Middle East Books

This 152-page encyclopedia is a highly recommended pick for any who want to focus on the history of the Middle East: the editor has spent years teaching in the region and this provides easy access to knowledge. Sections on past, traditional life, flora and fauna and present-day Arabia covers everything from culture to natural history and packs in color photos and illustrations. A gorgeous presentation promising to reach a wide age range.

The Children's Encyclopaedia of Arabia is an excellent introduction to the human history of the Peninsula and the environmental diversity of its plants, animals and marine life. With countless photographs and illustrations to accompany a richly written text, it clearly discusses a myriad of subjects from Bronze Age tombs in Oman to the 1000 foot tall, sail-shaped Burj al-Arab building in modern Dubai. Ranging from the clever techniques of Bedouin weaving to the adaptive characteristics that allow desert mammals like camels,or even small foxes, to survive in the Rub' al-Khali, this is certainly the most engrossing encyclopedia that anyone generally interested in Arabia is likely to encounter.

If you have ever worked or lived in this "Island of the Arabs," Mary Beardwood's book is an ideal vehicle for sharing your experiences with that youngster in your life who asks, "What was it like in Arabia?" And even if you don't know any youngsters, although it is entitled a "Children's Encyclopedia," this beautifully produced volume is packed with so much valuable information about so many diverse subjects that it is guaranteed to fascinate any reader of any age - from cover to cover.

This vividly illustrated volume by a teacher with nearly a quarter-century of experience on the Arabian Peninsula is a delight for children and young adults to peruse alone or with parents. The history, culture, plants and animals of the region are brought to life in a pleasing format certain to engross young readers, and perhaps deliver a surprise or two to adults who thought they knew it all. (MA02)

The cover of this beautiful book says it all: an ancient mosque and a modern skyscraper, camels resting in the desert and a "camel crossing" sign standing by a highway. Mary Beardwood has created a tapestry of gorgeous photos, drawings and text that covers Arabia from ancient times to the 21st Century. The topics include ancient archaeology and architecture; the traditional Arabic economy based on dates and pearls, and customs like falconry and horse breeding; the unique plants and animals adapted to life in the desert; the discovery of oil and the rise of modern cities like Dubai and Muscat. These topics will capture the interest of any intelligent child or curious adult. At a time when violence and suspicion mark the relationship between Arabs and Americans, there is no better remedy than this book. It offers a genuine moment of cross-cultural understanding.

I highly recommend this book! It is a wonderful Christian
romance novel. I'd give it ten stars if I could!

Chosen is a compelling book. I agree with the other ratings above. One comment I would like to see brought out is that Alexsana, the main female chararcter, often acts on her own instinct. Like most humans, she sometimes puts her decisions before the Lord...and at other times, just acts on her own judgement. She often ignores the counsel of Godly friends. She pays a price for this. Let's admire Alexsana, but look at her realistically. I highly recommend this book. It will stay on my shelf for years to come.

This is a great story all about chosing between the work you love, and the man you can't live without. It really gave me a good idea about what the people in Jerusalem are feeling. This book has got it all- romance, politics, and religion. And it's SO real! A must read!

Choosen incorporates the best of all areas of reading into one wonderful story. Religion, romance, and politics all come together producing a story like none other. Choosen discribes the Holy lands like a tour guide would, and correctly assesses the political turmoil the people there are experienceing. Choosen places fiction in the center of fact and weaves a tale so believable that one would expect it to appear on the news. From cover to cover an exelent story

As a Pagan, I find it puzzling to see the beginnings of alliances between many Christian fundamentalists and Jewish liberals. And I find it even more puzzling to see the beginnings of alliances between many Muslim fundamentalists and Christian liberals. What's up with that? This book helps explain it.

First, the Christian fundamentalists and the Jewish liberals. Traditionally, Jewish liberals have been suspicious of Christian fundamentalists for many reasons: the most vocal Christians have generally defamed Jews, encouraged anti-Jewish violence, and engaged in missionary work that Jews have reacted very negatively to. In addition, views on social issues such as abortion, school prayer, and gay rights have generally been very different among these two groups. And Christian fundamentalists have been suspicious of Jewish liberals for some of the same reasons: differences on social issues as well as the hostility that they see on the Jewish side.

Why is it becoming different now? The author explains that it is because both sides see a need to defend Israel. I think that explains part of it. But I think he overlooked something even more important: both the Christians and Jews are siding with Israel for the same reasons. That is, the constant Arab lies, the United Nations and European Union support for Arab terror, and the dishonesty of many in the media have angered both groups in the same way. And even upon further reflection, they both still see all these problems as serious threats to society as a whole.

That's the easy part.

The tough question, which Merkley answers superbly, is why we're seeing an alliance between Christian liberals and Muslim fundamentalists. Merkley shows that it goes far beyond any need to attack Israel.

The two groups are strange bedfellows indeed. They have different religions, and their attitudes towards religion are very different. One group has mostly liberal values while the other is reactionary and intolerant. Historically, they have the legacy of Muslim invasions of Europe, the Crusades, and European colonialism. Why would liberal Christians support those who favor slavery, terrorism, totalitarianism, irredentism, mistreatment of Women, and intolerance of the rights of others in general? Why would fundamentalist Muslims even seek or accept such support?

It certainly isn't any rational need to oppose Israeli behavior. As the author points out, "Israel's offence follows from the nature of Islam." This alliance is the result of three factors: Muslim offence at the existence of Jewish rights in Israel, Muslim pressure on the Christians of the Middle East, and long-standing contempt of Judaism by more than a few Western Christians.

