The Challenge of Covering the Most Important Story on Earth (with Matti Friedman)

Pumpkinflowers recounts the harrowing experiences of a band of young Israeli soldiers charged with holding a remote outpost in Lebanon called Pumpkin Hill. The book is part memoir, part reportage, and part history, capturing the birth of today’s chaotic Middle East and the rise of a twenty-first-century type of war. It foreshadows the unwinnable conflicts the United States would soon confront in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. Friedman’s narrative explores the psychological and physical toll of war on the soldiers and the broader implications for Israel and the world[1][4][5].

In 'Who by Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai', Matti Friedman provides a captivating narrative of Leonard Cohen's journey to the front lines of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Cohen, at a creative dead end, traveled to the Sinai desert to perform for soldiers, an experience that reignited his creativity and inspired some of his most memorable songs. The book includes previously unpublished writings by Cohen and rare photographs, offering a unique glimpse into a pivotal moment in both Cohen's life and Israeli history.