Middle East Books

This is not National Geographic stuff, but if you find that being able to combine war coverage from the eyes of soldiers with a documentary approach of photojournalism done by complete amateurs, then you will be impressed. The book takes pictures that our brave young men and women shot with a simple digital camera and turns them into life in Iraq for our armed forces. Sometimes it's humorous and sometimes it's serious, but all the time, it is real and from the eyes of soldiers.

I love it and I recommend it.

This book is great and would have recieved 5 stars instead of 4. But some of it was kinda cheesey. Like the pics of the guys girlfriend. Who cares?And some jerk standing in front of the flag with praying hands trying to look hard. That guy sucks. Other than that. The pics are great and show alot of emotion. That's the good part. Guy looking hard standing in front of the flag with prayin hands. Uh no. That guy sucks

THIS IS OUR WAR: A SOLDIERS' PORTFOLIO: SERVICEMEN'S PHOTOGRAPHS OF LIFE IN IRAQ is simply outstanding: it offers powerful and personal photos all taken by the men and women serving in Iraq, thus going beyond a reporter's outsider impressions to provide nearly three hundred images culled from tens of thousands GQ collected from servicemen and women. From everyday life to combat, all aspects of the Iraq experience are illustrated.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This book is a remarkable look into the daily lives, trials, and hardships our troops in Iraq are facing. The beauty and truth in the images taken by soldiers is a priceless glimpse into our mission there that every American ought to see.

As I write this review, it is Memorial Day in the United States, a time for remembering those who have sacrificed in conflicts past and present in defense of the nation. We are currently engaged in a conflict, one like no other in many ways (however, I am reminded of the words of Anthony Swofford, who wrote 'Jarhead', that every war is different, and every war is the same). One of the differences of the war in Iraq is the ubiquitous nature of personal recording devices - virtually every soldier and marine on the ground there has a digital camera, a cell phone that takes pictures, a video camera, or other way of making a personal chronicle. This gives a remarkable view and insight into the daily life and work of those who are fighting in Iraq.

This book is a collection of these photos. They are not professional-quality photojournalistic spreads - quite a number of pictures are blurry, grainy, or otherwise lacking in what would be considered 'professional' aspects. However, what they lack in that regard is more than made up for in the individual power of the subjects - the subjects in this case being both the photographers and the photographed.

The pictures here show victory and defeat, as such comes in small and larger ways each day in Iraq. There is hope and there is despair, but above all there is humanity, and this book captures current history in its most basic raw form.

This book has no particular political bent - like many images and icons, those contained here will be subject to multiple interpretations. What I took most from this is the need to remember those in the pictures, and realise that these are people who, like me, hope for a time beyond the war, and that such a time may come soon. This book is a tribute to current day heroes.

Almost a quarter of a century after he lost his throne Mohammad Reza Shah ¨Pahlavi remains at the centre of Iranian politics.
This book by Iran's leading journalist is the best on the late Shah because it reveals both the weakenesses ( all human) and the strengths of Pahlavi during his 37 year long reign.
At the same time this book could be read like a novel, full of twists and turns.
Rivniz Bibarg

As Iran comes under the limelights as the next candidate for regime change in the Middle East,anyone interested in the complex politics of that region could do no better than read this fascinating biography.
But even if a reader is not interested in politics , this book would still be a treasure trove as an enjoyable read.
The author, sympathetic to the Shah although never forgetting his shortcomings, shows that the Shah was a good man in a bad time.
Taheri compares the Shah to the wizard in the Wizard of Oz who says at the end of the film, when he is discovered, : I am not a bad man, just a bad wizard!
But even that may be a bit unkind.
Was Muhammad Reza Pahlavi a bad Shah?
Taheri does not believe so, and may be reflecting the sentiments fomented against the Shah by years of propaganda by his enemies.
The book shows that what the Shah offered Iran was the best deal posisble at the time.
As Iran braces for change it may still be the best deal it can get today.
A.Keame

The Iranian students who demonstrate against the mullahs in Tehran arebeginningto feel nostalgia about the time of the Shah. Many of these students were not even born when the Shah left his country for good, allowing the mullahs to take over.
This book, now also available in samizdat version in Persian, is certain to feed that nostalgia.
But the book's purpose and ambition seem to be grander.
The author is trying to show that the program that the Shah offered for Iran was the only realistic one, and remains the most attractive one today.
Personally I disagree with that thesis. But I liked this book because it is well written and sheds light on many dark spots of Iranian history.
A READER IN TEHRAN

A generation ago the last Shah of Iran was seen by most people as a dictator engaged in some of the most complex politics of the Cold War.
In this book, however, we discover a fragile man, caught in the counter currents of a violent history.
It is as if someone re-wrote Macbeth to turn the principal character into Hamlet.
Which of the Shah's images was true? May be both. And the author of this book is careful enough to narrate in some detail some of the worst aspects of a 37-year long rule.The tragedy sufffered by the Iranian people since the fall of the Shah is only darkly hinted at.
In the end what counts is that this book is a fantastic read. It gives the reader a deeper insight into human character.
A READER, Paris, France

