Middle East Books

The outstanding review of this book by Jill Malter on the Amazon Site provides a good guide to its basic themes.
Fiamma Nirenstein has been a courageous voice, especially in Italy in defense of Israel against the Anti- Semitic onslaught of Terror International.
She is one of those originally from the Left, in fact a Communist who became increasingly disenchanted with the Left's toadying up to Totalitarians. As a correspondent for Italy's leading daily 'La Stampa' she has closely followed political developments within Italy and throughout Europe and the Middle East for the past thirty years or so.
As she understands it the propaganda campaign of the Palestinian Arabs against Israel has brought into being a strange alliance of the Fascist Right and the extreme Communist Left. This she says has been the only point about which two such divergent ideologies have been able to come together. In the process she understands them to have been totally one- sided and misleading in their reading of Middle Eastern realities.
Her understanding of the situation, in which the new Anti- Semitism is Anti- Israel activity is one she shares with major students of the problem.
She also connects this theme with the basic anti- American bias of the Left in Europe.

This is an excellent book about the Arab war against Israel and the media's involvement with it.

Nirenstein tells us right away about the problems causing distorted reporting of this war. First, there is a failure to admit that the Arab side refuses to accept Israel as a Jewish state. Second, there is an unwillingness to assign responsibility for deaths caused by armed Arabs who strike from within an otherwise unarmed crowd. Third, there is a failure to recognize the effect on Arabs of systematic education in schools and in the media to idealize terrorist acts of murder and mayhem. Fourth, there's a tendency to describe terrorism and the war against it as if they were the same thing. Fifth is the pretense that sypathizers with Arab terrorism are the most reliable sources for news. Sixth is misleading reporting of events, as if responses to terror are the problem. Seventh is refusal to condemn terrorism or even call terrorist acts "terrorism." Eighth is refusal to recognize that Jews living on the West Bank are human beings. Ninth is abiding by Arab wishes in reporting, in order to avoid being threatened and to be rewarded with scoops.

We see people call Israeli attacks on major terrorists "illegal executions," but a nation has a duty to protect its citizens from murderers. The author explains that some Europeans react this way due to fear of Islam, shame at what Europe has done to Jews, and a "need to justify past crimes by criminalizing the Jews."

Some people complain that if they criticize Israel, they are taken to task for it. But Nirenstein explains that much of this criticism is not lucid. If someone says that Israel kills children and journalists on purpose, and calls Jenin a slaughter, Nirenstein labels that person an antisemite, just like the antisemites of old that many of them now pretend to hate.

We are shown the constant lies and taunts, the demonization of Jews, the denial of rights to Jews, claims that no Jewish Temples ever existed, claims that there never was a Holocaust, and so on. The author says these are an integral part of the action, not merely background to it. And there is a substantial discussion of the demonization of Jews at the well-named Durban racism conference in 2001. Nirenstein also provides an interesting interview with would-be suicide bomber.

The author concludes that to defeat antisemitism in Europe, education is needed in four major areas. First, that the purpose of demonization of Israel is to incite violence and terrorism. Second, that ignorance of the history of Israel and Zionism are essential for this demonization to work. Third, that grief for the deaths of Jews in no way implies any willingness to save Jews who are still alive. Fourth, that the Arab terrorists are not in fact victims.

I highly recommend this book.

This book differs from the usual guides, as it describes the historical evolution, from the Old Kingdom to the Late Period, of the tombs and temples of Thebes (modern Luxor). The authors provide detailed and accurate information about life in the city. Subjects covered include the Valley of the Kings, that of the Queens and of the Nobles. Issues such as tomb decoration and burials of private individuals are addressed. This is an excellent, recommended, must-read book for all.

This book gives a great view of the New Kingdom ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes. It provides intimate details into the lives of the workers at Deir-El Medina, the monumental temples, beutiful tombs, and its unique history. The Strudwicks do a wonderful job expalining how Thebes went from a small Egyptian town to a huge capital that would leave an unforgettable mark on Egyptian Culture.

Documentary series from Larry Towell, the winner of the 1994 World Press Photo of Year Award. It is a rich image collection from his seven trips to Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem from 1993-1997.

Through the silent images, I definitely experenced the tension of Palestinian living in the area. Conflicit of lifes maybe sometimes faded, like disorder, violence, and even death are treated as the norm, as normal as normal daily life. Very strong visual documentary.

Especially, I see the 50% OFF offer from amazon !