Merkley shows that the effect of all this has been devastating to the Christians of the Middle East. The majority have fled the area. Most of those who have stayed have done so either because they supported Muslim terror against the Jews or because they were pressured into tolerating it. This has poisoned their relations with the Israeli Jews while not raising their esteem in the eyes of Arab Muslims.

Merkley is at his best when he documents the reactions of all sorts of diverse Christian groups to the State of Israel. I strongly recommend this book. And if you want more, read Bat Ye'or's book on Islam and Dhimmitude next.

This book documents how liberal Protestants in the U.S. who have reworked their theology regarding the Jewish people have allowed the prophetic voices of their churches to be hi-jacked by groups like Sabeel and the Middle East Council of Churches and other church institutions that have embraced what can be politely described as a Judeophobic agenda. These institutions have portrayed Israel's efforts to defend itself against enemies intent on destroying it as a Jewish assault on Christian sensibilities and the mainline churches cooperate in broadcasting this narrative. Merkley offers enormously valuable background and history to the conflict. It also provides insight into how putatively progressive Christians have remained silent about the the mistreatment of religious and ethnic minorities in the Middle East. A hugely important book that has not gotten enough attention. A must read for this interested in understanding Christian anti-Zionism.

This absorbing work follows on from Merkley's 1998 masterpiece The Politics of Christian Zionism 1891-1948. He believes Christian attitudes to Israel derive from deeply held theological persuasions that ought to be considered in the historical context of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The first part reviews the historical elements that have always been present in Christian attitudes towards Judaism whilst the main body reveals the wide variety of Christian voices worldwide and particularly in the Middle East. Finally, he examines different Christian institutions and their theological and political relations to the Middle East. His arguments derive from verifiable facts and evidence based on the official literature of churches and organizations as well as interviews with spokespeople of the aforementioned and of the State of Israel and the Palestinian authority. Merkley engages boldly and wittily with this arsenal of fact and opinion, unafraid to take a stand, speak his mind and make a case for Israel.

He chronicles the development of the attitudes of different strands of Christianity, including the Catholic and mainstream Protestant churches on the one hand versus Evangelicals on the other, whilst acknowledging that significant numbers of individuals in the first two groups hold personal convictions that correspond more closely with the second. Approved by the United Nations, the establishment of Israel in 1948 occurred in an environment of worldwide approval but even then there were opposing voices. These came from Protestant missionary groups in the Middle East as well as anti-Zionist Jewish organizations in the USA. Soon after the rebirth, the Catholic and mainstream Protestant churches started to shift to a critical stance. Formed a few weeks after this historic event, the World Council of Churches has a long history of enmity to the Jewish state. As the war clouds were gathering in 1967, the WCC remained quiet about the Arab World's bellicose rhetoric and threats of genocide. But immediately after Israel's resounding victory, it pounced with a sanctimonious condemnation of violence.

Since then, the WCC has become notorious for parroting Arab and UN propaganda, culminating in its participation in the hate-fest at the 2001 UN Conference on Racism in Durban. Merkley lucidly exposes the reptile tongue of the WCC and the mass media, demonstrating the similarities with the anti-Semitic propaganda of the Nazis. He argues that the leaders of the WCC are a militant ecumenical elite far removed from the essence of theology and fully committed to political causes. He contends that Christian anti-Zionism is not just a form of generic anti-Zionism but that it draws from the same theological roots as the medieval European blood libels. In this regard, see also The Resurgence of Anti-Semitism by Bernard Harrison. The Christian Left seeks to appease radical Muslim opinion about the existence of Israel, as liberal churches have allied themselves with a movement with which they have nothing in common. Merkley does not pretend to believe in either the meme of the religion of peace or the willingness of Israel's neighbors to live in peace with it. See Peace: The Arabian Caricature of Anti-Semitic Imagery to understand why.

As anti-Zionism gained momentum in the 1970s, more individuals with different convictions started leaving those churches as is evident from the declining membership of the mainstream denominations. And Christians Zionists became actively involved in the support of Israel and her people in the Diaspora. Those of a theologically more conservative disposition have shown themselves to be steadfast and loyal friends of the Jewish State. Organizations like the Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, Bridges for Peace, Christian Friends of Israel, the International Christian Zionist Center and CUFI are devoted to the welfare of the country by means of practical and political assistance. Chapter seven provides interesting information on the institutional variety of and theologies of Christian Zionism. Please note that most of them avoid proselytizing. Standing With Israel by David Brog is an informative read on the history and current composition of the movement whilst In Defense of Israel by John Hagee and Future Israel: Why Christian Anti-Judaism Must Be Challenged by Barry Horner explain the theological motivation.

Merkley is uncertain whether the mainstream churches will move further in the direction of what he calls neo-Marcionism (See Lost Christianities by Bart Ehrman for an explanation) in order to appeal to secular liberals, Islam and the Eastern churches or whether it will attempt Jewish-Christian reconciliation. On the Protestant side the signs are not promising with their divestment attempts, while things look more ambiguous in the Roman church in view of the militant rhetoric of Michel Sabbah, Archbishop of Jerusalem. Besides obvious reasons for standing with Israel like its adherence to the rule of law, commendable record of respecting the holy places of all religions, astonishing cultural and technological accomplishments and uninterrupted record of democracy, there is another reason why Christian Zionists are loyal to the Jewish state. It is, like the attitude of the other churches, rooted in theology, but quite overtly based on scripture. To its Christian friends, the rebirth of Israel represents the major miracle of the 20th century. It is a requirement of faith to seek the blessing of Israel above all other considerations; the existence of Israel is considered crucial to the survival of our Judeo-Christian civilization.

