Middle East Books

Although the project was supposed to last only a few months, Asahi shimbun were absolutely deluged with responses and they eventually printed 1,000 out of 4,000 letters received. Not only does the book give the reader a personal glimpse of what it was like to be a foot soldier, housewife, high school teacher, etc.,it is also organized in a way that details the events of the war from the first settlements in Manchuria to the occupation and even how people feel about their role today. It's a great way to get the full chronology of events as well as all the personal depictions.

I was shocked at how the footsoldiers were treated by the officers and was surprised to read tales of killing superiors in battle, much like "fragging" occurrences in the Vietnam war. Throughout the book there are gut-wrenching stories of combat, but there is also an underlying thread of humanity; officers finding ways to keep their soldiers alive, a vacationing zero pilot who convinces a group of admiring boys not to join the military, a young soldier who secretly puts some of the bones and ashes of other soldiers into the empty boxes so the families have something to pray to.

I sat down to read the first chapter at 6 pm but I couldn't put it down. I finished it at 2 am. My best friend teaches high school history and I'm going to copy off a few of the best stories for him to use in class. This is a must read... for anyone.

This book does a great service in helping us see the Japanese in WW2 as more than mindless fanatics.It is an compilation of letters written to the editors of one of Japans largest newspapers, the Asahi ("Morning Sun")Shimbun during the 50th anniversary commemorations of the end of World War 2.The stories are primarily from military participants or family members of military personnel and most are very frank and gut wrenching. I got the sense that many of the ex military men were trying to come to grips as to why they were fighting- and the answers are not what this American reader has come to expect. I have always thought that the Japanese were brain washed sub-human fanatics when it came to fighting, but many of the stories reveal compassion,caring and a full awareness of the situation they were in. They speak of heartless, cruel and inhuman superior officers who thought nothing of leading entire battalions to death in their quest for glory, but they also realize that these officers were just the products of a military system where cruel treatment of recruits was a tool to instill blind obedience to superior officers. I still don't think that this is a good excuse for the many atrocities that were committed by Japanese forces during the war, but it goes alot farther in helping me to understand how such atrocities,e.g., Rape of Nanking, Bataan death march, arose. The letters from family members are particularly poignant as they recall fathers, brothers, uncles and sons who were never seen again.I was very moved by several letters from family members who had childhood memories of the deceased soldiers that really drove the point home that war is such a terrible waste(hate to sound like a cliche). The Japanese lost more than 2 million people during the war, and it would be hard not to find a family that didn't face tragedy. I gave this book to several friends who said it completely opened up their minds about what they thought about the Japanese during World War 2.While we all agree that Japan was not right for its war of aggression and the pain and suffering it caused to millions of Asians, Americans, British,Dutch and Australians, we can now hear for the first time the voices of the Japanese participants and learn that they too cried and suffered and felt deep guilt for what they did.

The first shocking chapters of this book give us a picture of a military culture whose sadistic norms were so out of control that it's almost incomprehensible. Sometimes I wonder if the allies did Japanese soldiers a favor by killing them so they could escape an army with an absolutely sick sense of discipline. One soldier wonders how many trainees committed suicide to escape punishment: just for breaking a firepin on a rifle! On Japan's surrender, an army nurse recalls soldiers turning on and beating officers who were screaming, "Forgive me, forgive me". Another soldier remembers suffering trainees whispering, "Bullets come from behind in a battlefield". I grew up hearing Korean stories about Japanese abuse that I never thought to be true until now.

It's certainly not surprising that such an army of the walking dead would commit atrocities as a norm rather than as an exception. One story recalls using prisoners as targets for new recruits who were so scared that their bayonets were shaking. He recounts how they drew a red circle around the prisoners' heart, not as a target, but as the one place you were NOT allowed to stab so the prisoners would suffer as long as possible. Many of the tales of wartime heroism are simply acts of decency in defiance of unspeakably cruel punishment.

Was such ferocious sadism unique to Japan, or does this teach us about other great cultures as well? Many admire the samurai, the Zulu, the Spartans and other great warriors reknown for superhuman conduct. Perhaps this sadism is the cost of such greatness - the natural reaction of humans being held to an inhuman standard?

Nevertheless, as the war drags on and unrealistic notions of superiority fade, the stories inevitably become more human and share much more in common with the horrible sufferings of all people from war. It was a war where both the innocent and guilty suffered from the fanaticism of the strong.

The editors reveal that they did not publish articles that were simply long nationalistic rants. Interestingly enough, this coincides with the fact that almost no articles were written by or defended those who perpertrated this plague of barbarism. It may very well be that the anti-war bias of the editors has robbed us of a look into the psychology that gives birth to atrocity.

One read this stirring story, from cover to cover, at one enthralling sitting. The tender love story enfolds, with many surprises, over a period of 40 years in parallel with the development of the nascent state of Israel. The narrative is extremely well plotted and beautifully written; the inclusion of letters and poems adds greatly to the interest and allows the reader a rare insight into the inner world of the lovers.
A joy to read! Heartily recommended!

I got such a kick from reading this book. Very different from the usual love affair genre. The plot is set in young naive Israel of the 1950's, taking place in Tel Aviv-Jerusalem-Haifa, the characters so differ from stereotype novel lovers... And that exchange of letters!! I intend violating copyright laws and to communicate some of those texts to my wife :)
Don't miss this good read.