Repression, Poverty and Terrorism have been daily life for both Palestinian and Israelis. Larry Towell's photography along with poetry by Mahmoud Darwish has told a story of both worlds struggling to survive, but somehow live together. Despite the violence, life continues, which only demonstrates that if these people put aside their hate and fears and work together they can go forward together. We can only Hope!

This book is an excellent introduction to Tibet, especially Elliot Sperling's candid and daring introduction, "Exile and Dissent". The pictures compel you to read; the reading rewards.

It is especially refreshing to see a moderate human rights organization like Human Rights Watch endorse Sperling's accurate and unrestrained discussion of Tibetan nationhood. Sperling never goes so far as to explicitly endorse statehood for Tibet--that would certainly compromise Human Rights Watch's ability to advocate for human rights from a non-partisan position--but he comes close:

"A strong case can be made that prior to 1951, Tibet was at best part one part of the empires built by the Mongol and later Manchu emperors who conquered China, but never an "integral" part of China itself" (32).

The best moment in the book, in my mind, is Sperling's paragraph on 'cultural preservation':

"Tibetan culture, like any other, is dynamic. Calling for its "preservation" automatically brings forth the need for it to be defined, which which in turn evokes a stuffed-and-mounted item fit for a museum. Tibetan culture does not need to be frozen in time, but Tibetan cultural life needs to be protected from measures that repress literary and artistic expression...The contours of dissent in Tibet and its repression by China are not shaped by calls for cultural preservation or cultural autonomy, but by calls for Tibetan independence" (36).

Tibetan dissidents, Western supporters, Western journalists, US diplomats, members of the Tibetan government: read this paragraph twice! Cultural preservation is not freedom; it is the opposite of freedom. This is why Beijing contributes money to cultural preservation efforts in Tibet: the more the culture is 'preserved', the more it is frozen, and the less threatening it becomes. Not only is the threat removed; with the threat disappears the culture's ability to sustain and give solace to its people. Culture, once preserved, becomes emasculated, of little use to anyone. I think few more important passages have been written on Tibet than this one.

Shocking and beautiful photographs, and powerful testimony, follow; by the end, any intelligent reader will be compelled to action.

Hopefully, the reader will at least be well-armed against the unfortunate note on which the book ends. Orville Schell's pusilannimous and meandering essay, the last in the book, is the worst kind of contrast to Sperling's clarity and gutsiness.

Schell's essay ranges from offensive to simply odd. What, for example, could motivate anyone to write "Of course, China's President Jiang Zemin, like many of his countrymen, tends not to romanticize Tibet as Westerners do..." (175)?

Worse is Schell's inability to distinguish Hollywood's brief fascination with Tibet from the global social justice movement which has arisen to protest China's brutal occupation. His drastically misguided assertion that "Tibet's new Western persona [was] consigned to Hollywood's custody" denies both the authenticity and strength of the freedom movement and the possiblity that celebrities are capable of sincere feeling and political work. Hollywood made two movies about Tibet. The movies mythologized it. Of course they did; that's what Hollywood does. But it is insulting to deny the work and influence of the Tibet movement by conflating it with a Hollywood trend.

And then there is Schell's weird analysis of the severity of the occupation:

"To foreigners looking on from afar, the Chinese occupation and the dismantling of traditional culture and society seemed similar ...................."(175-6).

"To foreigners"? "Seemed"? "Represented"? This is either the height of timidity (Beijing, after all, is more than capable of revoking the visas on which Schell, a Sinologist, depends for his livelihood) or simple ignorance. Given the other essays and the testimony in this book, it is difficult to believe that Schell can really be unaware of the severity of the occupation--indeed, he mentions it at various points. Why then such timidity?

Eventually, one grows tired of wondering--and returns to Sperling, and the freedom struggle.

The book has an excellent selection of quite shocking photographs. The graphic design and production values are exceptional. The text articles are largely very informative. Elliot Sperling presents a thoughtful analysis of the dynamic nature of Tibetan culture and identity, dispelling the rather silly historical myths of feudal hell vs. high altitude nirvana. Mickey Spiegel's reporting of the stories of individual recent Tibetan exiles brings home the concrete, human reality of how awful things are for those Tibetans unwilling to kowtow to China's colonialist and racist policies. Orville Schell's final article is a bizarre piece of writing in this context. I can only conclude that it was included for some form of "balance". His direct comments on Tibetans are that their cuisine is "inedible" to Westerners, they engage in only "the most modest kinds of personal hygiene", and they have shown themselves "capable of considerable savagery against one another". Schell's big thing is the romanticization of Tibet by others. He admits he once was so eneamoured, and his shame and anger about this seem to dominate his analyis. Its a real pity that this self-loathing makes him blind to the issues of justice and legitimacy that the Tibetan problem presents. These issues are the fundamental attraction for many if not a majority of Tibet's foreign supporters.

