Middle East Books

This book is a airman's view of the buildup of the air forces around the Sinai Desert and Suez Canal from roughtly the end of World War II to the military intervention by Britain and France against the Egyptians in 1956.

That intervention was politically a disaster as the Government back home had no real strategic goal and the objections of America and Russia ruined what little chance there was of military success. From an airman's point of view, however, this was a clean, well faught battle. The equipment being used was largely that in the air forces right at the end of the war as well as the first generation of aircraft from right after the war. This means the latest versions of Spitfires, Mustangs and Corsairs, British Meteors, Russian MIG 15's and 17's, American F-80 and F-84's, and of course some C-47's and PBY Catalinas.

The story is told from mostly first hand accounts and is accompanied by about 200 pictures, mostly never seen before. This is a little known action in an area that has become well known for violence.

This book is a must read for anyone who is the least bit interested in the history of the world. So much of today's strife can be traced back to this little conflict, but if you ask the majority of people out there, they couldn't even tell you who the participants were. This book tells everything, and leaves no stone unturned. Taking up where the author's previous book Spitfires over Israel left off, this book covers the lead up to the conflict, with viewpoints taken from all the main participants. The British, French, Israeli and Egyptian points of view are all shown, and the power struggle for control of the whole Middle East is brought out in this riveting book. If you are fascinated by any one of these countries, or the Middle East in general, you should add this title to your library immediately.

Chris Banyai-Riepl
Aviation What-Not

A travel memoir written in the late 1930s - and 1000 years ago. It's a beautifully written, gentle book of a harsh land and its tribal peoples. Stark, is both poet and pragmatist. More musings and personal interactions than places and things, the book is a pleasure to read and savor. I wonder if the history of the Middle East wouldn't be improved had the colonial powers been guided by her sympathetic but unblinking understanding of Arab village and bedouin cultures.

This is what travel writing should be. One travels to see places and meet people. Ms. Stark's descriptions of places and travel thereto are always informed and interesting. The encounters with people are the little jewels studding her books, though. She brings a worldly but sympathetic attitude to her encounters with everyone she meets, from potentates to brigands. Read it.

The book is an excellent collection of cutting edge writing on women.

Further, anything written by Susan Slyomovics is spellbinding. I have become quite a fan of her publications. She has a unique viewpoint; she allows her sensitivity to culture of the Middle East and her own humanity to shine through her academic production. Another writer like this is Michael Sells. It has been a long time coming.

Women and Power in the Middle East provides college-level audiences with seventeen essays which analyze the social, political, economic and cultural forces shaping gender systems in the Mid-East and North Africa. These appeared at different times in the journal Middle East Report, and outline changing roles women have played in the politics of the region, when and why they mobilize, and how movements and politics affect their lives. Recommended for any collection strong in women's or Middle East history.

This is one of the most comprehensive and excellent discussions of Islamic thought, history, and culture. I would recommend it to beginners and those readers of theology and religion. It combines scholarly expertise with easy to read essays on an incredibly diverse area of topics including, art, technology, economics, law, theology, philosophy, family, gender relations, and much more. Highly recommended!

This 400 page book takes an interesting and informative new direction. Unlike most books about historical Islam, this is not a political history. Chapter headings include: World Events; Geography; The Arts;Social Class System and the Economy; Politics, Law; Leisure, Recreation; The Family; Religion and Philosophy; and Science, Technology and Health. Each chapter concludes with a short biography of three people important in that field of study.
This book belongs in every school and university library. For those who are interested in history in general but are curious about historical Islam, this is a comprehensive, readable treasure. It is also a unique and valuable resource for Muslims to learn more about their own history. It is expensive, but well worth the money.

Considering how Ambassador Laingen was fortunate enough to be privy to what was going on in the outside world in the 14 months they were held captive, I would have to say he had been at the time, their best weapon and ally against the Iranians' keeping them in the dark and giving them the "mushroom treatment" if everyone knew what I meant. Am sure he may be right about his then Canadian colleague or Ken Taylor in the sense that any American (or Canadian) who was in deep "fecal matter" in Iran at the time was in fairly good and capable hands and am sure that they may have been in that same state with him had he not had the misfortune of having his embassy stormed by the Iranians.
Had the fortune of knowing him for at least nearly 2 years in a "pen buddy" of sorts relationship and felt it was a fortunate thing that he is still going strong though he is now something like 80 years old. As far as Amb. Laingen is concerned, I wondered if people knew he also has every right to wear a button reading "IN THE NAVY AND PROUD OF IT" (in reference to a certain 1970's Village People song) as he is also a World War 2 Navy veteran.

I had the great opportunity to take a class taught by Ambassador Laingen at Hamilton College. His book is very interesting because it gives an intensely personal account of the very dramatic series of events that rocked Iran starting in 1979. I would recommend reading "The Iranians" by Sandra Mackey right before you read "Yellow Ribbon" to get the background necessary to understand both Iran and the events he describes in his book. Really an amazing story of enduring an unimaginable 444 days and the positive attitude that he kept throughout - Truly heroic and inspirational!

I liked the book as a model for what unexpected issues can come up during field work. I especially liked how reflexive the author was in his observations.

Tim Mackintosh-Smith, Eric Hansen, and Kevin Rushby have all written excellent books vividly describing Yemen. They give us exciting travelogues and detailed descriptions of qat. And yet this book is the finest I've ever seen to describe what it's like to actually live there, and what modern Yemeni culture is. I felt like I was actually there, in a remote village to the East of Sana'a. I wanted to go to Yemen and experience more of the life Caton describes.

