3 Review(s)

From Beirut to Jerusalem, winner of the 1989 National Book Award for nonfiction, is the startling, intense and thought–provoking account of Thomas L. Friedman's decade of reporting in the strife–ridden Middle East. Thomas L. Friedman has won two Pulitzer Prizes – one for his reporting in Beirut and one for reporting in Jerusalem, the two cities at the center of the Arab–Israeli conflict. No two cities have received more headline coverage, nor been more hotly debated, and no reporter has covered them more in depth than Friedman. in his journey from Beirut to Jerusalem, Friedman gives us a panoramic view of both the political and personal conflicts. As a reporter for UPI and The New York Times, he was stationed in Beirut from 1979 to 1984, and in Lebanon from 1984 to 1989. He describes with intense vividness the sometimes horrifying, sometimes wondrous cities, for which, he says, nothing in his life had prepared him. Friedman brings alive his journey from Beirut to Jerusalem through anecdotes, history, analysis and self–examination – and puts all the currents into perspective with inimitable detail, clarity and remarkable insight. This is a much–needed framework for understanding the psychology and politics of the Middle East, and for understanding the future of this unique region.