America's leading observer of the international scene on the minute-by-minute events of September 11th--before, during and after As the Foreign Affairs columnist for the The New York Times, Thomas L. Friedman is in a unique position to interpret the world for American readers. Twice a week, Friedman's celebrated commentary provides the most trenchant, pithy,and illuminating perspective in journalism.Longitudes and Attitudes contains the columns Friedman has published about the most momentous news story of our time, as well as a diary of his experiences and reactions during this period of crisis. As the author writes, the book is "not meant to be a comprehensive study of September 11 and all the factors that went into it. Rather, my hope is that it will constitute a 'word album' that captures and preserves the raw, unpolished, emotional and analytical responses that illustrate how I, and others, felt as we tried to grapple with September and its aftermath, as they were unfolding."Readers have repeatedly said that Friedman has expressed the essence of their own feelings, helping them not only by explaining who "they" are, but also by reassuring us about who "we" are. More than any other journalist writing, Friedman gives voice to America's awakening sense of its role in a changed world.

Thomas L. Friedman has been awarded the Pulitzer Prize three times for his newspaper reporting, and is the author of two bestselling books, The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization (FSG, 1999) and From Beirut to Jerusalem (FSG, 1989), winner of the National Book Award in Nonfiction. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his family.

Introduction: A Word AlbumPrologue: The Super-StoryCOLUMNSBefore: December 15,2000—September 11, 2001After: September 13, 2001—July 3, 2002DIARYTravels in a World Without Walls: September 11, 2001—July 3, 2002Acknowledgements