Tom Gjelten

Tom Gjelten

Tom Gjelten was born on June 14th, 1948 and is currently 78 years old. Gjelten attended the University of Minnesota where he received a B.A. in Anthropology. He also attended graduate school at Antioch University New England.

?Tom Gjelten is a renowned journalist who has done a lot of work on faith, religion, and how belief shapes societies and people. He has also reported on how religion impacts social conflicts, identity, and politics from his many years of experience reporting on international and national news.

During his time in journalism, Gjelten has been at the forefront of the most important happenings as he reported from the likes of Central Europe, Latin America, and beyond.

He was one of the first foreign correspondents for NPR during the 1980s, and reported on the transition to democracy, political upheavals, and wars in the former Soviet Union, South America, and Central America.

He also covered the Gulf War and the Yugoslavian conflict as he reported on the intersection of history with suffering and human courage.

Back in the United States, Tom Gjelten reported from the Pentagon and the State Department. He covered the early stages of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Besides his work as a journalist, Gjelten has been invited onto many shows as a panellist.

In 1995, Tom Gjelten published the work Sarajevo Daily, in which he tells the story of the Sarajevo paper Oslobodjenje, which the editors continued publishing despite the city being under siege.

The paper had a diverse staff of Croats, Serbs, and Muslims who had to deal with a lack of supplies, power loss, and constant shelling, but continued to work in an underground shelter.

Their struggle to continue printing the paper would become a banner around which the city gathered as they fought to stay united, alive, and spirited despite the horrific conditions of the war all around them.

In 2008, Tom Gjeltan published Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba, explaining the rise of the Cuban Bacardi family and their rum business over a century and a half.

He shows how the Bacardis were not only rum magnates, as they got involved in Cuban struggles for freedom, how they dealt with exile and revolution, and shaped Cuban culture.

It follows the family as they lived through the rise of leaders such as Castro, the politics, and the many wars.

Shifting focus to the United States, Tom Gjelten published A Nation of Nations as he looked at how the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 changed the United States, as it allowed people from all over the world to move to America.

The author follows immigrant families from Libya, Bolivia, and Korea living in Fairfax County, Virginia, as they assimilate into American society, even as they deal with all manner of struggles and build new lives. He shows how the country became more diverse culturally, linguistically, and physically.

Through big ideas and personal stories, the author shows how immigration changed the entire meaning of being American.

Related Authors

Fans of Tom Gjelten also enjoy these authors:

1. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
2. Harlan Coben, author of the Myron Bolitar Series.
3. Linwood Barclay, author of the Promise Falls Series.
4. Michael Connelly, author of the Harry Bosch Series.
5. C.J. Box, author of the Joe Pickett Series.

Tom Gjelten: F.A.Q