About the Author

Thomas L. Friedman was UPI's Beirut correspondent from 1979 to 1981. In 1982, he became the New York Times Beirut bureau chief, winning a 1983 Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. In 1984, he moved to Jerusalem as the Times bureau chief, and in 1988 won a second Pulitzer Prize for reporting. He is also the author of the national bestseller The Lexus and the Olive Tree. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for his work on this book. He lives in Washington with his family.

Reviews

'Jubilantly intelligent - a dashing hybrid of autobiography and journalism ... a lifeline to the sane, a beacon to the hopeful.' Michael Coren, The Times 'Friedman fills the yawning gap between verbiage and understanding with grace, precision and insight.' Economist. 'A striking achievement.' Financial Times.

'Jubilantly intelligent - a dashing hybrid of autobiography and journalism ... a lifeline to the sane, a beacon to the hopeful.' Michael Coren, The Times 'Friedman fills the yawning gap between verbiage and understanding with grace, precision and insight.' Economist. 'A striking achievement.' Financial Times.

There have been any number of books that have worked hard at interpreting the melange called the Middle East. This one, however, makes a difference because it's so well written and captures the psychological mannerisms of the people of Lebanon and Israel--the first step to understanding some of the mysterious ``why'' that seems to elude the American public and government. Friedman's credentials are impressive: he spent six years of journalistic service for the New York Times in Beirut and Jerusalem, has won two Pulitzer prizes, and is now the Times 's chief diplomatic correspondent. His writing is vastly descriptive, incredibly illuminating, very educational, and marvelously persuasive. His advice to U.S. diplomats is that since ``Middle East diplomacy is a contact sport,'' they must bargain as grocers, or, in other words, realize that everything has a price and the sale can always be made with enough hard work. This title is highly recommended for all libraries. See also Sandra Mackey's Lebanon: Death of a Nation , reviewed below.-- Ed. -- David P. Snider, Casa Grande P.L., Ariz.