Welcome to Inside the New York Times Book Review, I'm Pamela Paul.

How does the conflict in the Middle East look from the perspective of a remote hill in

Lebanon more than 20 years ago?

Author and former Israeli soldier, Mady Friedman, is here to talk about his book, Pumpkin

Flowers.

This kind of war was a war fought by a modern military unhustled territory against a group

that was weaker but more determined and ultimately stronger.

So we all just need to try a little harder.

A book called Grid argues that passion and perseverance can make up for lack of talent.

Our reviewer Judith Schulowitz is here to discuss it.

So she argues that what we need to cultivate in our children and in ourselves is this trait

which allows you to sort of barrel through failure and obstacles and achieve success.

This week we have our Big Spring Children's Books issue and Maria Russo, our Children's

Books editor, will be talking to Sherman Alexi about his very first picture book.

When I talk about diversity I always think, well, as our work representing who we are now

in the moment contemporary and that was something important to me.

Alexander Altar has literary news.

Plus, great coals, Pearl Sigland, I get to talk about what we and other people are reading.

Mady Friedman served in the Israeli Army in the late 1990s, well before the Middle East

had weathered the Arab Spring and the most recent wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Friedman was stationed at a remote outpost in Lebanon called the Pumpkin toward the end

of Israel's 18-year presence there.

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