Middle East Books

This beautiful volume of elegant photography can be viewed on several levels; a book of art, a fresh exploration into a society that continues to amaze, or - importantly - a tribute to perhaps the cornerstone to the cradle of civilization. A fantastic book which will need a coffee table of its own for years to come.

BEAUTIFULL , Simple , Fine work.

Thank You your works Herve Champollion

I, being an avid Egyptophile, own dozens of illustrated volumes on the subject of Egyptian art and architecture. But this book, Egypt, Stones of Light, is truly the best among them. Never before has the sublime and elegant stone of Egypt been displayed in such a gorgeous format, in their natural light. Diane Sarofim Harle's scholarly captions are very insightful and accurate, and compliment the images greatly. Everything about this book, the captions, the elegant photography, the accompanying text and descriptions, even the index, is done with great care and perfection. I cannot think of one negative comment that could possibly made about this wonderful volume. I particularly like how the photographer, Herve Champollion, tends to zoom in to charming and breathtaking details of the statues and reliefs, rather than taking generic photos of the whole work of art as most photographers do. Also the photographs showing the symbology of the columns and statues are quite exquisite. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys beautiful ancient art and astounding architecture. Bravo! Flipping through the dark, glossy pages of this volume, one can easily get lost, dreaming of Egypt.

I have read countless books about the ancient world and civilizations including Egypt, Rome, Greece, Assyrian, Sumerian, Babylonian, phoenician, scandavian, Asian Indian and little chinese, so I have an idea on chosing good books on this subject. And I tell you this book is one of the most informative book and it is so complete that any reading in the subject will make it just a repitition! It contains a geart text, numerus clear pictures and drawings with awesome illustrations which allow you to imagine what was it to live in their time. It covers all the aspects, starting from the very begining prehistory, ealy, middle, late, Greco-Roman periods. Also covers almost all aspects of their life, Gods, cults, state society, houses, cities, Arts, lifestyle, Palaces, daily life Royal administration and its organization, military, political, mumification, burial and much much more. It contains a very valuable appendecies (Gods of ancient Egypt, list of historic sites, rulers of Egypt, Egypt collections, and chronological synopsis). I visited Egypt three times and I saw pictures in the book that I have never seen. What I like most is there are some drawings that reconstruct temples, palaces and monuments which provides a clearer image of site rather than just pictures of ruins. I enphusise again on the pictures included in addition to the easy to read text.

This is a wonderful, well-written book on ancient Egypt. It covers just about every aspect of ancient Egypt that one can think of, with chapters on all the famous temples; pyramids and burial sites; the rulers, including Cleopatra and all the famous pharaohs; Alexandria with its awesome lighthouse at Pharos; and of course the Egyptian gods. But what is most striking about the book is the absolutely stunning pictures of statues, monuments, temples, etc. and carefully drawn and reproduced maps and illustrations. It is this that make the book a pure joy to behold! The book's convenient size fits neatly into your hands so you can leisurely spend hours thumbing from subject to subject in this marvelous little book! Even jaded Egyptologists will glean surprising new information about the always fascinating ancient Egyptians! In short, this book is sure to please, entertain, and inform. Who could want more?

This book is full of fantastic pictures! Wonderful text to go along with the pictures and great detail... Great for reference... and Great for personal knowledge! One word.... AWESOME!

As I type this , we are discovering that Bush lied about the nuclear weapons in Iran. Just like he lied about Iraq he was bound and determined to send us into a war as he left office.
Read this book if you want to learn about the issues related to Iran and foreign policy.
Steven J. Ybarra JD

This is a cracker-jack of a book. Lucidly written, rich with historical background, argued in a reasoned and intellectually honest way. I am not an Iran expert, but I imagine this book would make excellent reading for specialists as well as those generally interested in foreign affairs like me.

I found this book to be very helpful in laying out the myths of perception we in the west have about Iran. This book gives a concise grounding in the history of Iran, as a pawn in great power struggles and the growth and changes in Shi'a and Islamic faith in the region. I believe the grounding is complete enough that explanations of issues around today's geopolitics are easier to understand and judge.