I read this biography of the late Shah of Iran after I had read a biography of the man who deposed him: Ayatollah Khomeini.
Both biographies are written by Iranian journalist Amir Taheri who seems to have known the two men personally.
When I told my Iranian friend that I found the two, the Shah and Khomeini, to be twins, he was shocked.
He wanted to know: How could I compare a monster like Khomeini with a moderate modernizer like the Shah?
But Taheri shows that the two men emerged from the same culture of violence and hatred.
Khomeini was an orphan who wished to take revenge on the world. The Shah was a shyster who dreamed of becoming a dictator.
I know that Iranians are divided between those who think Khomeini was a saint and those who adore the Shah as the symbol of all that was good in Iran.
As an outsider, however,I can see how the Iranian people were cuaght between the two forms of despotism that the two men represented.
The book on Khomeini has a faster pace and is generally more fun to read. This is why I read it twice. But the book on the Shah also merits at least one close reading.WV

I am currently deployed to Kabul and after reading and reviewing many guides and books this is the best guide and historic account I have found. Another great book is Taliban by Rashid.

When I picked up this book, I was prepared for a dense, AAA/Lonely Planet-style guidebook (filled with useful information, but not meant to be read from cover to cover). Instead I was surprised to find a very readable and richly informative book on the history and sites in Afghanistan.

Rather than writing a summarized narrative of the history of a particular city, castle, or mosque, the authors use numerous first person accounts from travelers from throughout Afghanistan's history from Alexander's historians to British explorers in the 20th century. These first hand accounts are fascinating. He also includes poems and folk tales translated from historical documents and local interviews. The combined effect of all of these first-hand accounts is a feeling of intimate familiarity with each region described.

The book opens with the history of Afghanistan and is very detailed for being so concise. The rest of the book is broken down into regions. Some regions, notable Kandahar, are left out due to the fact that security was still to dangerous at the time of writing (2006) for the authors to visit. The northeast area of Badakshan opens the account and it is hard not to want to visit this mountainous area after having read the tales. It works its way around the country counterclockwise hitting the areas around Mazar-e-Sharif, Heart, Bamiyan, Ganzi and Kabul to name a few.

Even if you never go to Afghanistan this book could define the concept of the armchair traveler.

This hefty tome oozes quality. From its 768! pages printed on very fine paper to the wonderful photographs to the heavy duty binding. The authors convey a deep love for this intriguing country so often only heard of in terms of war and violence. This is also a most comprehensive history of Afghanistan. Its blue lapis lazuli was used as ornament on The Mask of Tutankhamun. Coins of the Graeco-Bactrion kingdoms of Afghanistan reveal life in the lost "Atlantis of the East". As a travelling guide you get "down to earth" advice: "Driving in Kabul is a contact sport. (An airline)... fly, when they feel like it. "The Worst Hotel in the World." etc. Some places are presently out of reach for the ordinary traveller due to war - again. For the Afghans, I sincerely hope peace will prevail. They are proud and tough people despite, or maybe because of, their many hardships. This book tenfold improved my understanding of their beautiful and complex country. Possibly you would bring the several pounds of guide book along in your rucksack? Probably not. On the final page, as in many places in this "tour de force", there is a fine underlying humour: "Published to appeal to the armchair traveller". I'll be travelling often with this good companion.

This is something betweeen a Planet Earth travel book and an historical compendium of facts and figures. It is quite useful and interesting but some of the material will be outdated rather quickly so a Planet Earth guide, it is not. I like it and am glad I purchased it.

A comprehensive guide to everything about Afghanistan from carpets to stupas. Its excellent photographs and abundant maps leave the reader with a desire to visit this fascinating country. The book is heavy to hold but difficult to put down. A must for all travelers (armchair or footworn) of distant horizons.

Don't let the size of this book fool you---the point of reading is to understand and this is the best book I've read that puts Alexander the Great's campaigns together in a way that military professionals and casual readers can understand. Every war form we use today has its antecedent in the past--there is a lot to learn from the past if we take the time to reflect on it.

Warry shows some remarkable things--that Alexander's Army of 40,000 defeated a Persian Army of 600,000 and did it with almost no casualties because in ancient war shields defeated arrows and spears. The Macedonian phalanx--a formation of men with shields linked together would close on the enemy at foot speed led by Parmenio, while Alexander surged ahead with his cavalry and collapsed his enemy while the phalanx held the enemy. Think of how Commanders combined their arms in the film, Braveheart to see how Alexander waited until the time was right before placing himself and his Cavalry force at the critical spot to smash his enemy's structure. It was when enemy cohesion and formations collapsed---when they threw down their shields and ran---that the high casualties we usually associate with 1st Generation muscle-powered combat come from. That we are having too many casualties on the modern, automatic weapons fire swept battlefield, means its high time we re-examine the individual Soldier shield to recreate a phalanx capability today.

When Alexander confronted the walled island city of Tyre/Sidon he built siege engines on both ships and rolled across a causeway of land he built by throwing stones into the sea as foretold in the Bible in Ezekiel 26. Warry shows the siege in amazing detailed, color illustrations that enlighten without boring the reader as a dry "scholarly" book tends to do. He then marched across the known world at amazing march speeds--Warry describes the weaponry/equipment in great deatil--you'll notice the macedonians wore a "himation" which could be used both as a sleeping blanket and as a coat--there was no wasted weight being carried on the Soldier's back--a lesson we could stand to relearn today.

Reading Warry's book with its long-range and close-up maps and illustrations from ancient engravings and modern depictions is like an inter-active computer simulation of the battle---you can see both the "big" picture and the "little" picture, in short this book is a masterpiece. We need to re-evaluate our views that for a book to be "accurate" it has to be visually dull, especially in the computer age we live in where we can with hyperlinks go to an entire world of background information from all walks of life on any given subject.

Alexander 334-323 BC: Conquest of the Persian Empire (Campaign Series 7) by John Warry is one of the best of the Osprey Campaign Series. Unlike most to the other books, Alexander does not focus on a given battle or a series of battles, but on the almost decade long conquest of Persia and neighboring countries, such as parts of India. If one is looking for an overview of Alexander's conquests then there is probably no better book. The battles are described in such a manner as to acquaint the reader with the ins and outs and the maps are beyond excellent.

Warry does a fine job in explaining how 50,000 infantry and cavalry troops were able to defeat an empire with troops several times their number. Focusing on the the tactical brilliance of Alexander and the innovations in battle field technologies, the book explains why Alexander was victorious. It is written in a readable fashion and is a good place to start for anyone who is interested in the conquests of Alexander.

It is a very interesting book. But it is written from the Greeks point of view about the Persians. For examole, it is well accepted by modern historians that the Persian army was not 600,000 men and yet the author fails to mention this and just repeats the old fictional account that was passed on from the past. However, I recommend this book for anyone interested on ancient history and Alexander the great. But it is a bit bias.

If you want a comprehensive analysis, with explications of the army's and the leaders, with maps and graphics in color, explaining the tactics and strategies involved in this battles... THIS IS YOUR BOOK. Very simple to understand, and very complete review.

Also try "Cannae 216 B.C." - Hannibal's campaign against Rome, other excelent book

One of the better books of the Osprey Campaign series, this book gives a concise and yet fairly comphrehensive account of the strategies and tactics involved in the campaigns and battles of alexander the great. The key battles of the campaign are well illustrated and easy to follow. The book is an excellent and informative introduction to the full scope of Alexander's political, strategic, and tactical genius.

This is one of the more informative books written regarding the history of Americans who had influence in Jerusalem and the holy land in the last century. The author has researched her subject thoroughly and made a complex story interesting and understandable. Well worth your time and effort.

A Book for those who love the Exotic and the Unusual

Jane Geniesse's book "American Priestess: The Extraordinary Story of Anna Spafford and the American Colony in Jerusalem" brings alive another time. Geniesse follows the passion of a Chicago heiress, Anna Spafford, to search for the exotic beauty in ancient Jerusalem. Following the footsteps of Gertrude Bell and Freya Stark, Geniesse creates yet yet another devoted heroine of the Near East in her book. Starting as a wealthy pasha's fort like villa, The American Colony Hotel has survived for more than a century as a place where international diplomats, correspondents, American and English expatriates met and discussed the issues of the day. The lure of the hotels' oriental decor with its Moorish arches and tiles, wooden coffered ceilings, and a cool enclosed courtyard with fountains and lemon trees which can still be found on the outside of the old walls and the Old city's Damascus Gate.

And to think that after 40+ years in the Middle East, I thought that the American Colony was "just" a hotel!! Thanks to Jane Geniesse, and after reading her fascinating book, "American Priestess," I now know the convoluted and incredible history of that site! For anyone who has stayed at the hotel or has the remotest interest in the historical events that occurred in Jerusalem at the end of the 19th century until the founding of the State of Israel, this is a "must read" book.

And now to realize that the American Colony all began with a fanatic American and his fanatic American/Norwegian wife, all brought back to life by Geniesse...incredible!!
Karen Asfour

A real page-turner, beautifully written. Deep scholarship, fascinating characters. A story, largely set in Jerusalem in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, of the American fundamentalist movement and the birth of modern Palestine and Israel. A story that provides a nuanced understanding of today's problems in that tortured part of the world.

Through a masterful weaving of history with personal narrative, Geniesse has created an indelible, living portrait of the seemingly continuous and always tragic struggle for power, even when it comes to matters of faith. Beginning in Chicago, during a period of intense religious revivalism, the story concludes in that most sacred yet conflict-ridden city, Jerusalem, and casts an unsparing light both on American idealism and religious fundamentalism."

this is a great book for children. there are lots of fun activity's as, well as alot of info. your children and you will find many interesting things to do. if you have children you will want to buy this book.

This book introduces four cultures : the Egyptians, the Mesopotamians, the Nubians and the Hittites. The author accurately presents aspects of these civilizations such as history, geography, architecture, clothing, food, religion, writing and labor. Children will enjoy themselves and become part of these ancient worlds by easily following the instructions of the activities. These include constructing a boat, cooking ancient food, creating clothes, and writing on clay. All in all, it is a fun and informative book for children ages 9 to 12.