Among the valuable contributions of this illuminating work is the refutation of myths, false perceptions and stereotypes fabricated by the mass media. As already mentioned, many Christian Zionist organizations have a strict policy of not seeking converts. They are not all fundamentalists or biblical literalists nor do they profess to know the sequence of events that will lead to the return of Messiah, and least of all do they want the Jewish people to suffer any more than they already have. Merkley provides abundant evidence that anti-Zionism flourishes on the Christian Left today, but further proof is available in The New Anti-Semitism by Chesler and The Deadliest Lies by Foxman. I highly recommend Christian Attitudes toward the State of Israel to all who wish to understand what is happening in this world of lengthening shadows. The book includes notes, a bibliography, references and an index.

I can't say enough good things about this book. In fact, I am going to buy several copies to give to friends, both Christian and Jewish. I'd like to give it to liberal Protestant friends, but sadly, having read the book I am older and wiser about the deep roots of liberal Protestant hostility to Israel (and Jews).

I found the background on the World Council of Churches, the Vatican, and the Evangelicals really fascinating. Merkley is wonderfully frank and honest about difficult topics. I found him a trustworthy reporter. At times his exasperation shows, but on the whole he shows an admirable restraint.

This book helped me understand some unpleasant interchanges I've had with people in my own community, for example the Presbyterian minister and the socially elite lady who works with Protestant missions in "Palestine." I have been deeply disturbed by their moral indifference to Jewish life (the minister) and outright anti-semitic slurs (the rich mission lady.) It is always helpful to be able to put personal experiences like this in a larger political/historical context and understand them at a deeper level.

On a happier note, Merkley gave me information I did not know about the theology and policies of the main Evangelical groups. I was especially interested to learn that the often repeated comment they are only helping Israel so that all the Jews will be killed in Armageddon is actually a lie promulgated by anti-Israeli Christians eager to alienate Jews from their one group of dependable support (Merkley says this in a much more measured way, but that's the nub). I have to say this also fits my personal experience - the several evangelicals I have talked to in my community have only quoted Bible about 'those that bless you shall be blessed, those that curse you shall be cursed' in explaining why they think supporting Israel is a good idea (in both senses of the word 'good.')

I feel very grateful to Merkley for this book and I only wish it were more widely read.

haven't read the book yet, but the guy's my teacher at school right now ^^

Mr. Deeb's book is a quick, but extremely informative, read. It is an absolute must for anyone trying to understand the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in the Middle East. It is written in every-day language so it is easy to understand. THE COLLPASE OF MIDDLE EAST PEACE is thoroughly documented and explains fully why the Peace Process between the Israelis and Palestinians that began in 1991 have resulted in failure. Finally, the book gives readers a clear understanding of the important issues needing to be resolved between the two sides.

I absolutely had a blast while reading this book!!! I started reading this book, and 5 orgasms later I was done. The pages got a little sticky but I persisted my intense reading. The information containted in this book was LIFE ALTERING, hence the title of my review. I learned so much about the collapse of Middle East Peace that I have been motivated to join several fund raisers that help the people in this unfortunate situation. Thank you for the new view on life....and the orgasms!!!

I am a very smart 12 year old, and Mr. Deeb's book has gotten me HOOKED on Isreal!!!!!! he has become my new hero and i think that everyone should read this book!!! it covers in depth the conflict in the middle east, and mr deebs insigtht is unbelievable!!! i have deveoloped a Dennis J. Deeb obsession...if anyone wants to make a fan club, let me know!!!!

The Gulf War took place right after I graduated from high school so frankly I just wasn't paying attention when it happened. When we sent troops back in 2003, I was frustrated by how little I really knew. Listening to the news was confusing. This book provides a chronological look at the Gulf War and why "we're back". Even if you've been paying attention, there quite a bit of history to be learned in this book.

If you can only own one book on Operation Desert Storm, make it this one. Jaco (remember him from CNN?) does a great job giving us the inside scoop on the real story behind the Gulf War. He also does a superb job of connecting the dots between Desert Storm and September 11th. The style is breezy but not condescending. Great up-close battle sequences, as well as historical perspective, and the links between 1991 and the War on Terrorism. Lousy title, great book

If you only have one book on your shelf about Operation Desert Storm, make this the one! Jaco (remember him from CNN?) does a wonderful job with the inside scoop on the war. But in the last 1/4 of the book, he really shines by "connecting the dots" between the remnants of the Gulf War and September 11th. Ever wonder why "they hate us?" Then get this book and read it. I picked it up quite by accident, even with the lousy title, and just kept on reading. It's an antidote to over-simplified explanations about the Gulf and the War on terrorism.

Charles Jaco, who covered the Gulf War in person while working for CNN, has crafted a simple but solid introduction to the war. This is the book to start with if you want to quickly review the main points of that conflict. However, I have a big caveat-no maps. Anywhere. No where in the entire book is there a map of Iraq, Kuwait, or even a regional one of the Middle East. I understand that the Idiot's and Dummies series are designed to bring the casual reader up to speed on a topic quickly, but in this instance, the topic is heavily dependent on geography. To not have at least one basic map of the Iraq/Kuwait area is unthinkable. Basic treatment of the topic really requires several maps, one of the larger region, and then at least a few more detailed ones. It is extremely hard to make connections between the military movements described in the text without a map for orientation. This seriously detracts from the quality of the book. Unless one is a geography guru already, the book must be read with access to a good map that you've managed to obtain from somewhere else. I give the item 4 stars due to the text, but functionally, this work is really lacking without some maps. Any upcoming editions, if published, really need to think about addressing this problem.