Ruth Borman captures the reader's attention with the exciting life of Ronni, a young Israeli sabra, who is in her early twenties. She will be discharged from the Israeli Defense Forces in a few weeks and looks forward to being a civilian again. She is recovering from a painful love affair and is anticipating her new job as teacher at an elementary school. She was lucky to receive impeccable references and to snare this coveted position. After returning home one night from a friend's wedding, Ronni is surprised to discover a stranger, a handsome Israeli lawyer, Gabriel Zadok, waiting to meet her.

Gabriel is an enigma, a Marcello Mastroianni look alike, who has a regal bearing, charming smile, and speaks to Ronni as if he knew her all her life. His preconceived notions about what she is like creates both intrigue and tension within their relationship. They clash in so many ways ... yet ... Ronni ends up sharing a late-night rendevous at a pizzeria and an intimate walk on the beach with him. To her surprise, they had more in common than she realized: both grew up in Haifa, attended the same schools, and even lived within the same general neighborhood, although they have a seven year age gap. After a blazing and satisfying love affair filled with upheavals: Gabriel drops a bomb. Out of the clear blue, he shockingly breaks off their "unofficial" engagement. It is due to a valid reason one which makes him look like a martyr, a saint. The reader will be amazed to discover what it is. The author's creativity and genius shine. Her imagination went into overdrive

In this book, the author explores the depths of the man-woman relationship with creativity, clarity, imagination, sensitivity, heated emotions and passion. These two young Israelis from very different social backgrounds meet, clash, collide and then fall in love. They engage in a torrid love affair that is suddenly broken off. They live parallel lives and meet forty years later, to answer the age old question, can they resolve, make peace with the deep and everlasting pain which caused their breakup?

After the breakup, Ronni was devasted, moved to London and married Mike Evans, a warm and gentle soul with a solid reliable profession: cardiac surgeon. Within seven years, they had three children. Gabriel became ancient history, a distant memory, some of which she shared with Mike. They moved back to Israel after Mike received an appointment to teach in the Medical School at Hebrew University. Is it coincidence, chance or fate? Gabriel Zadok also taught at Hebrew University but as faculty in the Law School. Although they all lived in Jerusalem, many years passed before they met. It was forty years after the burning love affair that Ronni got stuck at the airport in Zurich. Who should happen to pass by and offer her help but Gabriel Zadok! They had dinner and he offered her his hotel room to freshen up. Guess what happened next! He was filled with impassioned pleas, explaining and justifying his breaking off their relationship so long ago. What is more - he wanted her back. However, despite this one unforgettable enigmatic night, she could not shatter her stable life to take up where they left off. Again, they resumed their parallell lives ...until ...they met again.

This time it was her husband Mike who inadvertently brought Gabriel Zadok back into Ronni's life. Mike participated in a multi-disciplinary symposium at Hebrew University that included the law faculty and Gabriel. Amazingly, Mike and Gabriel met and liked one another! Ruth Borman writes "days of grace followed" yet it was a "controlled storm". Recovering from the shattered love affair of forty years ago, Ronni was able to reconcile the disparate parts of her past ...until again ... fate or G-d struck the final and ultimate blow. Ronni had to say her last good-bye to Gabriel which was through a letter, one of their most initmate means of communication. This book tackles a very complex subject and probes the heart, mind, and emotions of its characters revealing many winding paths and deeply complicated layers. It is truly among the best love stories I have ever read. The author has a great understanding of human nature which she demonstrates on each and every page of this book. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

As I live in Jerusalem and walk its streets every day I took particular pleasure in seeing from a completely different perspective many familiar landmarks. As one who has driven on the road up to Jerusalem many times seeing the aerial view of the winding narrow highway from the Kastel, gave new insight to the battle over the highway in 1948.
The book is organized around the seven gates to the Old City and there are especially clear depictions of some of the world's holiest places.
Many of the photos are made when Jerusalem is covered with a thin layer of snow.
There are captions from the writings of Yehuda Amichai, Amos Oz, Nahmanides, Mark Twain. The first photograph contains an account of the city as it looked in the late twelvth century to Benjamin of Mitudela. A couple of particularly inspiring passages are provided by Shmuel Yosef Agnon.
The photos themselves make one realize how much richer the world before us than we ordinarily see, how much more beauty inherent in a place than we ordinarily know.
A true gift for the eyes and the soul.

I bought one as a Bat Mitzvah gift. My Israeli friend liked it so much I bought a second one for him.

"This is the land. Without words. A thousand forms, a thousand colors, watercourses, highways, domes, twists and turns. You can see the fissure line, the skyline, the lightline, and the watershed line."

You certainly can. In 208 magnificent photographs! There are mountain ranges, sand dunes, flatlands, and orchards. There are ancient mines, dating from the time of King Solomon. We get to see rivers, aqueducts, and terraces. Some detailed shots of the Dead Sea, Jaffa and Tel Aviv, Eilat, Masada, and Jerusalem. We see beaches and water parks. Deserts and coastlines. And more. In glorious color.

I recommend it.

Raful Eitan was one of Israel's greatest sons, taking part in all of Israel's wars of defence from the 1948 War of Independence to the 1982 Peace for Galilee War.


He was also a farmer and later a member of the Knesset and a leader of great vision.
Raful Eitan died under strange circumstances off the port of Ashdod in a drowning incident on 23 November 2004.

