she does note troubling statistics on job loss and trade deficits-than simply "to see if it can be done." In this more personal vein, Bongiorni tells often funny, occasionally humiliating stories centering around her difficulty procuring sneakers, sunglasses, DVD players and toys for two young children and a skeptical husband. With little insight into global economics or China's manufacturing practices, readers may question the point of singling out China when cheap, sweatshop-produced products from other countries are fair game (though Bongiorni cheerfully admits the flaws in her project, she doesn't consider fixing them). Still, Bongiorni is a graceful, self-deprecating writer, and her comic adventures in self-imposed inconvenience cast an interesting sideways glance at the personal effects of globalism, even if it doesn't easily connect to the bigger picture.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
All about China's relentless path to world manufacturing dominance-as told through the frustrations of one American family
In December 2005, author and journalist Sara Bongiorni wrote a short, humorous article chronicling how Chinese manufacturing had reached into every facet of her family's daily life. This obscure article soon became a global phenomenon. It was reprinted from Canada to Dubai, with Bongiorni interviewed on CBS, NPR, Radio China, and other international outlets.
Obviously the topic had struck a chord-one that seized consumers' attention across every cultural and economic border.
A Year Without "Made in China" is the thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining account of the difficulties one American family faces when they attempt to live an entire year without Chinese-produced goods. It does a remarkable job of taking a decidedly big-picture issue-China's fast-changing status in the global economy-and communicating its impact on the daily life of the average consumer. Drawing on her years as an award-winning journalist, Sara Bongiorni fills the book with fascinating stories and anecdotes, such as Wal-Mart's stubborn reluctance to admit just how much they rely on Chinese produced goods to stock their shelves. Hard-hitting and humorous, A Year Without "Made in China" promises to generate plenty of "buzz".
Sara Bongiorni (Baton Rouge, LA) is an experienced journalist who has worked at daily newspapers and regional business publications in California and Louisiana for the past decade. She has won local, state, and national awards for her articles, including a 2002 Best in Business award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers for a series on the impact of out-migration on the Louisiana economy. Bongiorni graduated from the University of California, San Diego, and holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Indiana at Bloomington.
In December 2005, author and journalist Sara Bongiorni wrote a short, humorous article chronicling how Chinese manufacturing had reached into every facet of her family's daily life. This obscure article soon became a global phenomenon. It was reprinted from Canada to Dubai, with Bongiorni interviewed on CBS, NPR, Radio China, and other international outlets.
Obviously the topic had struck a chord-one that seized consumers' attention across every cultural and economic border.
A Year Without "Made in China" is the thought-provoking and thoroughly entertaining account of the difficulties one American family faces when they attempt to live an entire year without Chinese-produced goods. It does a remarkable job of taking a decidedly big-picture issue-China's fast-changing status in the global economy-and communicating its impact on the daily life of the average consumer. Drawing on her years as an award-winning journalist, Sara Bongiorni fills the book with fascinating stories and anecdotes, such as Wal-Mart's stubborn reluctance to admit just how much they rely on Chinese produced goods to stock their shelves. Hard-hitting and humorous, A Year Without "Made in China" promises to generate plenty of "buzz".
Sara Bongiorni (Baton Rouge, LA) is an experienced journalist who has worked at daily newspapers and regional business publications in California and Louisiana for the past decade. She has won local, state, and national awards for her articles, including a 2002 Best in Business award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers for a series on the impact of out-migration on the Louisiana economy. Bongiorni graduated from the University of California, San Diego, and holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Indiana at Bloomington.
Back Cover copy
Includes a Foreword by Joel L. Naroff, PhD,
President, Naroff Economic Advisors, Inc.
Chief Economist, Commerce Bank
"Over the past century, Americans' images of China have fluctuated wildly from victim, to heroic fighter, to Communist fanatic. We have loved them and feared them. And now, as Sara Bongiorni shows in vivid personal terms, we are in a new phase where it is a little of both. China has become an economic giant that can step on our toes, but that we must embrace."
--John Maxwell Hamilton, Dean and Hopkins P. Breazeale Foundation Professor Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University
"When the writer resolves to forgo Chinese imports for one year, she leads her lively family in a fascinating experiment that requires surprising feats of will power and ingenuity. The family's adventure through the maze of modern America's consumer life is both thought provoking and delightful to read. Those little 'Made in China' labels will never seem the same again."
--Mark Fabiani, former White House special counsel and media/political consultant
"Breaking up is indeed hard to do, as Sara Bongiorni proves in this winning memoir of her household's one-year boycott of Chinese products. Equal parts Erma Bombeck and economics, A Year Without 'Made in China' is that lively miracle--a crash course in globalization that is also consummately entertaining."
--Danny Heitman, columnist for The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
"A funny and engaging story about one family's experiment in our global economy. The Bongiorni family does without sneakers, sunglasses, and printer cartridges, but develops a dogged creativity and much needed sense of humor. The myriad moral complexities in the relationship between American consumers and Chinese factory are evident in each shopping trip."
--Pietra Rivoli, PhD, Professor, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University and author, The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy
"You will never go shopping the same way again! It's impossible to read Sara Bongiorni's book and not be captivated by the complexity and challenge of her task, and to then try it yourself for a day and fail miserably at it by lunchtime. This is the rare book that makes you think about how big global issues actually hit home, and it will have you discussing those issues with your friends.
President, Naroff Economic Advisors, Inc.
Chief Economist, Commerce Bank
"Over the past century, Americans' images of China have fluctuated wildly from victim, to heroic fighter, to Communist fanatic. We have loved them and feared them. And now, as Sara Bongiorni shows in vivid personal terms, we are in a new phase where it is a little of both. China has become an economic giant that can step on our toes, but that we must embrace."
--John Maxwell Hamilton, Dean and Hopkins P. Breazeale Foundation Professor Manship School of Mass Communication, Louisiana State University
"When the writer resolves to forgo Chinese imports for one year, she leads her lively family in a fascinating experiment that requires surprising feats of will power and ingenuity. The family's adventure through the maze of modern America's consumer life is both thought provoking and delightful to read. Those little 'Made in China' labels will never seem the same again."
--Mark Fabiani, former White House special counsel and media/political consultant
"Breaking up is indeed hard to do, as Sara Bongiorni proves in this winning memoir of her household's one-year boycott of Chinese products. Equal parts Erma Bombeck and economics, A Year Without 'Made in China' is that lively miracle--a crash course in globalization that is also consummately entertaining."
--Danny Heitman, columnist for The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
"A funny and engaging story about one family's experiment in our global economy. The Bongiorni family does without sneakers, sunglasses, and printer cartridges, but develops a dogged creativity and much needed sense of humor. The myriad moral complexities in the relationship between American consumers and Chinese factory are evident in each shopping trip."
--Pietra Rivoli, PhD, Professor, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University and author, The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy
"You will never go shopping the same way again! It's impossible to read Sara Bongiorni's book and not be captivated by the complexity and challenge of her task, and to then try it yourself for a day and fail miserably at it by lunchtime. This is the rare book that makes you think about how big global issues actually hit home, and it will have you discussing those issues with your friends.