This is the most enlightening book I've read as a lawmaker. Dr. Ganor pens an easy-to-understand account, not only of the obvious problems with terrorism, but those involving America's future decisions on how to lead without sacrificing US civil liberties.

EXCELLENT!

REP. BURKE DAY
Chairman
Public Safety & Homeland Security
Ga House of Representatives

This is the most thorough, cogent, and intelligently written work on terrorism and the ways to defeat it to grace the open literature in recent times. Unlike the more common offerings in this field, Ganor's work goes to great lengths to avoid or at least identify potential bias and to present opposing views. Nor does the author shy away from tough issues. Deterrence is one such topic. While noting that deterrence can be a matter of image (p. 63), he also recognizes the difference between deterring nations or terrorist organizations vs. deterring individuals or networks (p.64). He analyzes measures intended to deter terrorists, concluding that, ultimately, the attacker becomes used to a given measure and learns to live with it or overcome it (p.74). Yet he also addresses the complexities inherent in making public the thresholds set for deterrents (p.94).

Another example is his thoughtful note that public warnings should only be issued when accompanied by concrete guidelines to follow that are directly related to the warning (p. 260) -- a welcome contrast to the post-9/11 proliferation of nonspecific warnings that often give the appearance of emerging to offset future claims of failing to alert the public.

For clarity, analysis, and insight, Ganor's book is without peer.

Dr. Ganor is an expert on counter-terrorism from the country with the most experience in that area -- Israel. He has spent his life sturying counter-terrorism. This book is based on his doctoral discertation 'Israel's Counter-Terrorism Strategy.' It has been expanded to cover the world rather than just Israel.

Most of the book is presented in the form of dilemmas. For instance, is terrorism a crime such as murder where the individual who did it should be hunted down, tried, imprisoned, etc.? Or is it a form of warfare where the individual perpetrator is less important than the organization be it govermental or otherwise behind him? The answer to this question determines what investigative techniques can be used, what incarceration rules should be followed, how extradition agreements are applied (murderers can be extradited, political activists are not ).

All of these examples are just in the first chapter. There are ten chapters, each of which cover one area of dilemmas. Chapter 8, for instance covers the media. The terrorists understand and play for media attention. On the other (and darker) side, coverage of terrorists increases viewership or numbers of newspapers sold.

This book is the most complete, most thought-out comprehensive discussion on counter-terrorism that I have seen. Note my emphasis on counter-terrorism. This is a book on how to fight terrorism, it is not a book on terrorism per se.

Highly recommended. I hope our leaders read this.

Saw Mr. Ganor on C-Span - May 2005. His absolute (total mastery) of the suject of the (radical) Muslim terrorist movement mindset, and his analysis how to end this (complex, difficult, and long-range problem) ... is nothing short of brilliant !

*REVIEW BY NURI KINO, JOURNALIST, SWEDEN:

In Rosie Malek-Yonan's The Crimson Field the author has succeeded in poetically braiding historical facts and personal experiences into a novel--into a book at its best. In one of the chapters the author's grandmother cuts off her braid. The braid is swept in the current of the river. It remains floating in the shifts and slowly becomes undone. The Assyrian nation and the Assyrian youth are much like every strand of that hair looking to where they once came from. The Crimson Field gives them the reason why they became unbraided and why many lost their roots.

To read The Crimson Field is to understand that the Assyrians were not merely guests in Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. The country of Bet-Nahrin in Mesopotamia was the cradle of civilization and the homeland of Assyrians (who also call themselves Chaldeans or Syriacs). Through her characters Malek-Yonan gives us an open window into a past history most would prefer to remain unstirred. She allows the reader to see the scars of her nation that have yet to heal. The only way to understand Assyrians of today is to understand their past.

But most importantly, this book transcends barriers of race and religion. It is a mirror image of the human race at its best and at its worst. There is no physical border between Good and Evil, however, Evil is very real. It is real in the sense that we cannot imagine Evil without its opposite: the care of others, compassion, and love.

This tale of one life takes you on that journey, in the most amazingly literary, beautiful and poetic way possible. Evil can never be forgotten or justified, but it can be forgiven so long as it is acknowledged and recognized!

I'm almost always skeptical when a storyteller or writer leaves little to one's own imagination by making very clear and bold statements. But that is not the case with Malek-Yonan. In The Crimson Field it's important for the reader to be brought along when a soul is extorted from a slaughtered body and let the author tell us to look down at the earthly body, in order to understand the feelings of a mother who is driven from her homeland and forced to leave her only child.

Rosie Malek-Yonan's liquid and lyrical style of writing is a perfect blend of long and short phrases each a poem in itself. The cadences of a concert opera are evident in her writing. A concert you don't want to leave. Colorful, her writing jars all five senses. The reader smells and touches what her characters experience. The reader sees, feels and tastes what the characters do.

The Crimson Field is literature at its best.

*REVIEW BY PROFESSOR DWIGHT SIMPSON, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY:

I have completed reading your wonderful historical novel, The Crimson Field. It is, in my opinion, truly a fine piece of writing, and I congradulate you. You have done a great service to the Assyrian people and to humanity in general by recording the terrible tragedy that befell the Assyrian people in the early 20th century.

*REVIEW BY PROFESSOR S.G. OSIPOV, MOSCOW, RUSSIA:

Upon seizing Jerusalem in 1799, the future French Emperor Napoleon was said to have been struck by the sight of pious Jews shedding tears beside the Wailing Wall. Still further struck when informed that the Temple above the Wall had been ruined over 17 centuries before, he could not but exclaim in amazement: "And they are still weeping!"