I like the reminder to plan for long term end states desired in any political conflict. This was so clear in the U.S. adventure in Iraq. And we need to remember this in our dealings with Iran. It is important, as the author points out to us, to paint real images of those we think of as enemies, instead of dealing in stereotypes.

The last section, Part III, is devoted to detailing and proposing new policy approaches between the U.S. and Iran . These include a modified "Nixon Doctrine", approaches to maintaining "American Hegemony" and theories about democracies not going to war against each other. Some conclusions left me questioning some underlying assumptions but I recommend this books for its illuminating and provocative ideas.

The personal touch


By Sol Schindler

ENGAGING THE ARAB & ISLAMIC WORLDS THROUGH PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Edited by William A. Rugh, Public Diplomacy Council, $19.95, 181 pages.

Public diplomacy is the new phrase designating what used to be called international information and cultural affairs - that is, a country's efforts to persuade the people of other countries through mass media and other channels of its friendly, worthwhile intentions.
This collection of essays, edited by William A. Rugh - author of the book "Arab Mass Media" and former ambassador to Yemen, and later the United Arab Emirates - attempts an examination of our efforts in the Muslim world pointing out how we could do better. The title of the book, "Engaging the Arab & Islamic Worlds Through Public Diplomacy," encapsulates the book's thesis by the use of the word engaging. It is not enough to reach somebody, to deliver a message or, even worse, to send a signal. It is necessary to engage him in a mutual endeavor where through both intellectual and emotional exchange, true understandings can be reached.
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Kenton Keith, also a distinguished former ambassador, in his contribution emphasizes this point. He states "the reality [is] that the most effective public diplomacy tool has always been one that engaged Americans personally with citizens of a particular country."
He gives examples from his own experience in Syria, where personal relationships were of significant assistance in establishing a cultural agreement and a large educational exchange program. No one in the diplomatic establishment will deny the merit of Mr. Keith's position, but as James L. Bullock points out if one is chained to his desk answering requests from Washington or doing administrative work that the bureaucracy demands, there is little time to nurture those relationships Mr. Keith describes.
The current public affairs officer is short of both staff and funds as a result of decades of downsizing, and accordingly, cannot perform as well as his predecessors of 20 or 30 years ago. The post of undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs has been vacant for months on end, and we desperately need someone with proven experience and sufficient dynamism to give our programs the leadership they require.
From these general comments which can apply to our entire public diplomacy effort, the work becomes specific to the Arab scene by having three essays devoted to Arab radio and television. Alan Heil, former deputy director of the Voice of America, gives us a history of the VOA in Arabic, and laments its passing. Norman Patriz, a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, discusses Radio Sawa, the radio channel that replaced the VOA, and Al-Hurra, the new U.S. funded TV station. Radio Sawa, he points out, can now be heard on FM, making it accessible to virtually everyone, and its programs are tailored to fit the needs of the individual countries it broadcasts to, unlike the one-size-fits-all shortwave programs it has replaced. He states that Al-Hurra, which is just finishing its first year, has gotten off to a successful start in a hostile environment and its future is promising. He offers a series of graphs and statistics illustrating its rapid expansion.
Marc Lynch, an associate professor of political science at Williams College, disagrees. He quotes different statistics on listeners and states that Radio Sawa's primary focus "remains on its quite attractive, but politically irrelevant music." He goes on to say that "unlike Radio Sawa Alhurra has not distinguished itself with a superior product." He quotes others as saying the programs are "boring, tedious, stale." Such comments, of course, have been made about virtually every TV channel in existence, but Mr. Lynch feels greater engagement with issues that Arabs are most interested in would bring surer success.
In the concluding chapter William Rugh argues that American public diplomacy has been successful in the past, in some cases remarkably so, but in this new age with new and different dangers it should be strengthened, not downgraded. He recognizes the need for security but states we cannot "conduct public diplomacy while hiding inside fortresses." He also believes that the merger of the U.S. Information Agency into the State Department has shifted assets that were already inadequate away from public diplomacy efforts.
Still, what is needed is not clever new stratagems or bureaucratic shifting (rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic) but the acknowledgment that there is a clear and present danger that we are not meeting. Funds are needed to resuscitate programs that have been proven to work in the past and to provide competent personnel to implement them. It is time to get to work. This book may help us to begin.

