Max Rosenn Lecture Series in Law and Humanities

In 1990 Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, then also a New York Times journalist, became the first husband-wife team to win a Pulitzer Prize for journalism for their coverage of China’s Tiananmen Square democracy movement. Kristof won his second Pulitzer in 2006 for what the judges called “his graphic, deeply reported columns that, at personal risk, focused attention on genocide in Darfur and that gave voice to the voiceless in other parts of the world.” Kristof and WuDunn have written five best-selling books: Tightrope, Half the Sky, A Path Appears, China Wakes, and Thunder from the East. Oprah Winfrey devoted two full programs to their work, and they have been on countless other television programs. Half the Sky and A Path Appears each inspired a prime-time PBS documentary series. Kristof is also the author of Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope (2020) and his newest book, a memoir entitled: Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life.

After joining The New York Times in 1984, Kristof served as a correspondent in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo. He has covered presidential politics, interviewed everyone from President Obama to Iranian President Ahmadinejad, and was the first blogger on The New York Times website. A documentary about him, Reporter, executive-produced by Ben Affleck, aired on HBO, and he has millions of followers on social media. Kristof has won innumerable awards including the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the Anne Frank Award and the Fred Cuny Award for Prevention of Armed Conflict. He also serves on the board of Harvard University and the Association of American Rhodes Scholars.

Jeffrey Toobin of CNN, his Harvard classmate, said of Kristof: "I’m not surprised to see him emerge as the moral conscience of our generation of journalists. I am surprised to see him as the Indiana Jones of our generation of journalists.”

George Clooney, said himself, that he became engaged in Sudan after reading Kristof columns, and traveled with Kristof to the fringes of Darfur – rooming with him on the floor of a cheap hotel – motivating Clooney to make this video of Kristof external website.

As a speaker, Nicholas Kristof always keeps audiences on the edge of their seats with his moving storytelling and incomparable insights into the events that shape our world. Audiences are captivated by his global adventures and leave inspired to drive change, take on challenges and make a difference. As one lecture series attested, “You could hear a pin drop in the auditorium because he was spellbinding.”

After his clerkship, he spent twelve years as a practicing attorney, then four years as an endowment director of a major national charity, followed by a decade as a stay-at-home father.  After graduating from Columbia Business School with concentrations in management and social enterprise, Jonah founded [words] bookstore in Maplewood, New Jersey, with his wife, Ellen.  Since then, [words] has become a nationally recognized independent bookshop.  In 2020, Publishers Weekly named [words] as one of five finalists for Bookstore of the Year, and the shop consistently welcomes high-profile, award-winning authors to share their work. Jonah currently serves as President of the Autism Science Foundation and contributes his time to several other non-profit organizations serving individuals with autism.