This book is actually a compilation of Thomas reportings as a journalist when he travel frequently in Middle East and Europe. I love his style of writing.
this book requires a lot of concentration, at least for me. it is broken up into nice small 'articles' which helps. it provides unusual insight into other cultures and issues such as terrorism. excellent book written by author of 'the world is flat' another of my favorites.
I like most of Friedman's work, but I like this one least. Most of it is simply a compilation of his column in the NY Times. So, it never gets as deep into the subjects as you would like.