So are the Assyrians, who have a Wailing Wall of their own after being expelled from their historical motherland in 1918. This is Urmia, the focus of their 19th century efforts to revive the Assyrian culture and regain nationhood. Losing it caused a similar frustration to the loss of Nineveh 25 centuries earlier. A bleeding wound in the national psyche that ensued is best compared to a lesion in the heart from a severe life-threatening attack. It badly hurts and will continue so in many more generations of the Assyrian people.

The dispersal of the Jews is part of common knowledge. The 20th century flight and subsequent dispersal of the Assyrians are largely to the Assyrians themselves. Being untold and unexplained, this tragedy is all the more hurtful, creating the feeling of desperation and no way forward for them.

This tragic feeling pulsates in The Crimson Field by Ms. Rosie Malek-Yonan. A composer, a pianist, a film and stage actress, a figure skater for the Winter Olympics in 1980 and a gifted writer, so talented a person is the best imaginable mouthpiece for this feeling. She expresses it so intelligently, caringly and tactfully, that an image arises of a suffering nation that gradually overcomes a tragedy in its recent past with wisdom and spiritual fortitude.

The plot is centered on the family history of an Assyrian woman named Maghdleta. This history unfolds as part of the recent history of the entire Assyrian people. All major events with the Assyrians in the 20th century are reconstructed with scientific precision and in places they almost give the novel the feel of a documentary. Overarching everything are marvelous love stories of rare psychological elaboration and artistic quality. They are a golden find in the novel. Mastership of music enables the author to provide precise emotional and psychological guidance for the reader, setting fine tonal guidelines for each passage in her book.

Characters from four generations of women are in the spotlight, Pari, Maghdleta, Maghdleta's daughters and Maghdleta's granddaughters. The main supporting characters (such as Soeur Marie, Zahra Khanoom, Shakar and Madam Gaudin), too, are all women. This feminine prevalence in the book creates overwhelming passion and emotion which keep the reader riveted.

Emotional poignancy in the novel comes to its peak in a small girl named Fibronia. Her tragic story reasserts the old maxim that the treasures of the entire world cannot redeem a single tear of a weeping child.

Last, but by no means least, the author treats her complicated and multifaceted subject in ways and terms that are easily comprehensible and quite simple. My everyday tongue is Russian, but, unexpectedly ­ and I am never tired of thanking God for this ­ I easily read The Crimson Field in its original language, English. Moreover, I read it on a single breath. Ms Rosie Malek-Yonan succeeded in winning what writing is actually for, emotional and intellectual involvement by the reader.

*REVIEW BY BRIAN PATRICK CLARKE, ACTOR, USA:

It is with a mix of both trepidation and humility that I approach this, my attempt to do justice to Rosie Malek-Yonan's exceptional first offering, "The Crimson Field." Since my ambition herein is to prompt the prospective reader, i.e., "book jacket skimmer," to do as I personally did: proceed with all alacrity to actually purchase and immediately immerse myself in a personal exploration, I will focus on what I, an actor by trade and an avid reader by avocation, do know: Story.

Maghdleta's extraordinary saga is, in "genre," another commentary on the remarkable capacity of even the most unassuming and unlikely of our species to endure the inconceivably unendurable -- and to surmount the seemingly most insurmountable of circumstances.

"The Crimson Field" is viscerally horrific and palpably heroic. It is likewise a "must read" for these times, as it is a tale both unique (I, personally, was unaware that there had even been an Assyrian genocide, less than one-hundred years past) and frighteningly familiar. Need one look any further than today's Middle East to foretell the dire prospects attendant to centuries of instability and inhumanity? With an administration in Washington that continues to trumpet its success in "fighting terrorism" and, yet, repeatedly reveals the danger inherent in its ignorance about the region, the people, and, most importantly, the history, "The Crimson Field" is, sadly, a commentary on just how suddenly ­ and grotesquely - things can change. To prevail against one's enemy, one must first understand one's enemy. If, in fact, "knowledge is power", then the benefit in educating oneself through a compelling read of this book is an exponential growth in empowerment. As George Santayana cautioned, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

This is NOT a dry, read-yourself-to-sleep, historic narrative. Since Rosie's "The Crimson Field" is her own ancestral epic saga (i.e., opus magnum), it is with such personal pathos that she has vested her work. The reader not only reads what Magdhleta, her family, and her Assyrian friends and neighbors endured but also feels the pain with intimate immediacy. It is, thus, not a tome for the faint-of-heart. The suffering is real, and the reader who does not connect with shock and revulsion to the magnitude of cruelty brought by man against his fellow man had best reexamine his own desensitized soul. It is simply not possible to ingest this book with the measured passivity of one who has "seen or heard it all." The humanity, and its converse inhumanity, demands a visceral connection from the reader.

It is on this last basis with which I must take exception to one of the prevailing reactions that my friend, Rosie, has enjoyed among her Assyrian readers: "This is our story. This is the story of all the Assyrian people!"

At the risk of offending those who, God knows, have already suffered unimaginably, I believe it would be a gross mistake to make claims of exclusivity on this extraordinary book; specificity, inarguably, but exclusivity by its very definition diminishes the potential for universal impact of this gifted author. True, the Assyrian genocide ­ and its nearly three-quarters of a million victims ­ provides the specific setting for "The Crimson Field." In that sense, it would be absurd to take issue with proprietary reactions from among those whose forebears lived it. However, this book is ultimately so much broader in its application. Change the geographic and temporal settings, change the indigenous peoples, and change the scope of the deeds, and what remains is a too often told tale. The Crusades, The Inquisitions (French and Spanish alike), The Holocaust, and even the give-no-quarter sweep of Alexander the Great share a very familiar thread: pathological pursuit of pleasure by inflicting horror on "others" (that is, anyone whose ideology does not comport with one's own).