This is a gem of a book.As an educator and child psychologist(and parent!),I welcome this exceptional addition to the literary field.Though its defined audience is 9-12 I found ANCIENT EGYPTIANS AND THEIR NEIGHBORS;AN ACTIVITY GUIDE full of ideas and interesting facts.I admit I did not attempt the activities,but the text itself is exceptional--thoughtful and beautifully written as well as meticulously researched.Broida concentrates on four ancient neighboring cultures revealing what their lives were like.The activities give the child an opportunity to become part of these cultures, greatly enriching the reading experience.Let's hope this is only the first of a series.Congratulations to a talentd,innovative and intelligent author.

We use "Our Young Folks' Josephus" as our primary history spine which mentions all these cultures as they relate to Israel. What I like best about this book is that it covers cultures that are often not well represented in other books of this type, particularly the Nubians, Mesopotamians and Hittites. There are many craft activity guides available for Egypt, but nothing that I know of for these other cultures. The crafts are really well thought out and a lot of fun to do. They also have a lot of real learning value and are not just play. Our family highly recommends this book for the study of Ancient cultures.

So much more interesting than a textbook for our homeschool study of ancient history! This book covers not only the familiar Egyptian civilization but also several lesser-known yet equally important ones to whom we owe a great deal. For example, the Babylonians gave us our first written laws; the Sumerians gave us writing and the first real cities; the fierce Hittites discovered how to work iron. Children will remember what they learn in this book because the text is accompanied by recipes, crafts, and other activities. I recommend the Hittite Hummus myself.

Contrary to other information, this book is a good neutral source to the history of the middle east in maps.

The book does not take a stand on the issue of what land was and was not promised to arabs during the first world war. Anyone who claims they found an easy answer to that question in this atlas is misrepresenting the material.

Further maps show patterns of Jewish popluation growth. But none of the maps claim to show: 1) the price at which the land was sold, 2) that Palestine was a waste land, 3) the motives for land sales to Jews during the mandate and pre-mandate period.

Other maps show conficts between the communities within what is now Israel. They show a pattern of consistant and growing resistance of local people (palestinians) to the creation by force of a Jewish State around their homes.

The book also does not claim that Transjordan was ever a part of any intended jewish homeland, consistant with history. Any suggestion that the league of nations had ever sought to incorporate lands east of the jordan river into a jewish state is false. See the text of the mandate, the discussions of the negotiation of the mandate...etc. It is further false and not suggested by the book that the 1920-21 riots by palestinians against the mandate ended any jewish immigration.

The atlas shows the growing violence between palestinians and jewish settlers throughout the mandate period. What maps cannot show however are movements among the settlers to economically exclude all arabs from their lives. Movements such as hebrew labor which attempted to create economic segregation within palestine are not easily shown in maps.

The facts as shown by the book are that Palestinians resisted the creation of the mandate and a jewish homeland since the start. And that as the pace of jewish migration increased, violence and resistance increased in parallel. And throughout the mandate period there were deaths on both sides. The book also clearly shows the increasing violence that ended in civil war in 1948.

The peel commission did not find that Jerusalem was a predominatly jewish city. But it did use the example of the forced removal of greeks from Turkey in 1922 to suggest all non-jews be removed by force from the jewish state proposed by the Peel Commission. During the late 1930s, the Palestinians insisted on one country for all people. Every British proposal for division of the country involved large-scale explusions of Palestinians and a continuation of british rule over a large part of the remaining land (so-called international rule).

The book finally shows the war of 1948 and its disasterous results for palestinians. The flight of palestinians away from their homes during the war, the destruction of their villages by Israel and Israeli massacres like Dier Yassein of Palestinians are all shown in great detail. It also shows the patterns of settlement following the 1967 occupation of the west bank and gaza.

And while some will use the book to apportion blame, its better to look at the book and get a sense of who has lost what. Palestine, in 1921 was denied national existance and turned over to the british for colonization by europeans. In 1948, Democratic Israel was created by driving what would now be a non-jewish majority out of their homes within the new state of Israel. And after 1967, the clear intent of the Israelis to take all the land through settlements is more than visible.

Beyond that, arguments about what might have been in 1937 are utterly worthless today. The situation is that a huge population of Palestinians today lives in the west bank under Israeli military rule with no rights. That situation must change if there is to be peace. 1948 cannot be undone anymore than 1917 can be undone. But rather than apportion blame or point fingers or rehash the past, what needs to be done is to find a way to give the palestinians in the occupied territories a national state once and for all.

History can provide a source of facts, but it cannot make a peace. Peace can only be made by looking at the grim reality of the current situation and finding a solution.

My 1993 edition of this classic reference contains 147 maps imparting great wisdom, and a depth of understanding rarely presented in the evening news. Only three maps concern periods before the twentieth century. The third shows the Turkish conquerors' vilayet re-districting of the Holy Land in 1888, plus areas of Arab-Jewish conflict during the last three decades of Ottoman rule.

The book's fourth map clearly outlines the areas excluded in 1915 from the independence promised by the British to the Arabs, and requested by Hussein of Mecca for Arab cantons. Neither side mentioned southern Palestine, the Mutasarriflik of Jerusalem or the Jewish people--at all.