In this book Raful tells of his life from his birth into poverty at Moshav Tel Adashim.
Eitan describes life on the Moshav where he was born during the 1929 Arab pogroms against Jewish communities in the Land of Israel, and witnessed the 1936 pogroms at the age of seven, witnessing murder and the burning of fields and Jewish houses by Arab mobs.
The book is written with great humour, passion and love of his people and homeland.
In 1939, at the age of ten, he joined the Gadna, the youth wing of the Hagannah Jewish Defence organization.
In 1947 he joined the Palmach, the Haganah's elite striking force and describes the Arab atrocities he witnessed, after Arab armies and terror bands had attacked the Jews of Palestine, after the UN voted for the creation of a tiny Jewish State.
A convoy bringing supplies to troops and Jewish civilians came under fire from an Arab ambush near the village of Hulda on the road to Jerusalem.
"It was a terrible slaughter. We were not organized for a counter attack and could not even rescue our wounded. During the day and most of the night the wounded were abandoned to our attackers.Once the attackers had left, we went to retrieve the bodies of our beloved compatriots and discovered their burned and mutilated bodies. One of the drivers, who managed to hide from the Arabs, told us that the Arabs had abused the wounded and then poured fuel on them and burned them alive. This was the first time I had been exposed to this type of atrocity and it taught me that the Arab soldier came from a different culture, with a different fighting ethic".
Eitan describes how the Israeli army always does all they can to avoid the loss of the lives of enemy civilians, even risking the lives of their own soldiers to do this.
Never has any army, in any conflict, been so scrupulous in trying to avoid the spilling of the blood of noncombatants as the Israelis.
Eitan candidly describes the feelings and opinons about various Israeli millitary leaders such as Moshe Dayan, David 'Dado' Eleazar, and Ariel 'Arik' Sharon.
He makes no bones about his dislike for Moshe Dayan.

Eitan descibes his anger at a foreign camera crew that taunted the Israeli forces at the beginning of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, at a particularly difficult phase of the war for the Israelis.
The Syrians had attacked the Jews on the holiest day of the Jewish Calendar, and the Israelis had done nothing to deserve the foreign crews spiteful laughter.
This is a clear example of the unethical and vicious prejudice of the world media towards Israel and her people.
He expresses his anger and pain at what he witnessed of the Arab terror attacks on Israeli children at Ma'alot in 1974, where PFLP terrorists slaughtered 22 innocent Jewish children, without regard to their age and innocence.
He also expresses the heartbreak at the gruesome site of a murder by Arab terrorists of a Jewish mother and her two small children at Nahariya. that same year.
As Chief of Staff, Eitan played a very large role in fostering a relationship between the Christian Lebanese suffering under the yolk of the bloody Syrian and PLO occupation. Tens of thousands of Christian Lebanese men, women and children were massacred in cold blood by the Syrians, the PLO and the Moslem Lebanese between 1975 and the 1982 Peace for Galilee War.
In 1976 , under orders of Yasser Arafat, thousands of Christian Lebanese men, women and children were massacred at the Christian village of Damour.
The killings that took place at Sabra and Shatilla of Palestinians, when the Christians captured these terror camps , were in retaliation for the murder of Christian Lebanese people's leader Bashir Gemayel, and for the years of bloodshed inflicted on the Christians under the yolk of the PLO and their Syrian allies.
Eitan explains in a chapter in this book how Israel was guilty of no blame whatsoever for the Sabra and Shatilla incidents, despite the feeding frenzy of the world media and even the Israeli Left during the fall out after that battle.
He also describes how the alliance between Israel and the Christian Lebanese was a natural one in the light of the fact that the Arabs would never recognize the rights of Christians in Lebanon just as they would never recognize the right to exist of the Jews of Israel.
In fact this is what is at the heart of all conflicts in the region. The refusal of 300 million Moslem Arabs to recognize the human rights and self-determination of minorites in the Middle East and North Africa such as the Jews, Christian Lebanese, Kurds, Druze, Berbers, Copts , Assyrians, Chaldeans, Yazidis, Black South Sudanese, Bahais, Zoroastrians etc.
Eitan condemns the blatant lies of the world media during the Peace for Galilee War, when Eitan served as Israeli Chief of Staff, that Israel deliberately bombed civilian areas (when the truth is that Israel took care to never hurt civilians, even if it meant refraining from attacking the PLO terrorists, who hid among civilians, and knew that the Israelis would never attack them if it meant causing civilian casualties.
Compare this to the policy of Arab terrorists which has always been to target the young, the innocent, the weak and vulnerable.
In the Palestinian refugees fathers who refused to take up arms on behalf of the terrorists were frequently punished by the PLO killing his children before his eyes.
In the last chapter in the book, Eitan gives us insight into hos own analysis of the conflict, and what can be done.
He points out that " The Arabs have never accepted the fact that Israel exists as an independent sovereign state in the Middle East. Since we declared our independence the Arabs and Palestinians have tried many different startegies in their efforts to destroy our small Jewish country...During the 1920s the the Arabs used to engage in pogrom-like assaults on Jewish villages. In the 1930s the Arabs embarked on the "Great Arab Revolt". In the 1950s and early 1960s the "fedayin" used to cross into Israel and murder civilians. In the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, the PLO terrorist campaign was waged without any considerations given to the concept of innocence. In the 1980s the Arabs initiated "the intifada", a violent uprising directed towards all Jews, civilian and soldier".