Sol Schindler is a retired Foreign Service Officer.

Perhaps no aspect of American diplomacy has received more attention in the period since 9/11 than public diplomacy, conducted by the Department of State since the 1999 demise of the U.S. Information Agency. There is widespread agreement that the state of our public diplomacy is seriously inadequate in all respects. The congressionally created Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim World, chaired by retired Ambassador Edward Djerejian, issued a scathing critique, including detailed recommendations, in October 2003. Like the 9/11 Commission, the study called for significantly greater funding, but also recommended structural changes and greatly increased, trained human resources.

Now another group of public diplomacy experts, comprised largely
of retired USIA officers, has joined the debate. The Public Diplomacy Council, a nonprofit organization founded in 1988 and with close ties to the USIA Alumni Association, adds in this report a professional analysis of the means to conduct successful public diplomacy and an action plan to implement such a program. The study is edited by former ambassador and USIA officer Dr. William A. Rugh, who has written extensively on the subject.

Leading off the six-part report, Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat
Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, sets the political stage, noting, as have others,
the collapse of Arab trust in the United States, particularly in the first term of President George W. Bush. He identifies the Arab-Israeli issue as the "prism of pain" through which Arab audiences judge the United States, even though the region has many other problems. He makes the telling point that much resentment aimed at the U.S. is based on the perception that the U.S. does not care about the views and concerns of others. Telhami also adds support for authoritarian governments and the information revolution as other significant factors in the growth of Arab resentment. He judges that public opinion in the region is playing an increasingly relevant role and is increasingly independent of Middle East governments.

In the study's second part, three public affairs officers (Kenton Keith and Barry Fulton, retired; James Bullock, active-duty) give the reader a hands-on analysis of the daily demands of the job, stressing respectively the indispensable use of personal contact, the need to make effective use of rapidly changing technology, and the day-to-day challenges facing public diplomacy in the field. One thread running through these contributions is the muddled lines of control and the new bureaucratic burdens created by the USIA merger into the Department of State, a merger many observers now consider ill-advised.

The report's third section, with much less consensus, deals with U.S. international broadcasting, directed by the presidentially appointed, nonpartisan Broadcasting Board of Governors. Broadcasting to the Arab World and Iran has been completely
reorganized in recent years. The Arabic Service of the Voice of
America has been replaced by the new, largely music/entertainment oriented Radio Sawa and by TV Alhurra; Radio Free Iraq (part of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) has been gutted; and the entertainment-oriented Radio Farda has replaced the Iranian Service of RFE/RL.

In the first of three contributions, Alan Heil, former VOA deputy director, recalls the rich history of VOA Arabic, which operated at much less cost than Radio Sawa, and calls for its revival. Norm Pattiz, the BBG member most responsible for the creation of the new broadcast media and himself a very successful commercial
broadcaster, argues in contrast that a new market research-based approach reaching a much larger audience is needed, and cites BBG studies that claim large audiences for both Radio Sawa and TV Alhurra. But Mark Lynch, a professor at Williams College who has written widely about Arab public opinion and media, cites other data to argue that TV Alhurra has only a small share of a highly competitive market and will prove to be a costly white elephant. He judges that Radio Sawa, despite its large audience created by clear FM signals and first-rate music, has had only mixed success, since its primary focus remains on its "quite attractive, but politically irrelevant, music."