Further maps also evidence the eagerness of Arab property owners to sell waste land to Jewish settlers at very high prices, for very large tracts were made available.

Still others show the locations of Arab attacks on Jewish communities beginning in 1882. Through 1914, bands of Arabs assaulted at least 10 Jewish settlements between Jaffa and Jerusalem and in the Jezreel Valley.

From 1920 on, the maps show progressively more attacks, in which Arab assailants destroyed the new landowners' forests, wheat fields, orange groves and cattle, burned and stoned their shops and factories--and murdered unarmed Jews.

A March 1920 attack by a large number of Halsa Arabs on the Jews in Tel Hai killed six; an April 1920 attack on B'nai Yehuda killed one. In May 1921, Arab riots prompted Britain, the League of Nations' trustee of all Middle Eastern Mandates, to end Jewish immigration and "close settlement of the land" throughout Transjordan, both of which the League had sought, with Arab approval, only a few years earlier. Only these attacks, and the Arab 1929 riots that killed 20 Jewish children and elders in Safed, 7 in Hacarmel, 6 in Motza, 1 in Hulda, 6 in Tel Aviv, 2 in Beer Toviya--and 59 in Hebron-- persuaded previously passive Jewish farmers to take up arms, thereby defying British prohibitions against Jewish self-defense.

The fact is, Arab riots occurred well in advance of Israel's creation. They took scores of Jewish civilian lives. And then (in 1921)--as now--the only Arabs killed by Jews were killed in counter-attacks that followed the initial Arab assaults.

All this shows clearly on the maps readers reach page 14.

From here, the pictorials exhibit the precise dimensions of the 1936 Arab riots, with one page devoted to each of four months. The casualties to Jewish life and property were massive and nationwide. More riots in 1937 and 1938 followed.

Most enlightening of all, however, are those maps detailing the various partition plans over the years. The first of these, which the Jewish people accepted, and the Arabs rejected, was the 1937 Peel Commission proposal. The Peel Commission envisioned a tiny Jewish State, an L-shaped affair perhaps 6 or 8 miles-wide along the Mediterranean coast, from south of Rehovot to a few miles north of Acre with a northern corridor no more than 30 miles deep running from the coast, and inland on a border south of Afula to Beit Shean. Even this, the Jewish people accepted, and Arabs rejected.

But the Peel proposal was most remarkable for something else it inherently acknowledged: Jerusalem was not a "traditionally Arab city," as modern-day news repeatedly misinforms us. Its population--which was centered in the Old City--was predominantly Jewish. Christians and Muslims were minorities.

Thus the Peel Commission assigned Jerusalem, Bethlehem and a roughly oval-shaped area surrounding them, to an international trust to be managed by Britain for the League of Nations.

When that plan foundered on the Arab refusals, two subsequent 1938 partition plans proposed assigning even larger areas to the international trust. The more significant of the pair was the British Woodhead plan, as it was none too sympathetic to Zioninsts. Nevertheless, Woodhead expanded the international area encompassing Jerusalem and Bethlehem to include "traditionally Arab Ramallah" as well.

It is a lot more difficult after consulting this book, to lay blame for the Arab Israeli conflict solely on Israel's doorstep. The pictures tell the story. While the Camp David II final settlement offered in 2000 and 2001 is not shown, the book does contain maps of the "peace enclaves" as the future Palestinian Authority areas were then called. Moreover the later proposals almost seem unnecessary, given the illustrations of intense anti-Jewish attacks that began even before Israel was a state.

In short, Israel could and would have been much smaller than it is today if only Arabs had in 1937 accepted any Jewish state. They didn't, although none of the current issues even existed in 1937. But then, they had begun attacking Jewish farmers decades before Israel had any borders at all. These points are very telling indeed.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

Professor Gilbert may know more about this subject than any other scholar, and despite some inherent difficulties has reconstructed geographical areas with great precision. Even those who disagree with his views (occasionally expressed in the explanatory captions) must acknowledge the consumate scholarship underlying his maps--which have no "attitudes," only facts.

The Arab-Israeli conflict is a fiercely debated topic with numerous accusations constantly being thrown back and forth. For someone just beginning to study the Arab-Israeli conflict, it can be overwhelming. This book is a collection of maps drafted by a professional cartographer to show the real dimensions of treaties, ceasefires, boycotts, and other historical moments in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Would you like to know exactly which land the Oslo Agreements included?

Would you like to know which parts of the Middle East belonged to biblical Israel?

Would you like to know which parts of Britain's Palestine Mandate they forbid Jews to dwell or buy land on?

This resource can answer all those question and more graphically showing you the exact boundaries of, countries involved in, and other important aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict. I particularly found this resource helpful in disputing allegations by people that "such-and such a percentage" of the land was to be given up in a treaty such as the original U.N. plan for Palestine or under the Oslo Agreements. After showing my fellow debater the actual maps, the arguments were ended since I was in possession of hard fact thanks to this fine reference book.

Sir Martin Gilbert is a well-acclaimed British scholar, who has written numerous titles in the Historical Atlas series, extensively written about the Arab-Israeli conflict, and was also officially appointed to write the biography of Sir Winston Churchill.