Probably no independent traveler would want to have DK Top 10 as their only guidebook when traveling to Cyprus, but it is an excellent complement to a more thoroughly written guidebook like Rough Guide or Lonely Planet. The compact size, innumerable photos, and excellent organization make it a joy to carry, and provide many ideas for photographers who seek the best vantage points for their shots. DK Top 10 Cyprus is a fun book to peruse, simple to read, and very reasonably priced. Highly recommended for anyone going to Cyprus; just don't forget to bring another guidebook like Rough Guide if you plan to do any independent traveling.

Pocket-sized, interesting and brilliantly illustrated. Packed with a wide range of info, from watersports, eating and family fun to the best of art, history and beauty. So easy to read that it's hard to put down, it enabled me to have the holiday of a lifetime in Cyprus.

Great compact book about what and where to go in Dubai. Wonderful for the quick stop over trip to Dubai. Easy to read.

I got this book as a guide for a five-day trip to Dubai, and it was extremely helpful. It is a small and skinny 128-page book, which meant it fit in my purse and could easily be brought out for quick reference to all of the remarkable sites of Dubai. It is easy to read with great facts and helpful travel tips. I highly recommend it for someone going to Dubai for a shorter stay - if you are going there for a long (over two weeks) time, you will probably want something that digs a little deeper. If I had one complaint, it would be that the maps of the Deira souqs (bazaar) area were not detailed enough. Dubai is not a walkable city, but the souqs of Deira can really only be explored on foot. If you get lost or turned around, it can be rather disorienting. That one portion of the city map could have had more streets listed to assist with that.

In July of 2006, Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers, sparking a war between the Israel and Lebanon that victimized civilians on both sides of the border. In Tragedy in South Lebanon, Cathy Sultan, an American married to a Lebanese man and who once had lived in Lebanon, attempts to tell another side of the story, one neglected by the Western media.

The book recounts the history of the complex relationships between the United States, Israel, and Middle Eastern peoples such as the South Lebanese and the Palestinians. From that complex history, the book examines the events that led to the July 2006 war, the direct and indirect impact of the violence upon civilians on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border, and the longer term concerns of government viability in Lebanon.

The book is filled with first-person accounts of Lebanese and Israeli citizens directly impacted by the violence of the missile attacks. These help to transform war from an abstract concept into a series of real impacts, especially for those who have never experienced this kind of violence firsthand. The book also offers a perspective on the events that were completely missing from the mainstream media coverage of the events. Sultan dissects and explains who Hezbollah is and what they mean to the people of South Lebanon, softening the edges of a group viewed solely as a terrorist organization in the West to a much more complex, multi-faceted political and social service entity helping to meet the basic needs of average people in South Lebanon.

Despite all the book's good points, it does seems Sultan cannot quite help but fall victim to the very thing she criticizes in the mainstream media: a biased telling. Perhaps, since each of us comes to every situation loaded with our own histories, no human being can avoid such bias in storytelling, and the impetus falls on the reader to explore as many sources as possible to create as unbiased a picture as possible. In that case, Tragedy in South Lebanon commends itself by offering up a side of the story heretofore untold to Western readers.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

Lebanon has not been the most peaceful place in recent decades. "Tragedy in South Lebanon: The Israeli-Hezbollah War of 2006" is the story of the citizens of Lebanon, residents of a region in constant turmoil, with a focus on the conflicts in 2006. Pointing fingers at the policies of the Lebanese government, Israel, and the United States, "Tragedy in South Lebanon" touches on the political aspect but remains focused on the personal stories of the soldiers, mothers, and other common people who were affected most by all the conflict. "Tragedy in South Lebanon: The Israeli-Hezbollah War of 2006" is highly recommended for community library International Studies collections.

From far away, people in the United States get their information on the ongoing wars of the Middle East from news sources. These invariably emphasize what has changed and what is new about the situation. But what hasn't changed is the suffering of the people who are caught in it and their determination to live their lives while audaciously working for peace.

They are the voices of Cathy Sultan's new book, "Tragedy in South Lebanon: The Israeli-Hezbollah War of 2006". The geo-political forces that rain down on them examined not as if the region was some kind of chessboard, but as a power struggle involving real people - including the United States. Cathy doesn't let anyone off the hook as the misery, death, cultural genocide and determined hope of the people are all placed into a context that anyone with a heart and a brain can understand.