He shows us the mentality and life of the tribe in ethnography; he makes us part of his life through memoir. This allows us to simultaneously experience the emic and etic and gain the best of all worlds, understanding life through the eyes of ourselves and the observed. I feel for Caton as he frankly confesses his failings or perceived failings. He writes honestly, and at times more honestly than he realizes. Because Caton has such a thirst for poetry this book is an artistic work as well, and the poetry interspersed throughout the war and reconciliation attempts addresses both sides of the mind. It was fascinating to see how the possibility of war rested in large extent on what poems were produced, and how well-crafted the poetry was. I am inspired to learn and hear more Arabic poetry through this book.

Author Simon Dunston has written a superb historical account of the the Arab -Israeli war of 1973. Better known as "The yom kippur war", this 225 page book leaves no stone unturned. On October 6th 1973, during the holiest of Jewish holiday's, Egypt and Syria launched a two front surprise attack on the nation of Israel. Wanting to regain land that were lost during the six day war of 1967, the two Arab nations caught the nation of Israel off guard and ill prepared to fight a major two front war. The Egyptians had crossed the Suez Canal and Syria launched a fierce attack on the Golan Heights, causing Israel to fight for its survival as a nation. The Gov't of Golda Meir, new of an Arab build up of soldiers and divisions of Arab tanks along its borders, but chose to ignore it and not launch a pre-emptive strike, for fear that the world would view the Israelies as aggressors if they carried out such an attack. This was a huge military blunder, and the fact that they did not mobilize their defense forces and reserves to full alert was nothing short of military negligence. This became the Israeli Pearl Harbor that proved to have a lasting effect on that nation to this day. The nation of Israel became dependent on American airlift power to deliver supplies and weaponry during the first phase of the Arab offensive. The state of Israel, even considered the use of nuclear weapons if the situation had gotten to the point that Israel would lose her nation. The Euphoric Arab armies of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Syrian president Hafez Assad underestimated the IDF's[Israeli Defense Force] resolve, and paid heavily in loss of life and military hardware during the second half of the war as the Israeli's did during the first weeks of the war. Col Dani Matt led the Israeli Army across the Suez Canal on the night of Oct 15th, and changed the course of the war. A modern day version of George Washington crossing the Delaware river. General Ariel Sharon, a George Patton type of general, made the Arabs pay dearly, as the Israelies pushed the Syrians out of Israel and marched to Damascus tearing up the Syrian enemy every step of the way. On Oct 14th, Egypt launched a major offensive in the Sinai desert, and engaged the Israeli army to inflict more bloodshed, but in the biggest tank battle since ww-2 in kursk 1943, the IDF destroyed 260 Egyptian tanks to just 20 Israeli tanks. The Israeli Airforce overwhelmingly took control of the skies, as Israeli pilots scored one victory after another against Russian, Pakastani and North Korean pilots who were known to be flying jets for the Arabs. Although the IDF won this war, it came with a huge price. Loss of life and the notion of Israeli invincibility was shredded. This book is well layed out on heavy glossy paper with lots of diagrams, maps and hundreds of rare photo's from the battle front. Also many interesting facts are presented throughout the book, for example, the IDF was so desperate for survival, that they put back into service some 350 ww-2 era Sherman Tanks modified with a 105mm main gun. The tank proved to still be a formidable weapon, as the Sherman destroyed Russian T54/55 tanks in the sinai some 30 plus years after they made their debut for the allies in ww-2. It was the final war that the Sherman would engage in, and for the state of Israel, she performed heroically one more time. The war had some positive effects on the region, as Egypt and Israel have found a lasting peace. This book should be part of any good military library and is a must for any student interested in the history of the middle east. I give this book my highest recommendation and it already has a permanent place on my bookshelf.

I don't often buy a newer edition of a book I already own, but there are reasons to do so in this case. The production quality is excellent (paper, binding, layout, etc.), well selected new photo content that adds to a greater understanding of the battle, and Simon Dunstan is worth supporting. He's excellent, and tackles the subjects so many others won't touch. Go Simon.

Paul Ciceri's story is one appropriate for today's climate in the Middle East. His harrowing experience holds you on the edge of your chair while giving, at the same time, a picture of what an American in the same situation might face.

I originally found out about this book while listening to an interview with Mr. Ciceri on Detroit's own Drew&Mike show.

This is the best non-fiction book I have read all Summer.

Paul writes honestly about his hellish ordeal in a Middle East Prison as well as the mistakes and regrets he made along the way.

If you like non-fiction stories that are down-to-earth I highly recommend this book.

After reading this you will most likely feel like wanting to sit down with Paul over dinner and hear more about his ordeal.

Buy this book!

One doesn't have to run for office or be a millionaire to show their support for Israel. "101+ Ways to Help Israel: A Guide to Doing Small Things That Can Make Big Differences" is a complete and comprehensive listing of countless things one could do to support this cause. With ideas for readers to help Israel through things so simple that even a child can do them, and packed full of appendices for easy reference, "101+ Ways to Help Israel: A Guide to Doing Small Things That Can Make Big Differences" is a must for any Israel supporter, no matter how dedicated. Highly recommended for community library Judaic Studies collections.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Hopkins said that poetry is an out shaping of the interiority of human experience. This is certainly true here. There are realities that are at the heart of human experience that cannot be captured in prose. The heart of mush of the experience of Palestinian people can be found in these poems. For those who want to understand beyond the linear logic of prose and the bias of news, this book is a good place to start.