I have reviewed the 1984 Fourth Edition, but several editions have since come out with updated information and additional maps to reflect more recent developments. I recommend getting the most recent edition available.

I highly recommend this outstanding resource for anyone studying the Arab-Israeli conflict, whether pro-Arab or pro-Israeli.

Review by: Maximillian Ben Hanan

Very informative. Gives a good understanding of the conflict by one of the best historians alive right now. Buy it.

Haykal does a good job of detailing the rise and fall of Anwar Sadat. For those in the know, when Sadat was assassinated, few of the populace mourned the passing of this great man. He led the Arabs to victory, and he made a great gamble and went to Jerusalem to seek peace. The peace dividend did not amount to much, and the Israelis used Sadat to some extent.
Haykal who is a prominent journalist in Egypt details the conditions in Sadat's Egypt. They were conditions which were similar to the Shah's Iran. Both Christians and Muslims were very discontented. The IMF wanted food subsidies to go down which caused rioting in the streets. Parliament, journalists, and the bureaucrats were muzzled. Haykal details this in the majority of the book.
The last two sections of the book deal with the unrest and assasination of Sadat. I was not in full agreement with what the author stated in the summary. He detailed how Sadat gave in to an imperial Israel who was trying to dominate the region. I felt like saying give me a break. He stated that Israel was the main terrorist in the region. Of course that would explain how Palestinians like to hijack aircraft and blow things up. This is the typical poor Arab, bad Jew views expressed in most Arab areas. It is not objective and does not hold up to the available evidence.
Sadat was human. He broke the mode by choosing peace rather than endless war. He had democratic tendencies, but he was an authoritarian leader. This book pointed out all Sadat's weaknesses but also gave this man credit for what he did. Muslim fundamentalist terrorists killed this great man, but Haykal points out that if he was not killed, he might have been overthrown. I have read Sadat's autobiography In Search of Identity, but reading this book gives a more balanced view of this great man.

The renowned journalist M. H. Haykal has written a book that explains the fall of Anwar el Sadat, both physically (by his death) and psychologically(the collapse of Arab Nationalism and dignity). This book explains the life of Sadat, his rise to power, his various faults, his policies that crushed Arab nationalism, and finally his death on the hands of one his own soldiers. This book is extremely debatable,however, the views expressed are neutral and the facts clearly outlined. This book has the answer to any Arab wishing to know why the Arab nationalism collapsed after Nasser's death. I recommend this book, as it is informative and extremely lucid and vibrant in manner. Haykal proves that his style is irresistable.

HI THERE...I LIKE TO SAY THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I READ THIS BOOK, IT AMAZED ME BY THE DETAILS IT PROVIDES AND HOW EASY IT IS TO COMPREHEND THE CONTENT OF THE BOOK...IT MADE GET MORE INTERESTED IN THE MIDDLE EAST ..I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO KNOW THE FACTS AS THEY ARE .

This book is a must read,to anybodyinterested in the Sadat era.It comes from a famous journalist,who is close to power in many countries,and with sources of information that are full of intrigue.A very realistic book,loaded with facts,and analysis...it gives youthe answer to what happened on theday of october 6th 1981,why did ittake place,and why the end had to belike this.i highly recommend this book,thankyou Mr. haykal

This book is one of the best if you are interested about egypt's recent history...it comes from a great writer..and at the same timesomeone who's been close to all parties involved in the story. Full of secret details, relatesfacts together..and makes alot ofsensable interptation of well knownbut poorly understood incidents. This book is a must have.i personally read it more than 11 timesi highly recommend it.

The Israeli author Ron Leshem wrote this in Hebrew in 2006 and won Israel's top literary award - "The Sapir Prize". Leshem co-authored the film version of "Beaufort" which won the Berlin International Film Festival's "Silver Bear" for Best Director. And now in 2008 it has been wonderfully translated into English. The story takes place in February 1999 in Northern Israel and Southern Lebanon during the Israel/Lebanon conflict. The main character and narrator in the story is Lieutenant "Erez" Liberti. His real first name is Liraz, but in basic training, at the very first roll call, the platoon commander said: "What kind of a name is that? Liraz? That's a chick's name. From now on you're "Erez", like the cedars of Lebanon." And from there on out he was Erez.

Though this entire story takes place during war, as Israel enters and mans the infamous Beaufort outpost that was taken from Lebanon in a historic battle in 1982, the powerful emotional strength of this story isn't in constant grisly battles of weaponry and uncountable deaths and killings. Though any amount of death is too much and there are horrendous emotional heartbreaking deaths on the battlefield, the strength, power and heart rendering beauty of this story is in the building of the relationships between the young Israeli soldiers. I am a Viet Nam era veteran and when I entered the military I wasn't old enough to "legally" drink, but I was old enough to "legally" kill. I understood that, having been raised to respect and appreciate the price that America has paid for the freedoms we possess. Looking back on my life I thought I was already a man when I entered the service, but I was nothing but a boy. When I got out of the service I was a man, knowing things I wished I never got to know. That's what this story is about. Erez, though only a couple of years older than his troops was not happy with the discipline he saw in his "KIDS" as they got ready for battle, so he runs them into the ground. As the story unfolds the reader gets to learn intimate details about Erez and the thirteen boys/kids/men under his command. Friendships are earned, not born, when everyone's life is on the line every second. I can attest to the fact, that the true mettle of a man, even with all the training in the world, mixed with all the youthful male "bravado" and braggadocio, is not proven or understood fully, until the first mortar's, the first missiles, and the first rockets land in the middle of your platoon! That's when a true "man" is forged.

