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Tom Junod

@tom_junod

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Author of “In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man,” published by @doubledaybooks.

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This is what my childhood looked like.

There is a party at our home on Long Island. That's my mother on the left, with her "platinum-blonde" hair and her gorgeous smile. That's my first friend's mother on the right, as well as my father's girlfriend, in the green dress that became infamous in our neighborhood.

And that, of course, is my father in the middle, in his smoking jacket -- I was, at the time, four years old, and I didn't even know what men like him were called. Now I know enough to call him a "philanderer," the kind who didn't try very hard to hide what he was up to.

Fran, Lou, and Valerie -- and then me, who even then was trying to figure it all out.

For a long time, I thought my perspective was unique, thought I was the only person in the whole world who had a Dad like that.

And so I wound up telling the whole world about my father and my family in my memoir, "In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man."

But since publishing the book, I've gone out into the world to talk about Lou Junod -- and the world has returned the favor. Lots of people have told me about my Dad by telling me about their own.

You see, he wasn't the only one. He's not the only one. Indeed, one person told me about her own father, and then asked a question that changed my perspective forever, because it was about her father, my father, *all* our fathers:

"How many of us do you think are out there?"

I've tried answering this question --and writing about what I've learned about my father since writing about my father -- in an essay for @theatlantic entitled "The Children of Cheaters."

The link is in the bio.

PS: I've kept the smoking jacket. I'm forever shocked that it's small on me.

PPS: The short answer to the question is, a *lot*. by @tom_junod

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7 days ago

“But how do we make goodness attractive?” Fred Rogers asks in this post from @fredrogersinstitute announcing that today is National Good Neighbor Day. Like so much of what Fred said, the question seems more sweet than stern. But there was something about Fred that not everyone knew: when he asked questions, he expected answers. And if you try to answer this question…well, you will see that it’s harder than it seems. How do we make goodness attractive, at a time that revels in cruelty and glorifies greed from the very pinnacle of power? Here’s what Fred had to say: “By doing whatever we can to bring courage to those whose lives move near our own.” Fred spoke in a soft voice, but he was a brave man, and he emphasized that goodness and courage go hand in hand. He’s 23 years gone. But the questions he asked when he was alive seem more and more relevant — and more and more challenging — as time goes on. Happy Good Neighbor Day! by @tom_junod

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19 days ago

Journalist and author Tom Junod reads from In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man, reflecting on family, memory, masculinity, and the complicated way we come to understand the people who raised us.

Watch the full episode for more from Tom Junod and Thacker Mountain Radio Hour.

📺 Thacker Mountain Radio Hour
Stream anytime on the MPB App and at mpbonline.org.

Watch now:
🔗 Link in bio. by @tom_junod

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22 days ago

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24 days ago

Clearly Lou Junod has more on his mind than book sales. But his son Tommy is pleased to learn that his book about his father and his entire family, "In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man" has gone back to press for a second printing. Thanks to everyone who has worked so hard on it and especially to everyone who is part of the audience the book has found and is finding. I am deeply grateful to you. by @tom_junod

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25 days ago

The 9/11 Photo Nobody Wanted to See - Tom Junod (Writer of "The Falling Man," Esquire)

Full episode available on YouTube (DavidPerellChannel) by @tom_junod

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a month ago

Five years ago, on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, two writers joined the podcast to talk about the extraordinary stories they wrote after the attacks.

Tom Junod talked about his Esquire story, “The Falling Man.”

And James B. Stewart talked about his New Yorker story, “The Real Heroes Are Dead.”

Link in comments. by @tom_junod

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a month ago

One evening each summer, two writers get together on Shelter Island, NY to talk about music. David Browne and Tom Junod are the Music Guys, and this year, in honor of our country’s 250th, they helped us choose America’s song. This was a contender, and while it didn’t ultimately win the bracket-style competition, there were many winners. The real winners were those of us in the audience who got to sing in community while celebrating American music, summer, and traditions. Watershed was honored to have both David and Tom at our 2025 festival talking about their recent books. We always love seeing Watershed authors out in the world. #shelterislandlibrary #watershed2025 #themusicguys #latergram taken in Shelter Island, New York by @tom_junod

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a month ago

More than two decades after “The Falling man,” author @tom_junod and photojournalist @drewpho reflect on the lasting significance of Drew’s 2001 photo and Junod’s 2003 piece for Esquire. Revisit the full story at the link in our bio. by @tom_junod

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a month ago

Happy Birthday Plus One to @wrightthompsonbooks, a great writer, a dear friend and indefatigable inspiration. How did we celebrate his landmark day? How else? We sat next to each other in a hotel lobby and then at a bar, and wrote. by @tom_junod

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a month ago

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11, @tom_junod and @drewpho revisit the origins of the 2003 Esquire story “The Falling Man.”

Junod, author of “In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man,” reconnected with Drew, a photojournalist for the Associated Press, to unpack the piece’s complicated legacy. Read the full story now at the link in our bio.

Director: @mialardiere
Assistant Producer: @moriahpolkie
Editor: Dani Aguilar by @tom_junod

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a month ago

What comes to mind for you?

Watch the full conversation between @ryanholiday & @tom_junod on the @dailystoic YouTube channel by @tom_junod

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a month ago