He points out that Arab governments do not care that peace would mean they could divert attention away from purchase of and building up of weapons and redirect the money towards education and social upliftment.
They see the goal of Israel's destruction as more important than the welfare of their own people, and have brainwashed their people to see their suffering as sacrifices in the jihad against the hated "Zionist, imperialist enemy".
Eitan rejects the idea of gving up parts of the land of Israel for peace, pointing out that this would only help and encourage the Arabs to close in to destroy Israel comletely. Eitan sees the Munich Agreement of 1938, ceding Sudetenland to Hitler, as the first time the land for peace formula
had been tried.
He reminds us that the Arabs attacked Israel three times in 1948, 1956 and 1967 and engaged in thousands of raids against Israeli women and children, before Judea, Samaria and Gaza were even liberated by Israel.
Eitan urges that Israel remain strong and not give in to the terror of the Arabs or the pressure of the enemies of Israel. That Israel must encourage settlements and immigration and encourage large Jewish families by improvimg livimg conditions.
Israel must remain strong and steadfast and stick to a fierce policy of deterrence against Arab terror and belligerancy.
"We must wait until our Arab neighbours see the the advantages of peace and give up their campaign to destroy us. Only through strength can peace be achieved".
It is a tragedy that this great hero is no longer with us in Israel's great hour of need.

Raful Eitan is a name that anyone who has read the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict should know. He has lived through the entire history from British Mandate Palestine to the modern State of Israel. His autobiography chronicles his life and opinions from his days in pre-1948 Palmach (Israeli Shock Troopers and Pioneers), to being a highly decorated and combat experienced paratrooper, to his days as Minister of Defense, to his service during the highly controversial Operation Peace for Galilee (the 1982 Lebanon-Syria-PLO-Israel War).

He minces not one of his words and tells the entire tale in this 1992 paperback book's 388 pages. Every word of the book is exciting or engaging from moments of intense action to moments of intense reflection. Perhaps, one of the most interesting aspects of Eitan's outlook is that he bears the Palestinian-Arabs and other Arabs no animus or hate. He grew up with them as a Sabra (native-born Israeli) and feels sympathy towards them for the way that tyrannical Arab governments have manipulated the refugees without helping them. He hopes and prays to one day live in peace with all of the Arabs.

Perhaps most revealing are Eitan's parting words (Page 388):

-------------------------------

"Most importantly, in our struggle for survival we must not grow impatient. We must remain strong and steadfast. We must wait until the winds of change that are sweeping through Eastern Europe bring similar changes to our region. We must wait until our Arab neighbors see the advantages of peace and give up their campaign to destroy us. Only through strength can peace be achieved."

-------------------------------

His words seem almost prophetic in these days of change in the Middle East. Arab governments are slowly seeing their governments change through death of the previous strong man (Syria) to an aging king that will soon see a change of power in his country (Jordan) to a radical government that pushed a superpower too far (Iraq). Those winds of change that transformed Eastern Europe that Eitan prophesized certainly seem to have arrived in the Middle East. We can only hope and pray that peace will finally come to stay in the troubled Middle East. And until that day arrives, we can hope and pray that Israel remains strong waiting for the arrival of peace.

I highly recommend this excellent autobiography of one of Israel's most distinguished soldiers, farmers, leaders, and citizens.

Review by: Maximillian Ben Hanan

Raful Eitan is a name that anyone who has read the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict should know. He has lived through the entire history from British Mandate Palestine to the modern State of Israel. His autobiography chronicles his life and opinions from his days in pre-1948 Palmach (Israeli Shock Troopers and Pioneers), to being a highly decorated and combat experienced paratrooper, to his days as Minister of Defense, to his service during the highly controversial Operation Peace for Galilee (the 1982 Lebanon-Syria-PLO-Israel War).

He minces not one of his words and tells the entire tale in this 1992 paperback book's 388 pages. Every word of the book is exciting or engaging from moments of intense action to moments of intense reflection. Perhaps, one of the most interesting aspects of Eitan's outlook is that he bears the Palestinian-Arabs and other Arabs no animus or hate. He grew up with them as a Sabra (native-born Israeli) and feels sympathy towards them for the way that tyrannical Arab governments have manipulated the refugees without helping them. He hopes and prays to one day live in peace with all of the Arabs.

Perhaps most revealing are Eitan's parting words (Page 388):

-------------------------------

"Most importantly, in our struggle for survival we must not grow impatient. We must remain strong and steadfast. We must wait until the winds of change that are sweeping through Eastern Europe bring similar changes to our region. We must wait until our Arab neighbors see the advantages of peace and give up their campaign to destroy us. Only through strength can peace be achieved."

-------------------------------

His words seem almost prophetic in these days of change in the Middle East. Arab governments are slowly seeing their governments change through death of the previous strong man (Syria) to an aging king that will soon see a change of power in his country (Jordan) to a radical government that pushed a superpower too far (Iraq). Those winds of change that transformed Eastern Europe that Eitan prophesized certainly seem to have arrived in the Middle East. We can only hope and pray that peace will finally come to stay in the troubled Middle East. And until that day arrives, we can hope and pray that Israel remains strong waiting for the arrival of peace.

