Thomas Friedman is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner and a regular contributor to ‘The New York Times’, writing essays on global affairs and columns. He is recognized for advocating an armistice between Israel and the Palestinians, Arab world rejuvenation, environmental issues, and globalization, while occasionally pointing out their possible hazards for the US economy and society. From a centrist, liberal stance on the American political spectrum, his writings explore numerous areas of international politics and important transitions in the future world order. Friedman has been honored with various honors. He is the author of six best-selling novels, the most well-known of which are ‘From Beirut to Jerusalem’ and ‘The World is Flat.’ He started his lengthy and famous career as a general assignment financial reporter and has steadily advanced since then. He appears frequently on shows such as ‘Meet the Press,’ ‘Morning Joe,’ and ‘Charlie Rose.’ He also hosted his own programs on the Discovery Channel, including ‘Straddling the Fence,’ ‘Addicted to Oil,’ and ‘Searching for the Roots of 9/11.’ He was a visiting lecturer at Harvard University in addition to his work as a writer and columnist.
Childhood and Adolescence
Thomas Friedman was born in Minneapolis on July 20, 1953, to Harold and Margaret Friedman. Shelly and Jane are his older sisters.
Until his ‘Bar Mitzvah,’ he went to Hebrew school. After that, he attended St. Louis Park High School, where he wrote for the school newspaper. After visiting Israel in 1968, he became enamored with the country.
He desired to be a professional golfer since he was a child, and in 1970, he worked as a transport assistant at a nearby country club.
He attended the University of Minnesota before transferring to Brandeis University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Mediterranean Studies in 1975. He went on to St. Antony’s College at the University of Oxford after graduating from there.
While studying on a Marshall scholarship at the institution, he got an M. Phil in Middle Eastern studies.
Thomas Friedman’s Career
He joined the United Press International London bureau and was sent to cover a war in Beirut for a year, from 1979 to 1981.
In 1981, he was ultimately hired by ‘The New York Times,’ and was dispatched to Beirut at the start of 1982 to cover Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.
He was sent to Jerusalem in 1984, and for the next four years served as the Times Jerusalem Bureau Chief.
‘From Beirut to Jerusalem,’ one of his best-selling books, was published in 1989. During the presidency of George H.W. Bush, he covered Secretary of State James Baker extensively for the next few years.
Bill Clinton was named the ‘Times’ White House correspondent when he was sworn in as President in 1992. He published more written works on economics and foreign policy two years later, and the following year he became the foreign affairs correspondent for ‘The New York Times.’
He wrote the book ‘The Lexus and the Olive Tree’ in 1999, in which he expressed his views on globalization.
He began focusing his talents on writing more about the Middle East and terrorism after the September 11 attacks in 2001. This year, he received multiple honors for his detailed coverage of the crisis and his columns, which were all gathered and published in the book ‘Longitudes and Attitudes,’ which came out the following year.
In 2002, he visited Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Abdullah and personally requested that the Arab-Israeli issue be resolved, prompting the prince to offer the ‘Arab Peace Initiative.’
He was an outspoken advocate of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, claiming that the establishment of a self-governing state in the Middle East would encourage other countries in the region to relax and seek reform.
‘Searching for the Roots of 9/11,’ ‘The Other Side of Outsourcing,’ ‘Does Europe Hate Us?,’ ‘Addicted to Oil,’ and ‘Green: The New, Red, White, and Blue’ were among the documentaries he produced between the the 2003 and 2007.
In 2005, he wrote one of his most famous works, ‘The World is Flat,’ which served as a supplement to his first book, ‘The Lexus and the Olive Tree.’
In 2008, he published ‘Hot, Flat, and Crowded,’ a book that offered solutions to global warming and strategies for the United States to reclaim its financial clout.
In 2010, he penned a series of pieces in favor of deep-seated centrist views. The following year, it was reported that President Obama “sounded out” Friedman on Middle East problems. ‘That Used To Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back’ was published the same year.
Thomas’s Major Works
‘The World Is Flat’ was published on April 5, 2005, and quickly became a best-seller around the world. It had sold over two million copies globally by the following year, and it had even won the ‘Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award.’
Achievements and Awards
In 1983, he earned the Pulitzer Prize for ‘foreign reporting’ for his thorough coverage of the war in Lebanon.
For his coverage of Israel, he won the Pulitzer Prize for reporting on foreign affairs’ in 1988.
In 2002, he earned the Pulitzer Prize for the third time for his reporting on the global implications of the terrorist threat.
He was appointed to the Pulitzer Prize Board in 2005.
Personal History and Legacy
In November 1978, he married Ann Bucksbaum, an economist. Orly and Natalie Friedman are their two daughters. The family now calls Bethesda, Maryland home.
He is a golf enthusiast.
Estimated Net worth
As of July 2021, his net worth had risen to an incredible $25 million, which is rather astounding. The most important source of his money is undoubtedly his very successful professional position, which allows him to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle.
Trivia
When he was younger, this Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and author caddied for the great golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez.