I started writing columns and essays in 2003 when my friend and editor twisted my ear and threatened grievous bodily harm if I didn’t write something. Despite protestations that I didn’t know the first thing about writing (not that I know any more now!!!) she got me wittering on about it. So off I went to do a bit of research on what makes a good columnist and since then Thomas Friedman has been top of the list for me, yahoo and google alerts.
I was further convinced that he is a good libertarian and centrist when he would change his opinions, he would try to make sense of both sides of the story, he would show passion and he would be independent of the howling mobs on both sides of the story. So I am a big fan of his writing. As it so happens, one of the proudest moments of my writing life was when somebody accused me of being a "Thomas Friedman". The person was meaning it pejoratively and in an accusing manner, but that didn’t matter. So you are warned, I am already biased!
His previous book that I read, The World is Flat, is also something that took the world by storm. It was the FT / Goldman Sachs Business book of the year and really opened many people’s eyes to how globalisation is currently in play. But this book, Longitudes and Attitudes – ISBN: 0141015217), exploring the world before and after September 11 is a different animal totally.
This book is a series of selected columns from 2000 till just after the Iraq Invasion of 2003. It is a very interesting view of how an American got stunned by the 9/11 attack, their “virginity”, “innocence” torn away, saw the world, how they tried to make sense of it. And you could see all the (almost raw) emotions in print, the bewilderment, the anger, the worry, the angst, the pain, the sorrow, the feelings of a father to his daughter and family, his fury at the Jihadi’s, his pity, everything on open display. And you can see the feelings develop and change over the 3-4 years, before and after the 9/11 event.
Take for example the Iraq War. The overwhelming feeling that I get from reading the columns is that he thinks it was morally right to remove Saddam but he was extremely nervous and critical of the Bush Administration’s incompetence in raising the coalition, getting the international support, the absence of planning for the post Saddam era, the feelings of people on the ground in USA, Europe, Arab lands and India. And whether you like or hate this idea, he is a great writer. And read him to understand how opinions are formed.
As an essayist, another very interesting quality that Thomas has, is to manage to fit in simple concepts, give good structured arguments, back it up with history and personal experience and end with a recommendation/suggestion, and mostly all in 800-900 words. And his introductions are brilliant, simply great; they pull you into the column.
The main criticism I would have is that he missed a trick by not taking the letters to the NY Times editor and feedback on his columns into his book. I realise that it would have taken more time to make the book, and would have been tougher, but I think the balance is lost; this is purely Thomas Friedman’s opinion journey over 4-5 years. If he had managed to incorporate the letters and feedback, it would have made for a far richer book.
Still, whether you are an essayist, journalist, interested in politics, whether left or right, green or brown, this is a good book to read. Hey, its perfect as a bathroom book, those bite sized columns are just perfect! J Happy reading.
All this to be taken with a grain of piquant salt!!!
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