In the fourth section Barry Ballow, former director of academic exchanges at USIA and State, outlines the achievements of international visitor programs, many of whose participants have gone on to important responsibilities (including 32 Nobel laureates). He deplores the program's woeful underfunding and the impact of new, post-9/11 security procedures. Former ambassador Crescencio Arcos, now directing international affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, explains the department's efforts to balance security with facilitating visitors. In the fifth part, Howard Cincotta, a former USIA and State expert, analyzes the State Department's print media, including the daily Washington File, magazines, e-journals and book translations.

The study closes with Dr. Rugh's conclusions and action plan. He identifies three causes for public diplomacy's decline: increased security measures, decreased funding and the merger of USIA into State - all factors that preceded 9/11. As other analysts before him have done, he urges a broad-gauged expansion of public diplomacy in the region: more staff with greater training; more use of local media channels; revival of American centers, English language programs and libraries overseas; expanded and reinvigorated exchange programs; revival of VOA Arabic; and, perhaps most fundamental, consolidation of clear lines of authority for public diplomacy at the Department of State. He calls for funding to be quadrupled to at least $4 billion annually.

The Council's report could not be timelier, for the necessary consensus to improve exists. I agree with the report's action plan, with the exception of simply restoring VOA Arabic: I would prefer a country-specific approach targeted at key Arab states, as Radio Free Iraq was created to do. A new public diplomacy team, headed by Karen Hughes, is taking over (though not until the fall, regrettably). After four discouraging years, there appears to be a chance for a fresh start on Israeli-Palestinian peace, however long the odds; the situation in Iraq may still be salvageable; and democratic trends are stirring tentatively in the region. Taking advantage of new developments, however, will involve more than increased resources or better marketing. It will require, in my view, acknowledgement of the resentment Arabs feel over U.S. policies affecting the Palestinians and a "decent respect to the opinions of mankind" - aspects of the problem all recent public diplomacy studies have addressed only lightly.

At long last there is a book by public diplomacy practicioners and Middle East experts who really understand how and why the United States must engage with the Arab and Islamic worlds. Ambassador Rugh, the editor, and 10 essayists, most of whom have lived and worked in the region and who have a first person understanding of the importance of public diplomacy, have produced a first rate book that any student of the either the Arab and Islamic worlds or of public diplomacy/strategic communication would find invaluable.

I'm really happy with my latest cookbook, Essential Middle Eastern Cooking. A nice selection of dishes from Turkey, Lebanon, Morrocco and other Middle Eastern countries including fish, poultry, rice, lamb,and a lot of vegetarian dishes. I was very relieved almost all the ingredients were easily found in my local grocery store! The desserts are absolutely delicious. And it's really a healthy cuisine which is especially important today.

I love Middle Eastern food, in general, but I am sometimes disappointed when one place's hummous is not as good as another...or the variyng qualities of bab ghanoush available at restaurants. This book has the best recipes for every dish that I am familiar witha nd introduced me to new dishes that have become new favorites for me as welll. I particularly like the fish baked in tahini, which I've not seen at any restuarnat. Unfortunately, I recently moved to a region of the south US that sorely lacks Middle Eastern eatries, but this book has been a life saver.

The instricutions are simple and easy to follow, and the ingredients are well explained and usually acessible even where I live now. There are picutres to give a better idea about foods that may initially be unfamilar to you. I wish that the book included a few more vegetarian alternatives, but in general, am so happy with the product, that my only genuine complaint is aimed at myself - for not having bought the book earlier.

Among the several middle-eastern cuisine books I have bought, this book still ranks first for me. Soheila Kimberley has obviously a deep knowledge of Persian cooking, but also has a number of very interesting recipes from other parts of the Middle-east, all the way to Morocco. I had been looking for the Omm Ali (Egyptian bread pudding) for a long time. Finally, I got it in this book. Just looking at the pictures makes me hungry. Most of the recipes are written in 4 to 6 clear steps that will transform you in a Middle-Eastern Chef in no time. If you love Middle-Eastern food as much as I do, you won't regret buying this book.