*REVIEW BY WILFRED BET-ALKHAS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, ZINDA MAGAZINE, WASHINGTON D.C.:

Malek-Yonan is a gifted writer who skillfully captures the naked struggles of a young self-assured Assyrian woman trapped in a war-torn province in northwest Iran, of a Christian nation insensate by ruthless atrocities, and the hopes and fears of an unforgettable cast of characters tormented by numbing events leading to and moving farthest away from the memories of the war, yet each finding themselves years later forever trapped in the hues of the insanity of The Crimson Field.

A stark and compelling treatment of one of the least known horrors of wars of the 20th Century, The Crimson Field is a stirring narrative that masterfully depicts the persecution and murder of some 750,000 Christian Assyrians of Iran, Turkey, and Iraq. Malek-Yonan takes us on a voyage of self-discovery of her grandmother who finds that her search for the meaning of life was more overwhelming than the misery and chaos of the most insane atrocity ever committed on a defenseless people.

*REVIEW BY DR. ROBERT PAULISSIAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, JOURNAL OF ASSYRIAN ACADEMIC STUDIES:

In his book Nationalism in Iran, Dr. Richard W. Cottam stated, "The story of [the Assyrian] flight is one of those epical human tragedies that cries for a great novelist to record." Rosie Malek-Yonan has done just that. The Crimson Field is a significant historical novel by a gifted writer depicting the human miseries of a war-ravaged Assyrian nation. No one has dramatized this epical human tragedy better than Rosie Malek-Yonan through her sensitive and lyrical style writing. The story combines historical facts and suspense in gripping narratives. It is full of excitement, anguish, sorrow, pain and joy. A fearless writer, Malek-Yonan propels the reader through this very visual novel to the events in Urmia, Iran, during World War I. Through the masterful use of her poetic language and style she has excelled in creating this intriguing historically accurate novel.

*REVIEW OF NINOS MARAHA, HUJADA MAGAZINE, SWEDEN:

Rosie Malek-Yonan's novel about the last century's first genocide is based on a true story focusing on her maternal grandmother, Maghdleta, who searches a past filled with beautiful and equally cruel memories. These events created a hole in her soul as significant as the hole left in the soul of the Assyrian nation, a hole punctured by the neighboring Turks and Kurds during the First World War, when over 750,000 Assyrians were slaughtered.

The images of the brutal genocide depicted in The Crimson Field are countered by stories of love and romance written in a very poetic and symbolic style. Nevertheless, those of weak heart may consider not reading this novel, as it may be too shocking, cruel and rough.

I felt very emotional when reading The Crimson Field, a story that every living Assyrian can relate to through the inherited stories told by generations of Assyrians, carried in their hearts. At the same time it is a story about human tragedy and how easily friends can turn into enemies.

*REVIEW OF EDGAR WEINSTOCK, ACTOR & DIRECTOR OF THEATRE & OPERA, NEW YORK:

Ms. Malek-Yonan is an artist who shares her journey most beautifully. The author's narrative articulates aspects, which unite us all as a race. I know our American Martin Luther King, as well as the Spanish Miguel de Unamuno, the French Victor Hugo and the Japanese Chiune Sugihara would consider Rosie Malek-Yonan a woman of stature; a soul of Tragedy. Unforgettable and endearing characters who never gave their adversaries an easy chair to lounge in by allowing themselves to be washed away into the sea. The people she puts before us have, instead, crossed vast oceans in order to survive. And they have.

*REVIEW OF FIRAS JATOU, EDITOR, NINEVEH MAGAZINE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA:

What a remarkable book! Rosie Malek-Yonan's The Crimson Field takes us on a journey to a time and place that has been largely forgotten in the annals of history. This is a very personal, engagingly written account that moved me like nothing I have ever read on the suffering of a people. It transitions effortlessly from depicting provocative atrocities in a hard hitting no punches pulled style, to vivid portrayal of love, honor, and hope. A beautifully written book that is a must for the Near-East enthusiast and general readers alike.

*REVIEW OF LEE ENOKIAN, THE TIMES, NW INDIANA & THE ILLINOIS LEDER:

Few people within the mainstream American culture even know the Assyrian people still exist. Fewer know anything about the Genocide perpetrated against them. Almost three million Assyrian, Armenian and Greek Christians were murdered by the Islamic Ottoman Turks during World War I because of their ethnicity and faith.

The Crimson Field assigns faces and names to the victims of this dreadful chapter of history. It captures the plight of an Assyrian girl, helplessly caught up in the turmoil of her surroundings.

Malek-Yonan's work shines a terrible light on an overlooked study of Islamic violence during the 20th Century. It is a must read for any person interested in learning about the personal cost of Islamic Jihad.

Few people within the mainstream American culture even know the Assyrian people still exist. Fewer know anything about the Genocide perpetrated against them. Almost three million Assyrian, Armenian and Greek Christians were murdered by the Islamic Ottoman Turks during World War I because of their ethnicity and faith.

The Crimson Field assigns faces and names to the victims of this dreadful chapter of history. It captures the plight of an Assyrian girl, helplessly caught up in the turmoil of her surroundings.

Malek-Yonan's work shines a terrible light on an overlooked study of Islamic violence during the 20th Century. It is a must read for any person interested in learning about the personal cost of Islamic Jihad.