I highly recommend this excellent autobiography of one of Israel's most distinguished soldiers, farmers, leaders, and citizens.

Review by: Maximillian Ben Hanan

Spinning on the Axis of Evil documents the trips Canada's top war reporter has made to Iraq since 2000. Each time, the author spent days traveling the cities and countryside, often winding up in considerable physical danger, just to find out what people were saying, doing, and thinking. Unlike the usual "embedded" Iraq war reportage-lite, Taylor's in-depth focus results in a unique and unforgettable narrative that adds considerably to our understanding of America's most destructive intervention since Vietnam.

Soldier-turned-writer Scott Taylor first won the enmity of the Canadian military brass for exposing corruption in the ranks, and then scrambled through various Balkan war zones, winding up in all the wrong places at just the right time. And, while continuing to publish a Canadian military magazine (Esprit de Corps), he made television appearances as an analyst for Situation Report and CNN. Far from being the typical retired quarterback-commentator, Taylor stepped up his travels - and especially, to Iraq.

Taylor's methodical practice of recording the situation on the ground before, during, and after a conflict makes him stand out in this age of parachute journalists blinded by "the fog of war," as Geraldo once put it. Having spent years researching, visiting and making contacts, Taylor knew in advance how to operate in Iraq. Most importantly, Taylor was not cowed into writing the kind of laudatory review that the US government and its neoconservative warmongers demanded...

The rest of this review, as well as interviews with the author, Scott Taylor, can be found here: www.balkanalysis.com

Finally a book that shows us the other side of George Bush's propaganda war against Iraq! Taylor's pre-war visits to Iraq to report on the crippling effects of the 12 year embargo may help to explain to Americans why their troops were not greeted as liberators when the toppled Saddam. Highly readable, this book is a great adventure yarn as well as a tremendous source of truth about the plight of Iraqi people. Excellent!

Written as a first person narrative, Spinning on the Axis of Evil takes readers inside Iraq before, during and after George Bush's ill-conceived military intervention. The best part about Taylor's unique writing style is that he approaches complex social-political issues from a layperson's "ground-up" perspective, -rather than some academic egghead preaching from a professorial pulpit. One learns about Iraq's diverse tribal, religious and linguistic divisions while Taylor and his alcoholic Iraqi driver bumble their way around the countryside on the eve of war and in anarchy which followed. Spinning certainly provides a rare and previously unseen look into the world of Saddam Hussein's Iraq (including a colour photograph of Uday Hussein's prostitutes sunbathing naked at the Al Rasheed hotel!). Although Taylor was a frequent "guest" of the Iraqi regime, he was also expelled twice for his writings, and even accused of being a spy for the Mossad. A must read for anyone who questioned the rationale behind Bush's blunder into Iraq.

I came across this book as recommendation by the Curator of Turkish and Persian Manuscripts in the British Library and told me something about the authors background, at the time I was only able to find a copy online and unable to read it therefore was ecstatics to have found a hardback copy.

I am not good for words but it comes highly recommended by myself who is an afghan and found it hard to find reliable information about the country and its people which is mostly drawn on through ideological lines. This is a story of one person who goes literally at times endangering his own life, with a open heart and the process witness the dawn of the militant Islam in Afghanistan and the marginalization of spirituality and the high open-minded Muslim culture which once dominated the region and why. Valor, courage, integrity, honesty, hardworking, keeping once word, run deep through out the story. Robert so shows its importance in age self interested. the it is serious and funny at times which makes a good travelogue to keep the reader glued on to the book.

What I come to realize and I hope everyone that does read it will to, is Robert seized on to life, those opportunities that presented him no matter how much risky or impossible they looked and so he won at the end. At one point it reminded me of Davidson, in 'Only Fools and Horses' a British comedy in which his favorite catchphrase is 'he who dares wins' but in different light. I have not done much a service to his book by writing this for 'his a remarkable man' as the curator told me.

Disclaimer. I know author. I'm giving this book a good rating, not because he is a friend, but because it is actually a fascinating story. It is an adventure, a spiritual journey, and astute political observation rolled into one easy to read travelogue.

Robert helped distribute supplies for the UN in Afghanistan during the soviet war in the late 80's. I knew him for many years without knowing this side to him. His book chronicles his time there and shows how the seeds of militant Islam were sown during this time. This isn't a guy who drove around in a white land-rover with a blue helmet. He spoke the language, blended with the locals, and herded bags of money across mountains on donkeys avoiding mujahadeen and feuding warlords.

I most enjoyed the adventure, but Robert also tells of his spiritual journey, and how he came to understand Islam and ultimately convert. He is a poet and connects with the graceful face of Islam. He makes no apologies for the corruption being done in it's name.

I'm not religious, but this book opened my eyes on Afghanistan, Islam, and a fascinating character who has taught me a lot.

Review by Leonard Lewisohn
"Do any books on contemporary Sufism in Afghanistan exist? In any European language at least, this is the first one to my knowledge.