If you're interested in ancient Mesopotamian civilization, you'll probably love this book. It's full of fascinating information about the day-to-day lives of the ancient Sumerians and Akkadians. Chapters include such topics as Love and Sex, Women's Rights, Food and Cuisine, the Law, Religion, and so on. The book is written mostly by Bottero, but there are also several other scholars who contribute some of the chapters. Most are well written and not too technical or difficult to read, and as I said, full of lots of interesting and intriguing information and facts.

The ancient Mesopotamians come across as practical, no-nonsense people who, in contrast to the ancient Egyptians, weren't especially religious and believed in living life in the here and now as best one could. Although they did have a religion, it was mostly for propitiating various gods and deities who they hoped would bestow their blessings on them in their personal or public affairs. There was a concept of the afterlife, but it was basically a dark, dingy, netherworld where not much happened, it seems, and they regarded the present life as far preferable to it.

A good example of their practical approach to affairs is that marriage was a simple contract without much ceremony. Women could marry who they wanted and could divorce much as men could, although adultery was tolerated much less for women than for men. A surprising fact is how extensive their food and cuisine was. According to the writer of the chapter, the Sumerians knew how to make hundreds of different types of breads, soups, beer, and other dishes, depending on the ingredients and how they were prepared.

Overall, a fine book and addition to the practical history and understanding of the ancient Mesopotamians.

This excellent book is a series of sixteen articles on the subject of life in ancient Mesopotamia. The articles are written by four leading authorities on the subject, and cover everything from the origins of the Sumerians to how they lived to what they believed. Indeed, I must say that I found the chapter, Love and Sex in Babylon to be quite interesting, covering a topic that most history books shy away from.

Overall, I found this to be an excellent book on the subject, informative without being dry and academic. Indeed, if you are interested in extending your knowledge of ancient Mesopotamia, then you must get this book. I give this book my highest recommendations.

"Everyday Life in Ancient Messopotamia" offers an interesting option to the general reader who is interested in Ancient Mesopotamia but is put off by most of the dry and academic texts that are currently available on this topic. As Bottero stated in his foreword, he wanted the reader to become acquainted with the Mesopotamian culture through vivid impressions, much as a tourist would gain when visiting a foreign country for the first time. All exaggerations aside, Bottero really manages to do a very good job of igniting the reader's interest in this part of the ancient world.

Although I felt that the chapters on food and wine were a bit overextended, the rest of the book provides a solid and entertaining discussion of Mesopotamia. The chapters dealing with women in Mesopotamian society were quite interesting, where Bottero suggests that women may have had more leverage power in dealing with men than would be suggested by the textual evidence. Additionally, Georges Roux's discussion of the origins of the Semiramis legend are equally appealing. One of the things that impressed me about this book was the ability of the various contributors to throw a new light on old ideas, thus allowing the reader to gain new insights. For example, one theory that made me think was Bottero's idea that the use of writing to communicate decrees made by the king may have prepared the Mesopotamians to accept the possibility that the gods might issue their decrees through the movements of the celestial bodies. And just as there were experts to read the texts, there originated the need to obtain experts in astrology who could interpret the heavenly bodies. I do not know if this is a widely supported idea in the Assyriological community, but nevertheless, the ability of the various contributors to communicate to the general reader is a definite strong point of this book.

I highly recommend this book as a good starting point to Mesopotamia, since it will leave the reader (like myself) wanting to learn more.

Anthony W. Horton is a chaplain in the Army. This powerfully inspiring book follows him to Iraq during the challenges of Operation Iraqi Freedom. How do you bring faith, courage, morality and love to men and women who are daily placing their lives in danger far from home? How do you convince them that a Latter-day Saint can have the answers, when they've been raised to hate or distrust them?

This is one of the most uplifting books I have ever read. It has taken me a long time to read it because I find I read a bit, and then put it away to ponder. Many of the passages, thoughts and stories lead me on a search for greater answers. Brother Horton's responsibility is to soldiers of all faiths, and that adds to the challenges and to the need to think deeply about the gospel teachings. During his time in Iraq, he has faced prejudice from other chaplains and from soldiers who have never been expected to receive their religious counsel from a Latter-day Saint. He is frequently called upon to share his beliefs. His explanations of gospel principles reach far beyond the ordinary and will make you see the gospel in ways you never imagined.