After the first death in Erez's squad, by my experience, it becomes a necessity to inoculate a close knit group on the battlefield with some form of "dark-gallows-humor" and that's what Erez's "kids did. They invented a game called "WHAT HE CAN'T DO ANYMORE" and it's what everyone played when a friend was killed. I.e. "Hetzl" (I've used a fake name so I won't reveal an individual's death before you read it.) won't be able to get laid anymore... he won't be able to piss off a mountain peak anymore... he won't know his parents were proud of him anymore.. etc. "Gallows humor" at its finest, and it does help you soldier on in your tight knit group where each and every life is dependent on the other to stay alive. As these boys become men, there are gut-wrenching tears shed as the cost of war includes heads literally blown off bodies during missile attacks, arms and legs destroyed, which the soldiers feel is worse than dying. There are attempts through tears to stuff friend's innards back inside him as they realize in horror they can't save a friends life. But through it all, the beauty of friendship and trust and "LOVE" emerges miraculously through the horror of the battlefield, like the beauty of a flower sprouting up through a crack in a deserted sidewalk in a ghetto. This is an unforgettable book that I recommend to all.

As I read this I kept thinking about Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers. Only because, like that book, it is designed to try and help us understand how "normal" people become transformed and forever altered in battle and being surrounded by death. Because this story is written with the extra layer of the Israeli culture, that never should be seen as "almost american" or "almost european", we might begin to understand how the internal struggle there is deep seeded and difficult to pigeonhole. His Lesham's writing is clear and concise and while often humorous, in a Catch 22 kind of way, it is still affecting and meaningful. This is definitely worth the time.

Leshem, Ron. "Beaufort", (translated by Evan Fallenberg), Delacorte Press, 2008.

Boys to Men

Amos Lassen

If you haven't heard of Ron Leshem's "Beaufort" you will. "Beaufort" which is now available in English (translated beautifully from the Hebrew by Evan Fallenberg, author of the amazing "Light Fell") is the book that the Academy Award nominated Israeli film is based. In its original Hebrew the book won Israel's top literary award and the film went on to win the award for best director at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The story is set in 1999 in the north of Israel and in southern Lebanon during the conflict between the two countries. Lieutenant Erez Liberti, nee Liraz (but nicknamed Erez because his commanding officer feels that Liraz is too feminine) is the main character as well as narrator of the book.
Beaufort is a military outpost that Israel captured from Lebanon in 1982 and it is the focal point of the book. It is at Beaufort that relationships are built between the young Israeli soldiers stationed there and this is what this book is about. Leshem manages to blend historic fact and fictional personages as he tells the story of that period before Israel withdrew from Lebanon.
In order to enjoy the book, no prior knowledge if the situation is necessary and the writing is beautiful--something that does not necessarily happen in a translated work. It reads as a black comedy but what it really is, it seems to me, is a coming of age story. We get a picture of what war is from the point of view of a soldier and even with its crude language and mounting death tolls, this is a story of friendship and Leshem shows us what the bonds of manhood are. Subversively funny and funny at the same time, we read about the horrors and ridicularity of war as well as of the camaraderie of men.
To the very few Israeli soldiers who occupy the fortress, Beaufort is hell and is surrounded by the enemy. Liberti, for the thirteen men that are with him, wears many hats--he is a confessor, a slave driver and a hope for survival against the terrible attacks leveled at the site. It is a tense rime for the young men and death seems imminent. Liberti and his men create their own world and spend a lot of time talking--talking about the things that all young men talk about--women and sex; however they add another topic to their discussions--death and their dead comrades. The guys are frightened, angry and tired. They receive one last order; they are to perform a mission that is to change everything and thereby show just how futile war is.
At a time in out own history when we are engaged in a war with an enemy of which we know little about and in a place of which we also know nothing, it is to our advantage that we read about the horrors and futility of battle. Ron Leshem and his translator Even Fallenberg give that to us and do so beautifully.

I am sure my view of this novel is skewed because I have served in the military and have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. When I reached the end of the text I was shocked to find that the author did not serve in the military. He writes as if he has been on the front lines and lived these experiences.

There were a few sections that I thought were drawn out but over all he captures the essence of being in an unpopular conflict and the hardships of being deployed from the view of the soldier.

There are many books that address what it feels like to be a soldier. I haven't read many about what it feels like to be an Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldier. I did read the excellent "Adjusting Sights" by Haim Sabato, which, like "All Quite on the Western Front" by Erich Remarque" talks about what it's like to be a soldier in an apolitical world. Beaufort, however, markedly deals with what it's like to be an Israeli soldier. This might be disturbing to some based on your own personal politics. For me, it was eye-opening. It contained so much of the emotional side of war from the point of view of platoon leader Lieutenant Liraz "Erez" Liberti. I felt the bravado, the terror, and the love that pervaded the soldiers' souls during their station at Beaufort, an Israeli-occupied outpost in Lebanon.