Robert Darr's The Spy of the Heart chronicles his years of travels, many adventures, imprisonment among Afghan warlords and tribes-people during the Soviet occupation just before the rise of the Taliban. This fascinating autobiographical travelogue, which presents a more positive view of Islam than currently represented in the Western press or by the more literalist exponents of Islam, details the author's spiritual search that led him ultimately to convert to Islam, but not without asking many questions about the purpose and problems inherent in adopting any religion. Between 1985 and 1990, Darr, an American, was in and out of Afghanistan working with aid organizations delivering medicines and humanitarian aid to those affected by the war with the Soviet Union. He had already been a student of Islamic culture for more than a decade, with a particular interest in Sufism. During these years in Afghanistan Darr became fluent in Persian and immersed himself deeply in the Afghan culture, going completely native in a way that few Westerners ever have--the priceless photos of Darr in Afghan turban and shalvar that illustrate the book recall Edward Browne in A Year among the Persians (1893) decked out in dervish regalia.

Not an historical survey of Sufi orders like Trimingham's The Sufi Orders of Islam (1971), nor monograph on a particular Sufi order like Pourjavady's and Wilson's Kings of Love (1978), nor research anthropological fieldwork like Valerie Hoffman's Sufism, Mystics and Saints in Modern Egypt (1995), Robert Darr's The Spy of the Heart yet represents a unique account of experiential Sufism lived and practiced in war-torn Afghanistan during the 1980s--the kind of living esoteric Islam promised but never delivered in Idries Shah's works or in Gurdjieff's Meetings with Remarkable Men. Darr's account of Sufism offers no extravagant fabula with dramatic effect and novelesque style--certainly no attempt to hoodwink the naïve student with Blavatskyian tall-tales of secret masters in hidden monasteries, or treasure maps of lost civilizations concealed in dilapidated houses, a la Gurdjieff et Shah.

The Spy of the Heart is a simply told, but an intensely gripping story of study and later initiation into Sufism vis-à-vis the author's association with the greatest modern Afghan poet Khalilullah Khalili and the miniaturist painter Homayon Etemadi and encounters with Sufis of the Naqshbandi Order in northern Afghanistan. Although casual and non-academic, Robert Darr's narrative yet manages to explore many themes of interest in the study of Islamic spirituality and history, militant Islam, the role of ethnicity in socio-cultural relations, current affairs, and international relations, making it a good text for undergraduate students seeking an understanding of contemporary Islamic spirituality of the Persianate variety, as well as students of modern Afghan history and politics."

This is an amazing book by an amazing person. A must for anyone wanting to know what's what in Israel politics...

This book presents the political credo of a leading Israeli politician. Livnat is a central member of the Likud party and presently serves as Education Minister within the Israeli government. This book is somewhat dry and lacks the vision and scope of the work of another Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu. But it does tell effectively the story, and outline the basic principles of a hard- working, skillful Israeli politician. Livnat by the way is a strong advocate of women's rights. Her basic calling card however has been her support for the Greater Land of Israel movement.

Limor Livnat writes in this book that after the Six Day War, someone scribbled "Am Yisrael Chai" (the people of Israel live) on the Arch of Titus in Rome.

You see, the Arch of Titus is there to celebrate the destruction of Jerusalem, over 1900 years ago. The Roman Empire is gone. And the Jews they went after, by no means as numerous or wealthy as the Romans, are still around. Livnat says that this means that the Jews have "defied history."

I wouldn't put it quite that way. But I do think we ought to realize that Big Empires can topple, while a much smaller people can withstand losing some battles and wars. In particular, I wouldn't be surprised if the Jews, having outlasted the Romans, managed to outlast some of their more recent foes.

Livnat is an Israeli politician. I think it might be worth comparing her, especially given her role as Education Minister, with Hanan Ashrawi, who once served as Arafat's Education Minister. Not all people are alike, and I think the contrast between these two people is enormous. Livnat is a genuine public servant, while Ashrawi has merely been a counterproductive propagandizer.

Livnat, speaking at the Golda Meir center in Haifa, says that women can be leaders. And that they can be feminists as well. The Knesset is dominated by men right now. Livnat feels that there is no reason why it couldn't be half women and half men. Neither do I. And she points out that there are some attitude changes that may need to be made to accomplish this. But she insists that "a woman can be a feminist and religious, a feminist and a capitalist, a feminist and an astronaut, or a feminist and a quilt-maker." I strongly agree.

As for leadership, maybe that would be a problem if a leader always had to be the person who could lift the heaviest weight. Luckily, that isn't the case at all.

Livnat states her vision for the future. She sees an Israel that will defend and protect Jews both in Israel and elsewhere. One which will continue to absorb immigrants from everywhere and will have stronger bonds with the Jewish diaspora. A Jewish and democratic Israel (as she explains, that is not a contradiction) that is at peace with its neighbors. And an undivided Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Right now, all this may look preposterous, much as Herzl's vision of a Jewish state must have seemed preposterous a century ago. But her dream is merely one that has come true for many other small nations.

I recommend this book.

The book is well written and has good pace. The The true stories of two Tibettan lives, largely imprisoned, at the hands of the Chinese is an important historical document and a sad testament to human cruelty. I highly recommend this book as background to travelers and for those interested in the plight of Tibet.

The book is well written and has good pace. The The true stories of two Tibettan lives, largely imprisoned, at the hands of the Chinese is an important historical document and a sad testament to human cruelty. I highly recommend this book as background to travelers and for those interested in the plight of Tibet.