One of the challenges Brother Horton faces is that soldiers often fool themselves into believing that "what happens in Iraq stays in Iraq." This means they convince themselves that they can live in ways contrary to their beliefs and to the vows they have made to family members and it somehow doesn't count because they are far from home. When they find their conscience has followed them to war, they end up in his office seeking comfort and help as they strive to rebuild the lives they have damaged as a result of their mistakes. Elder Horton's honest but compassionate discussions of repentance have value for any member who may have strayed but wants to return home.

The glimpse into Iraqi homes and faith is particularly inspiring. He met a group of people who believe they are practicing a faith that has been handed down to them directly from John the Baptist. Some are the only Christians in their area and struggle to keep their faith in the most challenging of circumstances.

Mingled with stories of life in war-torn Iraq are in-depth discussions of six gospel principles. The first six chapters are titled:

1. Adam Fell That Men Might Be
2. Cursed is the Ground for Thy Sake
3. For the Natural Man is an Enemy to God
4. Have Ye Spiritually Been Born of God?
5. Forsake Your Nets and Straightway Follow Him
6. Let Your Light So Shine

Our reading group read this book. As a group we all agreed it was an uplifting book of hope in a time of dispair. There are so few positve reports coming from that part of the world at this time and we as a group felt that at least some of the Iraqi people were being shown compassion by our sevicemen over there.
I have to agree with the critique that the editing was so poor, I found my self with pen in hand correcting mistakes.

This is a fascinating book about a soldier and his time in Iraq. His stories are inspiring about God's children and the work that still goes forward even during war. Great read, highly recommend.

This book is an engaging blend of personal narrative and political instruction, one that's difficult to put down. In the tradition of Diane McWhorter's CARRY ME HOME, Dr. Elliott teaches us things we don't know while at the same time making sure we remember that she is a human being, journeying through territory and time, actually feeling what she is learning. I wish other historians would follow these examples and show us the human face of a very daunting, sometimes abstract, always complicated subject. The Middle East is mysterious to Americans, only because we haven't lived there, visited there, loved and felt there. Once you've visited Elliott's world, you feel you can't return to comfortable complacency in front of the television set. All the right questions are being asked in this little book and thankfully, unlike so many other works on this subject, it never turns into a rant. Dr. Elliott remains confused about what she has learned. It is that state of confusion that leaves the door open to more learning, and more learning is what we all could use. The Middle East is not just a bunch of territorial barbarians, not merely a horde of religious zealots, not just a group of intolerant boundary-holders and conquerors. The Middle East is filled with people who aspire to decent, peaceful lives, if their leaders and our leaders would put all of us first and leave the strutting and sabre-rattling to a previous century. Dr. Elliott and others who have opened their eyes to a new reality have much to teach us.
--Jim Reed, author, DAD'S TWEED COAT Learn more at his website: jimreedbooks.com

Liza Elliott's book is one of the best books on the Middle East crisis out there. After reading this book, you get a sense of what's really happening in Palestine, who the Palestinians are, what their aspirations are, and why do they act the way they do. This book dispels the myths that Palestinians are terroritsts. It puts a human face on them and explains that not only are they NOT the terrorists, but that THEY are the ones being terrorized! Elliott writes about them in such a loving way that we can't help but get to know the Palestinians and sympathize with their struggle to just be left alone to live life. Elliott is a writer with depth and insight and a style of writing that keeps you turning the pages. A must to read for those who are confused about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

This book is about an American woman and her journey of self-discovery. Liza Elliott, a nurse who was on a work trip with the Palestinian Red Crescent, ends up stranded in the area during an un-anticipated Israeli invasion. She is recounting her eye-witness experience of the life of the Palestinian people under opccupation in the refugee camps. During her presence, she witnesses the birth of the Palestinian "Intifadah" or awakening. This intense experience sparks her own personal intifadah. She describes her journey of internal growth and her newly found inner strength. Liza Elliott also touches on the background and history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This book is an inspiring woman's journey of self-discovery. I highly recommend it.