Cathy Sultan raised her family in Beruit and has been actively pursuing peace as an Executive Board Member of the National Peace Foundation. This personal connection with the situation shows in "Tragedy in South Lebanon" through her delicate yet direct touch with her sources and interviewees. She isn't a journalist, she is someone who cares deeply about Lebanon and the desperate need for peace.

With its myriad political, cultural, and economic force, the Middle East can be difficult for outsiders to understand. "Tragedy in South Lebanon" not only explains this situation clearly and concisely, it's also an excellent read. Most importantly, you'll never read a dry, analytical news article about the region again without remembering that these are real people struggling with the situation. That's the transformative power of "Tragedy in South Lebanon", and why it's a must read as the United States finds itself deeper and deeper into a region so few of us can relate to.

My partner and I just went to Thailand( Bangkok and Chiang Mai) for some hardcore antique shopping spree to decorate our house and expanded our collection. The information given was very useful and of course along the way we found more little shops not covered in the book. But the book definitely directs you to the right neighborhoods as far as antique goes(what we were after)
I highly recommend it to people who are after quality goods wether it's jewelry or furniture or antique or whatever. and Thailand has SO MUCH to offer!!!

The Treasures And Pleasures Of Thailand And Myanmar: Best Of The Best In Travel And Shopping is an absolute "must-have" for international travelers looking to obtain quality goods or souvenirs from Thailand at a reasonable price. Intended as a supplementary resource and not a general-purpose travel guide, The Treasures And Pleasures Of Thailand And Myanmar focuses specifically upon obstacles, negotiation techniques, and tips and tricks for those interested in shopping for everything from gemstones to textiles to artworks and much more. From learning how to walk away from the "touts" that try to lure tourists into overpriced stores (overpriced because the store must pay the tout a 10% to 40% commission for the service!), to a step-by-step introduction to the art of haggling, to knowing how to avoid paying thousands of dollars for what might be a cheap knock-off gemstone, to why even the locals may not always obtain the best deals (some shopkeepers can give tourists a lower price than their repeat local customers - who would expect the same bargain every time they walked through the door) to dealing with cultural differences and much more, The Treasures And Pleasures Of Thailand And Myanmar zeroes in on exactly what the money-conscious tourist in Thailand needs to know.

I popped over to Vietnam back in 2005 and lugged this book along with me, along with a couple of other guides. I actually had thought that this one would be worthless and weak, but it turned out to be by far the best resource of all. It's packed with information on places to go and things to do, and has scads of detail about addresses, hours of operation, admission fees, names of owners and operators, transportation options, recommended restaurants and dishes, what to concentrate upon at various museums and tourist sites, hotel rates, and so on.

I visited Hanoi, Hue, Danang, Hoi An, and Saigon, and found that this guide was valuable at every stop. It was of particular use in Hanoi, where I spent the most money on art, since it has very comprehensive entries on practically every gallery in town, what the price ranges and levels of quality are, what kinds of art are to be found there, et cetera. The authors also have suggestions on how and when to bargain and what shipping methods to use.

If you have the slightest intention of buying more than two items on a trip to Vietnam, or you want to ditch your tour group and go rogue, this book is highly recommended.

The Treasures And Pleasures Of Vietnam And Cambodia: Best Of The Best In Travel And Shopping is an amazing, "user friendly" touring, travel, and shopping guide. Individual chapters focus upon the marvels of Vietnamese and Cambodian cities, as well as adventure-of-a-lifetime guidelines for smart traveling and shopping. Filled with sensible advice, maps, addresses, tips, great places to go and an easy index, The Treasures and Pleasures of Vietnam and Cambodia covers everything short of being a primer in the native language. Highly recommended for anyone planning a trip to these exotic and beautiful lands, The Treasures And Pleasures Of Vietnam And Cambodia is a "must" for getting the most out of a business or vacation trip to these exotic lands.

Very good and easily to read book about a very interesting subject. With lots af images that makes things clear.

Travel & Village Rugs is a full-color, in-depth, coffee-table sized identification guide to the motifs, designs, and patterns that can be found upon rugs and carpets crafted according to the rich weaving traditions of the Near East and Central Asia. Divided into six major regional and tribal groupings, covering Anatolian, Baluchi, Caucasian, Kurdish, Persian and Turkman motifs, the segments rely on explict, plain-terms description, colorful diagrams, close-up zooms of sample repeating patterns, and more to clarify its points about subtle nuances of design. Travel & Village Rugs is an invaluable reference and resource for any dedicated hobbyist or professional textile dealer who needs to familiarize themselves with the distinct designs of Central Asian regions, or have the information ready for easy access.