Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word : How Six Everyday Products Make the Case for Trade

From former Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States Fred P. Hochberg comes an illuminating and engaging tutorial on the basics of modern trade. Trade—the exchange that powers the world—allows us to sell what we produce at home and purchase what we don’t. In the age of globalization, trade has joined together more people than ever before, providing access to major new markets and countless new products that have revolutionized our lives. However, for millions of people, global trade has become a popular target for blame and the frustrations of modern life. Much of the public only connects trade with unfathomable, high-level deals causing the fundamental principles to often seem inaccessible and confusing. Through the lens of six quintessential American goods, Fred P. Hochberg breaks down colorful and compelling real-world examples to dispel the widespread myths and confusions surrounding trade. By using six widely consumed American goods—the taco salad, the iPhone, the classic apple pie, the minivan, Game of Thrones , and the baseball cap—Hochberg highlights the story of America’s most surprising trade relationships while sharing the essentials of trade that everyone should know. "A sprightly and clear-eyed testimonial to the value of globalization" ( The Wall Street Journ al ) as seen through six surprising everyday goods—the taco salad, the Honda Odyssey, the banana, the iPhone, the college degree, and the blockbuster HBO series Game of Thrones. Trade allows us to sell what we produce at home and purchase what we don't. It lowers prices and gives us greater variety and innovation. Yet understanding our place in the global trade network is rarely simple. Trade has become an easy excuse for struggling economies, a scapegoat for our failures to adapt to a changing world, and—for many Americans on both the right and the left—nothing short of a four-letter word. But as Fred P. Hochberg reminds us, trade is easier to understand than we commonly think. In Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word , you'll learn how NAFTA became a populist punching bag on both sides of the aisle. You'll learn how Americans can avoid the grim specter of the $10 banana. And you'll finally discover the truth about whether or not, as President Trump has famously tweeted, "trade wars are good and easy to win." (Spoiler alert—they aren't.) Hochberg debunks common trade myths by pulling back the curtain on six everyday products, each with a surprising story to tell: the taco salad, the Honda Odyssey, the banana, the iPhone, the college degree, and the smash hit HBO series Game of Thrones . Behind these six examples are stories that help explain not only how trade has shaped our lives so far but also how we can use trade to build a better future for our own families, for America, and for the world. Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word is the antidote to today's acronym-laden trade jargon pitched to voters with simple promises that rarely play out so one-dimensionally. Packed with colorful examples and highly digestible explanations, Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word is "an accessible, necessary book that will increase our understanding of trade and economic policies and the ways in which they impact our daily lives" ( Library Journal , starred review). Trade myths, busted and debunked, with the help of six surprising everyday goods--the taco salad, the Honda Odyssey, the banana, the iPhone, the college degree, and the blockbuster HBO series Game of Thrones Trade allows us to sell what we produce at home and purchase what we don't. It lowers prices and gives us greater variety and innovation. Yet understanding our place in the global trade network is rarely so simple, and today's workers are wary of being taken advantage of. Trade has become an easy excuse for struggling economies, a scapegoat for our failures to adapt to a changing world, and--for many Americans on both the right and the left--nothing short of a four-letter word. But as Fred P. Hochberg reminds us, trade is easier to understand than we commonly think. In Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word, you'll learn how NAFTA became a populist punching bag on both sides of the aisle. You'll learn how Americans can avoid the grim specter of the $10 banana. And you'll finally discover the truth about whether or not, as President Trump once famously tweeted, "trade wars are good and easy to win." (Spoiler alert--they aren't.) Hochberg unravels the mysteries of trade by pulling back the curtain on six everyday products, each with a surprising story to tell: the taco salad, the Honda Odyssey, the banana, the iPhone, the college degree, and the smash hit HBO series Game of Thrones. Behind these six examples are stories that help explain not only how trade has shaped our lives so far but also how we can use trade to build a better future for our own families, for America, and for the world. There is no going back. Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word is the antidote to today's acronym-laden trade jargon pitched to voters with simple promises that rarely play out so one-dimensionally. It's time to read between the lines. Packed with colorful examples and highly digestible explanations, Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word entertains as it dispels popular misconceptions and arms readers with a thorough grasp of the basics of trade Trade myths, busted and debunked, with the help of six surprising everyday goods? the taco salad, the Honda Odyssey, the banana, the iPhone, the college degree, and the blockbuster HBO series Game of Thrones Trade allows us to sell what we produce at home and purchase what we don't. It lowers prices and gives us greater variety and innovation. Yet understanding our place in the global trade network is rarely so simple, and today's workers are wary of being taken advantage of. Trade has become an easy excuse for struggling economies, a scapegoat for our failures to adapt to a changing world, and?for many Americans on both the right and the left?nothing short of a four-letter word. But as Fred P. Hochberg reminds us, trade is easier to understand than we commonly think. In Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word , you'll learn how NAFTA became a populist punching bag on both sides of the aisle. You'll learn how Americans can avoid the grim specter of the $10 banana. And you'll finally discover the truth about whether or not, as President Trump once famously tweeted, "trade wars are good and easy to win." (Spoiler alert?they aren't.) Hochberg unravels the mysteries of trade by pulling back the curtain on six everyday products, each with a surprising story to tell: the taco salad, the Honda Odyssey, the banana, the iPhone, the college degree, and the smash hit HBO series Game of Thrones . Behind these six examples are stories that help explain not only how trade has shaped our lives so far but also how we can use trade to build a better future for our own families, for America, and for the world. There is no going back. Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word is the antidote to today's acronym-laden trade jargon pitched to voters with simple promises that rarely play out so one-dimensionally. It's time to read between the lines. Packed with colorful examples and highly digestible explanations, Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word entertains as it dispels popular misconceptions and arms readers with a thorough grasp of the basics of trade "Trade allows us to sell what we produce at home and purchase what we don't. It lowers prices and gives us greater variety and innovation. Yet understanding our place in the global trade network is rarely so simple, and today's workers are wary of being taken advantage of. Trade has become an easy excuse for struggling economies, a scapegoat for our failures to adapt to a changing world, and--for many Americans on both the right and the left--nothing short of a four-letter word. But as Fred P. Hochberg reminds us, trade is easier to understand than we commonly think. In Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word, you'll learn how NAFTA became a populist punching bag on both sides of the aisle. You'll learn how Americans can avoid the grim specter of the $10 banana. And you'll finally discover the truth about whether or not, as President Trump once famously tweeted, "trade wars are good and easy to win." (Spoiler alert--they aren't.) Hochberg unravels the mysteries of trade by pulling back the curtain on six everyday products, each with a surprising story to tell: the taco salad, the Honda Odyssey, the banana, the iPhone, the college degree, and the smash hit HBO series Game of Thrones. Behind these six examples are stories that help explain not only how trade has shaped our lives so far but also how we can use trade to build a better future for our own families, for America, and for the world. There is no going back. Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word is the antidote to today's acronym-laden trade jargon pitched to voters with simple promises that rarely play out so one-dimensionally. It's time to read between the lines. Packed with colorful examples and highly digestible explanations, Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word entertains as it dispels popular misconceptions and arms readers with a thorough grasp of the basics of trade."-- Amazon.com From former Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States Fred P. Hochberg comes an illuminating and engaging tutorial on the basics of modern trade. Tradethe exchange that powers the worldallows us to sell what we produce at home and purchase what we dont. In the age of globalization, trade has joined together more people than ever before, providing access to major new markets and countless new products that have revolutionized our lives. However, for millions of people, global trade has become a popular target for blame and the frustrations of modern life. Much of the public only connects trade with unfathomable, high-level deals causing the fundamental principles to often seem inaccessible and confusing. Through the lens of six quintessential American goods, Fred P. Hochberg breaks down colorful and compelling real-world examples to dispel the widespread myths and confusions surrounding trade. By using six widely consumed American goodsthe taco salad, the minivan, the banana, the iPhone, the college degree, and the HBO series Game of Thrones Hochberg highlights the story of Americas most surprising trade relationships while sharing the essentials of trade that everyone should know. Trade allows us to sell what we produce at home and purchase what we don't. It lowers prices and gives us greater variety and innovation. Yet it has become an easy excuse for struggling economies, a scapegoat for our failures to adapt to a changing world, and nothing short of a four-letter word. Hochberg pulls back the curtain on six everyday products, each with a surprising story to tell: the taco salad, the Honda Odyssey, the banana, the iPhone, the college degree, and the smash hit HBO series Game of Thrones. Behind these examples are stories that help explain not only how trade has shaped our lives so far but also how we can use trade to build a better future for our own families, for America, and for the world. -- adapted from jacket