Toffler, Heidi 1929-

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Toffler, Heidi 1929-

PERSONAL:

Born August 1, 1929, in NY; daughter of William and Elizbeth Farrell; married Alvin Toffler (a writer), April 29, 1950; children: Karen. Education: Long Island University, B.A.; graduate study at New York University and American University.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Curtis Brown Ltd., 10 Astor Pl., New York, NY 10003.

CAREER:

Writer and educator. Toffler Associates (advisory firm), Manchester, MA, cofounder, 1996—. Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University, Washington, DC, adjunct professor; United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), member of advisory board; Center for Global Communications, member of advisory council. Also worked as a union shop steward at an aluminum foundry.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Medal of the President of Italian Republic; honorary degrees from Manhattan College and Dowling College; Independent Award (with husband, Alvin Toffler), Brown University, 2006.

WRITINGS:

WITH HUSBAND, ALVIN TOFFLER

Future Shock, Random House (New York, NY), 1970.

Eco-Spasm, Bantam (New York, NY), 1975.

The Third Wave, Morrow (New York, NY), 1980.

Powershift, Bantam (New York, NY), 1990.

War and Anti-war: Survival at the Dawn of the 21st Century, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1993.

Creating a New Civilization: The Politics of the Third Wave, Andrews and McMeel (Kansas City, MO), 1995.

Revolutionary Wealth, Knopf (New York, NY), 2006, reprinted with new foreword by the authors, Doubleday (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Heidi Toffler has been credited with coauthoring a number of works with her husband, journalist Alvin Toffler, including Future Shock, a best seller that examines the societal effects of advanced technology; The Third Wave, which describes a post-industrial society; and War and Anti-war: Survival at the Dawn of the 21st Century, a work that explores trends in warfare and peace-keeping.

In Revolutionary Wealth: How It Will Be Created and How It Will Change Our Lives, the Tofflers contend that radical technological, political, and cultural transformations will lead to new opportunities for growth in the modern, knowledge-based global economy. The authors pay particular attention to the rise of "prosumers," those consumers who also produce goods and services, such as open-source software, for their own use. According to New York Times Book Review contributor Nick Gillespie, the Tofflers "argue convincingly that we are on the verge of a post-scarcity world that will slash poverty and ‘unlock countless opportunities and new life trajectories,’ at least if we avoid the rapidly escalating risks to such progress." Though Latin Trade contributor Andres Hernandez Alende noted that the authors "do not take time to reflect enough on the consequences of the erroneous use of intellect," Justin McHenry, writing on the Blog Critics Web site, stated that the work "paints a picture of a world in overdrive, with vast potential for creating a higher standard of living across the globe."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 15, 2006, David Siegfried, review of Revolutionary Wealth, p. 4.

California Bookwatch, July, 2006, review of Revolutionary Wealth.

Commentary, July, 1995, Daniel J. Silver, review of Creating a New Civilization: The Politics of the Third Wave, p. 32.

Futurist, July-August, 1994, Edward Cornish, review of War and Anti-war: Survival at the Dawn of the 21st Century; July-August, 2006, review of Revolutionary Wealth.

Latin Trade, August, 2006, Andres Hernandez Alende, "Back to the Future," review of Revolutionary Wealth, p. 50.

Library Journal, May 15, 2006, Richard Drezen, review of Revolutionary Wealth, p. 109.

New York Times Book Review, May 14, 2006, Nick Gillespie, "The Future Is Now," review of Revolutionary Wealth.

Publishers Weekly, September 13, 1993, review of War and Anti-war, p. 106; March 27, 2006, review of Revolutionary Wealth, p. 74.

Whole Earth Review, fall, 1995, Stewart Brand, review of War and Anti-war, p. 76.