This honest and shocking book recounts the true story,in their own words,of two Tibetans imprisoned by the occupying Chinese. Ama Adhe's story is perhaps the most shocking and disturbing account in this well written book. An ordinary Tibetan woman who commited the "crime" of being related to a Tibetan freedom fighter, she recounts her early years in the then free Tibet and offers a fascinating insight into a lost world. She details the brutal Chinese Gulag, and details the systematic starvation,(and the attendant cannabalism)torture, execution and rape she encountered there. Her survival was reliant on both luck and the attentions of a Chinese doctor who did not approve of what the Communist authorities were doing. A truly harrowing account from one lucky enough to survive and escape to bear witness.

Tenpa Soepa's account is hardly any less disturbing. A Tibetan government official he was intimately involved in the flight of the Dali Lama. Because of this he was selected for special treatment by the Chinese and endured several years in a prison in China along with seventy four others; twenty two and a half suvived. It is hard to understand how one reduced to cannabalism can relate his story so honestly. His story proves that the Tibetans did not meekly submit to Chinese rule as some may erroneously believe, but fought courageously against overwhelming odds in the face of almost certain death. Tenpa Soepa's survival is down to the fact that a fellow inmate and friend chose to commit suicide rather than implicate him in an escape plot. "Greater love hath no man......."

This is an important book. Witness to the destruction and genocide of a nation it is a searing testament of man's inhumanity to man and a humbling book to read. It should be required reading in the schools system, to stand as a warning of what happens when humanity is subjugated to ideology, and the consequences of the loss of humanity. "I was only following orders..." Read it and weep.

This book goes far beyond the "go here, then there" style of most tour guides, it is the only such book that I find myself dipping into at random just to enjoy the delighful descriptions of one of the world's most fascinating and colorful cities, coupled with amazing historical tidbits that bring the city's ancient history into immediate contemporary focus. Even if you never visit Turkey and never intend to, this book will bring the city to life and perhaps make you anxious to visit. I found this book by accident and was immediately enchanted. It features many walking tours with commentary on what you will see, but I found the most enjoyable way to use the book was to strike out at random and stop whenever I got tired or saw something interesting (which in Istanbul is only about three times per city block). I would then locate myself and find the relevant section of the book and read up on where I was, preferably while sipping Turkish tea and munching on baklava. For those less physically adventurous, I would suggest going to the Galata Bridge, finding a tea shop about halfway across, and then just browsing through this book while observing the Asian and European halves of the city from midway between them. Istanbul is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth and nobody can possibly find all her secrets in one visit, or from one book - or for that matter, within the space of a single lifetime. This is where to start, it will whet your curiosity and expand your sense of wonder.

Strolling through Istanbul is a journey of One Thousand and One Nights in several days. It teaches you literally everything you want to know about this city of two continents. It is very strong in architechural history and yet gives you a personal sense of the city. As a former resident on Istanbul, it is accurate in every sense and conveys the magic of the "jewel of the empire". Each chapter reflects a different tour of the city or, a portion of the city to explore. Whether searching out Byzantium, Constantinople or Istanbul, the reader is never disappointed.

There are innumerable city-guides to the great metropolis of Istanbul, all of them brimming with practical, touristy information about lodging, exchange rates, transportation, dining, toilet etiquette, etc. Most also have at least a few pages devoted to primary tourist sites and suggested itineraries.

Then there is Strolling Through Istanbul by Hillary Sumner-Boyd and John Freely. For Istanbul, who's few square miles are more steeped in history than the sum of the western world, STI is the only single-volume book small enough to stuff in your fanny pack that entices and enlivens the traveler with detailed descriptions of the city's numerous and fascinating attractions. STI's absorbing anecdotes, vivid histories, and abundant artistic perspectives peel away layer upon layer of the ordinary to reveal the extraordinary character of the city. Everything is covered, from the dizzying heights of the ancient Haghia Sofia and the entrancing mosaics of St. Savior-In-Chora to the incredibly ar

Dr. Astarjian's book is a rare mix of a well-researched, academic history coupled with the personal reflection and emotional realism of an autobiography.
His retelling of the significant events and players in the creation of modern Iraq is a primer for anyone interested in the present day predicament of both Iraq, the region and international diplomacy. Dr. Astarjian's research, depth of knowledge and historical perspective is clearly outstanding.
The personal recollections, recounting his childhood in Kirkuk, medical career, imprisonment, and his decision to eventually leave the country, are filled with pathos, candor and humor.
But the real strength of the book is derived from something greater than its parts--the book is much more than just a retelling of a nation's history and one man's story. Dr. Astarjian details the complex motivations, biases and aspirations across cultural, ethnic and religious lines that drive the political events that formed Iraq, with an emphasis on the pivotal role determined by his hometown of Kirkuk. And it is precisely those underlying factors that are so crucial to understanding the true nature of political history, but so elusive for any "outside" author to capture. Dr. Astarjian provides that unique, analytical perspective that only one who was present at the creation of modern Iraq could provide, and he demonstrates the intellectual capacity and historical insight to bring the story to life.

Part history, part memoir, feel slike you read three books when you read one. The third book is the underlying message that unifies the first, obvious two.

You really have to read to book to understand what I am saying, and I do not want to ruin it for you.

This is readable by teenagers or the elderly. it is written with a style that is unique, and probably is a reflection of the multilingualism and powerful intelligence of the author--a neurologist.

If President George Bush (or Dick Cheney) or whoever is running this country had this book, and read it, they would know exactly what to say and do to succeed in iraq.