This pamphlet, although short and somewhat over simplified, is a good study time line that helps the student of Near East History/ Persian History make sense of the Ancient History of one of the gratest contributors to the modern world. Persia discovered and developed a lot of the things we simply take for granted in our "modern world" such as calendars, irrrigation systems, Religeous Monotheism of all modern religions (based on Zoroastrism- both Christianity and Judeism, and(Islam-although they the banned it)), postal systems- we get our slogan from the Persians.. the first highway..and monitary systems...and the first bill of rights! This pamphlet simplifies the time periods of the Persian Historical Eras making it easier for the reader/student to understand and remember a long and fascinatingly rich and elaborate history that then can be filled in with other historical texts. This is not meant to be a stand alone historical treatment but more as an introductory very simplified study time-line for reference when reading the much more indepth history books that can be much harder to understand with out this pamphlets help. It is what I use as a quick reference when I feel I am getting confused and in terms of learning and remembering history it is a valuable tool for students of all ages.

it is a great, quick review of persian history with highlights of the richness of persia. I learned so much that i did not know. It is easy to read and fascinating facts. Anyone interested in the rich persian history must have a copy. I bought many copies and gave it as gifts to my friends.

This booklet narrates the history of Iran (Persia) from a positive perspective -- a good contrast to what the Western mass media have projected over the past two decades. The text is brief and to the point, and the illustrations enhace the richness of the text. Given its modest price, this booklet makes a great gift for friends (young or old) interested in Iran.

As the author states in the book, official evil lives in the Middle East and this is the story of those who fought it back. This shocking book reveals the pure, unadultered terror the State of Israel inflicted on this sad land. Both the pictures and the prose hit home the brutality of what Israel did (and is doing) to the Palestinian people. Some of the conclusions, written in 1982/83, hauntingly resonate today with a clarity that only those which have withstood the test of time can. Clifton, an award-winning journalist with Newsweek and photographer Cathrine Leroy (also winner of numerous prestigious prizes) have put together more than a documentary account of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon and the subsequent seige of Beirut and the massacres of Sabra and Shatila. With unquestionable evidence they have produced a scathing commentary on Israel's brutal war of terror waged against an innocent people. After reading this book (which I have done more than 5 times) you can only support the creation of an independent Palestinian state and hope that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (then Defense Minister and architect of the war) finally gets his due in court in Belgium or elsewhere.

Tony Clifton's book "God Cried," represents the main body of published photographic documentation of the Israeli terror-bombing of downtown Beirut, Lebanon in the summer of 1982, when clearly marked schools, hospitals and apartment blocs were deliberately and mercilessly bombed. Tens of thousands of civilians died in this now forgotten holocaust. There is still some discussion of Sabra and Chatila, the September massacre of Palestinians by the Phalange under Israeli direction, but the far more horrid and extensive massacre represented by the indiscriminate aerial bombardment of the civilian sectors of Beirut is almost completely forgotten, seemingly even by many Lebanese, and certainly by the US media. But until the last copy of "God Cried" is stamped out, the truth will out.
--Michael Hoffman, co-author, "The Israeli Holocaust Against the Palestinians."

Peace, to you and to the Palestinian people, whom this book helps by giving it's readers a glimpse into the suffering those people have had to endure, under the merciless hands of the Israeli Army that seams to get away with all it's terror.

That's all, not surprisingly this book is currently out of stock, although, it shouldn't be, since it's the best so far regarding Middle Eastern phsychology. I own a copy, i just logged on to write this review! Toni is a brave man, too bad he wasn't rewarded well for his honest reporting that has not been affected by mainstream anti Palestinian racist rhetoric.

Peace.