Friedman, Thomas

• From Beirut to Jerusalem

  • This is a first-hand account of the life of an American journalist in the Middle East during the 1970's and 1980's. There are a lot of very interesting anecdotes, and Friedman does a fair job with (in my opinion) a relatively even-handed treatment of the politics. One of the most interesting observations revolves around life in Beirut, back when Lebanese sympathizers were kidnapping so many Americans and other foreigners (like Terry Anderson). Friedman expressed surprise that so many people tried to continue to live out normal lives in Beirut in spite of the chaos, only to suddenly find themselves pulled into a car at gunpoint for a months-long hostage ordeal. He also has some very poignant observations about the grueling effects of such long-term hatred and fighting. This is one of the most famous recent books on this topic, and deservedly so.

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