As spectacular and moving as Bar-Am's photos are, Thomas L. Friedman's compelling essay provides an anchor in the form of an eloquent reflection on the unfolding of the first fifty years. Israel's contributions to politics and culture, to religion and commerce, have made a tremendous mark on the world, and these issues Friedman addresses with the perception of an outsider who has spent almost a quarter of his life in the area. While Bar-Am's photos show us the events that have shaped Israel's path, Friedman's essay explores the implications of Israel's first fifty years and the nation's powerful struggle between its past and its future.
Thomas L. Friedman Books
Thomas L. Friedman is an acclaimed author and journalist whose work delves into international affairs. He grounds his insights in extensive reporting, aiming to make the complex global landscape accessible to readers. Friedman has broadened the definition of foreign affairs to encompass the impacts of finance, globalization, and technology. His writing explores the interplay between enduring forces like nationalism and culture, and the transformative effects of the internet and global markets.







That used to be US : what went wrong with America - and how it can come back
- 400 pages
- 14 hours of reading
America has a huge problem. It faces four major challenges, on which its future depends, and it is failing to meet them. In What's Wrong with America?, Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum analyze those challenges - globalization, the revolution in information technology, the nation's chronic deficits, and its pattern of energy consumption - and spell out what needs to be done now to rediscover America's power and prowess. They explain how the end of the cold war blinded the nation to the need to address these issues seriously. They show how America's history, when properly understood, provides the key to coping successfully and explain how the paralysis of the US political system and the erosion of key American values have made it impossible to carry out the policies the country needs. What's Wrong with America? is both a searching exploration of the American condition today and a rousing manifesto for American renewal.
This extraordinary bestseller is still the most incisive, thought-provoking book ever written about the Middle East. Thomas L. Friedman, twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting, and now the Foreign Affairs columnist on the op-ed page of the New York Times, drew on his ten years in the Middle East to write a book that The Wall Street Journal called "a sparkling intellectual guidebook... an engrossing journey not to be missed." Now with a new chapter that brings the ever-changing history of the conflict in the Middle East up to date, this seminal historical work reaffirms both its timeliness and its timelessness. "If you're only going to read one book on the Middle East, this is it." -- Seymour Hersh
Thank You For Being Late : An Optimist's Guide to Thriving In the Age of Accelerations
- 496 pages
- 18 hours of reading
We all sense it - our lives are speeding up at a dizzying rate. Thank You for Being Lateexposes the tectonic movements that are reshaping the world today and explains how to get the most out of them. Friedman's thesis is that the planet's three largest forces - Moore's law (technology), the market (globalization) and Mother Nature (climate change and biodiversity loss) - are all accelerating at once. An extraordinary release of energy is reshaping everything from how we hail a taxi to the fate of nations to our most intimate relationships. Thank You for Being Late is a work of contemporary history that serves as a field manual for how to think about this era of accelerations and how we can anchor ourselves in the eye of this storm. It's also an argument for 'being late' - for pausing to appreciate this amazing historical epoch we're passing through and reflecting on its possibilities and dangers. Written with his trademark vitality, wit, and optimism, and with unequalled access to many of those at the forefront of the changes he is describing all over the world, Thank You for Being Late is Friedman's most ambitious book - and an essential guide to the present and the future.
That Used to Be Us
- 402 pages
- 15 hours of reading
Friedman, an influential columnist, and Mandelbaum, a leading foreign policy thinker, analyze four American challenges--globalization, information technology, chronic deficits, and energy consumption--and show what America needs to do.
Hot, Flat, and Crowded
- 438 pages
- 16 hours of reading
Examines America's loss of focus and national purpose since 9/11, and the global environmental crisis, and shows how the solutions to these two problems are linked.
The Word Is Flat. The Globalized World in The Twenty-First Century
- 672 pages
- 24 hours of reading
Explores both the benefits and disadvantages of the developments in global communication. The author discusses the annoyance and dangers of BlackBerrys in meeting rooms, hands-free kits in conversation, and using a phone or iPod whilst driving.
Longitudes and attitudes : the world in the age of terrorism
- 416 pages
- 15 hours of reading
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times columnist and bestselling author of From Beirut to Jerusalem and The Lexus and the Olive Tree comes this smart, penetrating, brilliantly informed book that is indispensable for understanding today’s radically new world and America’s complex place in it. Thomas L. Freidman received his third Pulitzer Prize in 2002 “for his clarity of vision, based on extensive reporting, in commenting on the worldwide impact of the terrorist threat.” In Longitudes and Attitudes he gives us all of the columns he has published about the most momentous news story of our time, as well as a diary of his private experiences and reflections during his post–September 11 travels. Updated for this new paperback edition, with over two years’ worth of Friedman’s columns and an expanded version of his diary, Longitudes and Attitudes is a broadly influential work from our most trusted observer of the international scene.
The Lexus and the olive tree
- 512 pages
- 18 hours of reading
From a perceptive commentator and National Book Award winner, this work offers a comprehensive exploration of globalization, the international system shaping world affairs today. As a Foreign Affairs columnist for The New York Times, Thomas L. Friedman has traveled extensively, interviewing diverse individuals—from Brazilian peasants to Wall Street financial experts. He presents globalization not merely as a trend but as a transformative system that has replaced the Cold War framework, creating an interconnected global market and, to some extent, a global village. Understanding this system is crucial for interpreting current events and personal investments. For instance, during the Cold War, communication was symbolized by the hot line between superpowers, while today, the Internet represents our interconnectedness, albeit with no single authority in control. Through vivid narratives and original concepts, Friedman provides insights into this new world order, illustrating the conflict between the forces of globalization and enduring cultural traditions. He also addresses the backlash against globalization from those who feel marginalized by it and emphasizes the need for balance. The struggle between modernity and tradition is the central theme of this provocative work, essential for anyone interested in the dynamics of the contemporary world.
Longitudes and Attitudes
- 416 pages
- 15 hours of reading
This title brings together reportage and reflections on the state of the world leading up to and after September 11, 2001. Thomas Friedman gives voice to our awakening sense of a radically new world and our own complex place in it.