I'm not a person who gladly reads war novels. However, I thought I'd give this one a try because I discovered it was about Israel (and not about North or South Carolina as I had previously guessed from its title of "Beaufort") and, within a few pages of the opening of the book, mentioned Qiryat Shemona, a town in Israel in which I had lived when I was younger.

A note by the author at the end of the book made it very clear that all of the characters except for one were fictitious. However, they were based on some real stories of IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers. What stood out in my mind was how true the details - the denied fear, the camaraderie, the agony - of their situation seemed. In addition, I entered a world I'd previously denied in my mind - the utterly horrific situations faced by IDF soldiers (and, most likely, soldiers of other countries as well). Whether their own politics beliefs had a role in placing them there or not, they had a job to do. It had to be done well or it ultimately would place their own lives and those of their comrades in jeopardy. While on civilian leave, the ugly truth of their lives as soldiers had be squelched and only its perceived beauty be allowed to shine forth (Think bravery, honor, patriotism, etc.).

There is one part of this book I found especially touching. It was the part about Mickey Bayliss, a soldier usually wearing a knitted kippa (skullcap used for religious Jews) who decided to remove it while on base. I could see how this was disheartening to Erez. It was also disheartening to me. It was as if Bayliss were saying that his level of spirituality was decreasing. That was so sad.

The story is a brutal but realistic account of the lives of a platoon of soldier. It should be read with the thought how devastating the effects of war are everywhere. It would be wise to note as well that there is ultimately no absolute right or wrong to war. Sadly, war exists and will continue to exist forever.

EXCELLENT BOOK, A LIGHT IN THE TUNNEL OF BLINDNESS.

NO WONDER THIS AMAZING MAN IS REPRESENTED BY A PUBLICIST LIKE BENADOR ASSOCIATES, WHO ARE PROMOTING HIM AND HIS VIEWS INCESSANTLY IN OUR MEDIA. OTHERWISE, I WOULD HAVE NEVER KNOWN OF HIM.

CONGRATULATIONS MR. TAHERI. YOUR WISDOM SHALL PREVAIL.

The Middle East has been in world news headlines for more than a century. As a meeting place of Islam and the West this region of the globe has often been a battleground as well as a meeting place for the rival civilisations on the opposite shores of the Mediterranean.
And,yet, it is remarkable how misunderstood the Middle East is in the West. ( The reverse is even more true: as the author of this book shows , Middle Easterners know even less about the West and much of what they know is fantasy!)
For the average man interested in politics the Middle East is where Jews and Arabs kill one another, where Kurds are driven out of their homes, and where Iranians and Iraqis devastated each other's homes for eight years.
But these are all headlines.
Taheri's ambition has been to find out what lies behind those headlines. He has succeeded where few scholars and journalists before him have. This is because he is a son of the region but with a deep knowledge of the West where he seems to have been living for some time, as a voluntary exile.
The only trouble I had with this book is the torrent of names, many of them difficult to pronounce let alone to remmeber, for a profane such as myself.Do we really need to know the names of everyone who was someone in some event?
Otherwise this is an easy-to-read book, full of information, and offering much insight into some of the complex issues of what is a zone of political turbulence even today.
Those who find it hard to understand why Arabs and Israelis cannot live together would do well to read this book. It offers some intelligent answers that one finds nowhere else.
A READER IN LONDON

This is a magnificent book, full of exciting analysis and new ways of assessing old assumptions.
Anyone who wishes to udnerstand what is in effect " the heart of darkness" in the political map of the world today should read this book.
Wendy Vederer, Bandar Sri Bagawan

The US-led coalition invades Iraq...
The Arab world is in turmoil....
Muslims everywhere are wondering what future they have.
The US, and the West in general, face terrorism of the most deadly kind for an unforeseeable future...
Israel is faced with years, may be decades, of mortal danger...
All these may be today's headlines. But they are all included and analyzed in this truly prophetic book that treats of the undercurrents of history in one of the most dangerous regions of the world.

The book, by an Iranian author an editor who now lives in the United States, first came out in the late 1980s but remains as up-to-date as any today. Its secret is that it does not bother with the passing appearances but digs deep into the profound and abiding causes of conflict.
I was given a dog-eared copy by a cousin, who had had it on her college reading list in 1992, and devoured the book at a single reading that lasted four or five hours.
Every minute of that time was well spent.
This is a sure classic.
Why is it not reissued so that many more people can read it?
Andrea Keame

This is an interesting guide to the copmlicated politics of one of the most turbulent regions of the world.
The author, a journalist who covered the Middle East for more than two decades,reveals the underlying causes of the turmoil, the violence and the terrorist disease that have affected the region for so long.
He argues that only democratization could stabilize the Middle East and allow its many different peoples to live together in peace.
For the time being, however, there are only two countries that could be described as democracies in the Middle East: Israel and Turkey. But even there democracy suffers from serious restrictions.
Thus we are unlikely to see peace in the Middle East anytime soon. A READER IN PARIS FRANCE