For years New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote prolifically on globalization. Then 9/11 happened, and the tragedy consumed his attention. Friedman has said he "lost the thread" of globalization for a while. His forthcoming book, "The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century," picks up the thread. Thomas Friedman is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, a bestselling author and a native of St. Louis Park, Minn.