The underlying message, though, is that you cannot easily tame this nation. It takes some brains, and not just guns. The youtube video I saw advertsing the AMAZON.COM site link said only a little about the book. The book is so awesome, you cannot put it down. It is a reference resource, too. Every majotr library, university Library, will have this book for centuries!

Memoir, history....inelligent political analysis and no bee ess...
That is no the only message, actually, there are so many.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

Wisdom from the Eye of the Storm

`The Struggle for Kirkuk' Explains Iraq as Only an Armenian Can

By Andy Turpin


WATERTOWN, Mass. (A.W.)-- They say that if you can see a tidal wave coming at you on the horizon, you're already dead. That watery bit of sage may seem out of place when it comes to discussing a memoir of life in Iraq, but it seems somehow fitting for Dr. Henry D. Astarjian's The Struggle for Kirkuk.

Hindsight in foreign policy is 20/20, and Astarjian's insights into how the Iraqi quagmire came to fruition are about as hawkeyed as any author can get.

Kirkuk chronicles Astarjian's life in the city of the same name, from his childhood in the 1930's to his immigration to the United States in the early 1960s. It details in both artful anthropological prose and concise analysis everything from his own community politics to the sordid and backbiting Iraqi national devolution that led to his torture and imprisonment in the aftermath of the 1958 military coup.

Far from biased, Astarjian points out at every juncture the idiosyncrasies of loyalty and Realpolitik that hounds him still as an American citizen, an ethnic Armenian, and an Anglophile who knew then that British actions were responsible for even the chain of events that led to his own dungeon hell.

He remembers many in every political camp who showed him kindness; yet no group leaves Iraq's borders or Astarjian's pages with clean hands, although the British receive more rebuke than others. He recalls, "For Iraqis, Britain was the master of deception; `If two fish fight in the sea, be sure it is instigated by the British,' was a common saying in Iraq."

Even Armenians do not escape his cavalcade of accountability for opportunistic actions--not in the case of Iraq but regarding the genocide and WWII.

He writes, " Victoria [the author's Tashnag aunt who survived the genocide] also despised organized church, priests, and all God's deputies on earth. She used to tell me stories about how some deceptive clergy of the time collaborated with the Ottoman authorities and turned in Armenian Fedayees thinking that by doing so they might protect the church form the evil eye of the Muslim Turk. She used to tell me stories about the Fedayees, even before the ARF had `cleansed' the communities from these `Madnitch Houtahs' (Judases)."

Speaking of the sometimes varied and conflicting alliances Armenians forged with nations as safety valves in their quest to restore republicanism to Western and Eastern Armenia, Astarjian recounts of the WWII period: "General Tro, an Armenian military commander, had organized an Armenian battalion to fight on Hitler's side in the Caucasus. Communists and Leftists blamed him for waging a war against the fatherland, yet other Armenians were supportive. `We support the Allies all right, but how about if they lose, where will we be then? At least with Tro we will have some credit with Hitler."

Astarjian is particularly gracious in his descriptions of his Arab neighbors and hosts in those chapters that provide background to the Armenian community in Iraq. He writes: "Shereef Hussein admired Armenians who had planted a bomb to assassinate the Red Sultan in 1905. He sympathized with the Armenian cause, and considered them comrades in arms: On the eve of the Genocide and massive deportation of Armenians, he issued a directive to all Arabs asking them to help the Armenian refugees, settle them on their land, and treat them kindly, `as if they were one of your own.' That signed document still hangs in the rectory of the Armenian Church in Baghdad."

Armenians have always been a much-loved part of the Islamic mosaic, and such passages are valid for any Armenian-American reader that may be particularly flag waving or anti-Arab without thought to the real motivations behind the current war.

Astarjian also notes the trends that have always inflicted the region where he grew up. "Iraq has never had democracy in its glorious past," he writes. "Yes, millennia ago Babylonian Hammurabi's Codes governed society, but that never provided for plurality."

The conflict between the moral cost in human life and the financial cost in government ledgers is as much a running theme of Kirkuk as it is in everyday Iraqi life.

He writes about the Soviet Union's role in the Cold War, as well, saying its "backing of the Kurds was not motivated by admiration for the Kurds, rather it was an attempt to control the `Two Liquids,' which they had in abundance: Oil and Water. Oil in Kirkuk and Mosul, and the waters of the Tigris and the Euphrates in Turkish Kurdistan."

As for the capitalist perspective, personified by the British ambassador who came to visit after Abd al-Karim Qasim took power in Iraq in 1958, it was said that "the Ambassador's first question was about union with [the president of Egypt] Nasser. The Ambassador said, `Britain objects to Iraq's union with the United Arab Republic, and if Nasser's hands reach the oil wells, Britain will have a different posture. The British forces are in Jordan and the American forces are in Lebanon. Oil must flow."

Perhaps the hardest brunts to bear from the The Struggle for Kirkuk are the bookends, which are dedicated to the follies the U.S. continues to make in Iraq, and to the false battle cries for freedom from a nation that for years was an overt backer of authoritarianism and repression--first via British economic policies, then under Saddam.

Astarjian harkens back to a time before the rise of U.S. hegemony and egg-faced rhetoric. "The world loved America for its ideals: freedom, justice, fairness, charity, and lawfulness. She was the antithesis of colonial Europe who had sucked the blood of its colonies. The world knew the difference, and that's why they loved America. America was good, America was great."