Lee Enokian, The Times (Northwest Indiana) and The Illinois LeaderA Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish ResponsibilityDarfur: The Ambiguous Genocide, Revised and Updated Edition

This is a great book which shows the extents of the crimes done to Assyrians during WWI by Moslems. Even today, Assyrians are being persecuted for their only crime is being Christians. History does repeat itself and I hope books like this would make people aware of the crimes done against humanity. This book is very well written, a great story. I would recommend this book to everyone especially Assyrians so they know more about happened during WWI.

Few people within the mainstream American culture even know the Assyrian people still exist. Fewer know anything about the Genocide perpetrated against them. Almost three million Assyrian, Armenian and Greek Christians were murdered by the Islamic Ottoman Turks during World War I because of their ethnicity and faith. The Crimson Field assigns faces and names to the victims of this dreadful chapter of history. It captures the plight of an Assyrian girl, helplessly caught up in the turmoil of her surroundings. Malek-Yonan's work shines a terrible light on an overlooked study of Islamic violence during the 20th Century. It is a must read for any person interested in learning about the personal cost of Islamic Jihad.

Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and BeyondWe Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from RwandaThe Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness (Newly Expanded Paperback Edition)The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur

Hello Jacob, I loved your book. I understand now that the problems in the Middle East are not so easy to solve. But the world needs people like you, who have understanding for other meanings and believes. Your stories are short but do have a deeper meening and are somethimes very sad. I hope that a new book of you will soon be ready. I will again order it a.s.a.p. at Amazon.com.
best regards and greetings to your family.

Jacob Rosen's book is hilarious, as well as serious
in parts, giving an insight into the peoples of the
Middle East.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to
know and understand the different nations living side
by side, who do not even understand themselves!
An excellent light hearted short-story book of the
daily lives of the average person in the Middle East
and which should be read by and be on the bookshelves
of every home and book shop in the region.

Well, done Mr. Rosen for sharing your experiences
and having this book published for the world to
read.

If you want to read a book that can bring you to a deeper grasp of the Arab culture, try this one. Mr. Rosens book brings to your table a thoroughly digestable understanding of the ins and outs of Arab life.

Jacob Rosen, a seasoned diplomat writes a serious, but entertaining book about his experiences in the diplomatic world which takes him on assignments throughout the Arab world. A collection of short stories that at times can be very amusing and at others, quite thought provoking. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to get a better understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict throughan unreported look at the culture and every day life of Arabs and Israelis.

I've heard this book had a hard time getting published, before it received an award for best book on American diplomacy in its year and got strong endorsements from Henry Kissinger, George Schultz, and others on that level. I guess that says something about how willing US publishers are to expose hard truths that the book was finally self-published. Cursed is a well-written, meticulously detailed and documented independent writer's investigation into some sad realities of our recent history in Lebanon, alongside an admiring portrait of the late US diplomat Philip Habib and a scathing one of Ariel Sharon. If you wonder why diplomacy might be tough, especially given the US agenda in the Middle East, this book will give you some insights. If you're thinking about going into the Foreign Service, this book will draw the veil aside.

Here is a true and engaging story that goes to the heart of a
bloody feud unresolved since 1947. "Cursed is the Peacemaker" is
the go-to book for the historical drama of what it took to
negotiate that brief shining moment when there was-- as close as
it gets-- to a cease-fire between Israelis vs. Palestinians and
others in the Arab world.

Author John Boykin (a former editor at Stanford Magazine)
recounts the gripping story through the eyes and viewpoint of
Philip Habib, Reagan's Special Envoy charged with the enormous
task of staunching the bloodshed and destruction in Beirut in
1982...in 1947 and left with an unfulfilled United Nations mandate that
was to have been, like Israel, the provision for their homeland,
some Palestinians relocated to West Beirut where Palestinian
leaders carried on the battle against Israel, which retaliated.
In June 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon and laid siege to Beirut to
destroy the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) once and
for all. The PLO is the umbrella of organizations that leads the
Palestinian diaspora.

President Reagan gave Habib, the Brooklyn-born son of Lebanese
immigrants, the task of talking to the warring sides and
persuading them to make some changes. Everything from vitally
important matters down to the price of Israeli pickles was thrown
on the table and it was up to Habib to sort it out. He convinced
the Israelis to stop shooting long enough for thousands of
Palestinian guerrillas to sail from the Mediterranean port city
under the watchful eyes of a multi-national force of 800 U.S.
Marines, 900 French and 500 Italian soldiers. This was no easy
feat. Habib persuaded the Palestinians to leave their families
behind in the West Beirut refugee areas of Sabra and Shatila with
their safety guaranteed by the multi-national force and the word
of Ariel Sharon.

This very readable story explains how imperfectly Habib
accomplished his task and yet how Habib's work stands as the
blueprint for the diplomacy that a person of iron will and
stature will need if ever there is to be a negotiated end to
this war that rips at the heartland of Christian, Jewish and
Muslim civilizations.

Boykin recounts the history in an engaging way and he's careful
not to assert his own opinions. The viewpoints he presses are
those that he documents were those of Habib, the talented, hard-
working, often gruff U.S. negotiator.

The book's completeness is a tribute to Boykin's persistence in
using, among other resources, the Freedom Of Information Act,

archives at Georgetown University's Foreign Affairs Oral History
Program, and extensive interviews with Habib's peers, his bosses
and underlings to piece together this important story about a
critical juncture in the life of an historical figure who
steadfastly refused to talk to reporters during negotiations.

Boykin provides the listening post for readers to "overhear" the
blunt conversations between Habib and the Marine Colonel James
Mead whom Habib came to rely upon to keep warring parties apart.
But Mead was no patsy. While he came to grudgingly respect Habib,
he was protective of those in his command. Boykin lays out the
negotiating positions of the various sides, noting that the
intransigence, the absolutist positions by Israel and Syria were
non starters.

Boykin conducted interviews with dozens of well-known diplomatic
players who knew Habib well-- everyone from Nobel Laureate Oscar
Sanchez Arias to Henry Kissinger (who knew Habib from his days
negotiating an end to the U.S. war in Viet Nam).

It can safely be said that there can be no peace in the Middle
East until there is a measure of justice for the massacre at
Sabra and Shatila, refugee camps that resemble acres of the
crowded tenement buildings that dot working class areas of New
York City. In these camps, Christian Phalangists went door to
door wantonly murdering more than 800 Palestinians while Israeli
soldiers stood guard seeing to it that no Palestinian could
escape. Details of what led to the massacre, for which even the
Israelis hold Ariel Sharon culpable, are of historical
importance.

Boykin describes what went on behind the scenes just before the
massacre of Palestinians on September 16-18, 1982. It was the
tragedy Habib had labored all summer to prevent and in the end,
he didn't, in part because Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger
withdrew the Marines who were charged with keeping the warring
parties apart. When the Marines left, the French and Italians
also left Beirut. That their families would be protected was the
key to persuading the Palestinians to lay down their guns and
leave Beirut. That Ariel Sharon broke his word and allowed his
soldiers to stand guard while mass murder was committed can not
be glossed over, especially since two decades later, Sharon
became Israel's elected leader.

This story is a microcosm for what has gone wrong in the Middle
East. If peace is to come to the region, this story may contain
kernels of the reconstructed blueprint for what, along with iron will, is needed to find a peaceful solution.

Habib told Asad of Syria, he (Habib) was nothing if not a man of principle.
Habib saw in Hafiz Asad a staunch supporter.
Rigidly and puritanically attached to neutrality considering the political animosities between Lebanon (Bashir) and Syria (Asad), Habib was labelled `adventurous' when he took and maintained firm stand supporting the election of Bashir Gemayel to the Presidency of Lebanon.

Habib's faith never faltered at times USA's image was construed as one of vacillation and indecision.
From the beginning, he kept reminding his listeners that USA traditional policy, for the better sake of each party, had been to maintain neutrality.
Initially he had come to Lebanon strenuously dedicated to easing the tension between PLO and Israel, to find himself walking on tight rope attached to four corners, Israel/Lebanon/PLO/Syria, and each side had his `knife' readily available to cut the rope.

His biggest pressure was to put an end to civilians' bloodshed preceded only by Mother Theresa.

Philip Habib had an impressive opponent in the person of Menahim Begin the Prime Minister of Israel, but perhaps his main challenge remained the portly protective and aggressive shadow of Ariel Sharon.

"Cursed is the Peacemaker" tells the story of how legendary diplomat Philip Habib negotiated an end to the Israeli siege of Beirut in 1982. The book is based on declassified documents and interviews with friends and colleagues of Habib. It is well-written and does a great job of conveying the atmospherics and intrigue of a sensitive, high-level diplomatic mission. As pure diplomatic history, however, it leaves much to be desired, since it glosses over the negotiating details and often fails to put developments into a broader political context -- at times, the history gets buried beneath the war stories, great quotes, inside-Washington gossip, and focus on Habib's colorful personality. But these are quibbles: the book is a real page-turner. Anyone interested in State Department history or the modern Middle East will love it.

Dar es Salaam is one of those novels that captures a young woman's soul. Tara Kai takes the reader into a world filled with questions and thoughts of a girl named Tatum. Her experiences and feelings for the characters in the novel help one understand a young woman's mind and ideas. I believe every girl and woman can relate to any of the women in this story. The novel has an original voice and it truly stands out on its own. Tara expresses the events and ideas in the book beautifully (and let me say... GREAT ending!) A very lovely book and a very gifted author.

Dar es Salaam is one of those novels that captures a young woman's soul. Tara Kai takes the reader into a world filled with questions and thoughts of a girl named Tatum. Her experiences and feelings for the characters in the novel help one understand a young woman's mind and ideas. I believe every girl and woman can relate to any of the women in this story. The novel has an original voice and it truly stands out on its own. Tara expresses the events and ideas in the book beautifully (and let me say... GREAT ending!) A very lovely book and a very gifted author.

Tara Kai manages to weave the world of illusion with the hard facts of reality in "Dar es Salaam." It is a wonderful work, detailing the mystifying beauty of Africa through the eyes of an adolescent 14-year-old, Tatum. Tatum's train-of-thoughts are innocently humorous, (particularly because the novel is written in the voice of a 14-year-old), and I think Kai is being critical on the commercialized notion of feminity and sex in popular women's magazines, such as Cosmopolitan and Seventeen.

Here we see how silly the love advices and how ludricrious magazines, geared towards women to tempt them to drastically change their appearance, really are. One almost feels sad for Tatum, and the characters are so real, that you feel that you want to grab Tatum by the collar and shake her into reality. Life-like and humourous, I recommend this book for anyone who loves fiction, and especially for those people who need a wake-up call to realize that there is more to life than the fine, glossy print of magazines.

Tara Kai's debut novel, Dar Es Salaam is the story of Tatum who is transitioning from a fanciful adolescent girl to a knowledgeable woman. Tatum travels with her family on vacation to the Tanzanian capital city of Dar es Salaam where she finds herself drawn to Mohammed (called Mo), a 40-year-old Indian man and friend of her stepfather. Tatum's attractions evolves into desire, then obsession, culminating in a resolute and emotional manipulation of the older man by the much younger girl. A deeply engaging, ultimately satisfying, highly recommended novel, Dar Es Salaam is deftly written, with the characters truly coming alive within the mind's eye of the reader.