Middle East Books

I actually loved this book. It was well written. Pictures in your mind of the scenes were actually painted as you read the stories. As the author walked through his heritage and through his father's country you walked right beside him. Cried with him and laughed with him, was disappointed when he was and wanted more. This story is about a man taking his fathers legacy and putting it into print. It is a story of a dying language being brought back to life. I will read this book again and again and highly recommend it as a good read.

My Father's Paradise is a wonderful homage to Ariel Sabar's father, who was born in Kurdish Iraq and spent his childhood years in a Jew in an ancient society Iraq and as an unappreciated immigrant in the new state of Israel. The book opened my eyes to a culture that has mostly vanished except in the lives of its survivors. It also shows the power of language in reflecting the culture of people, so that even when the inital culture dies, it can remain alive within the language and oral traditions of its people.

Sabar uses his father's history to dscover who he is and where he fits into the melting pot that is twenty-first century America. He discovers that which makes him unique, which ultimately makes him strong. This is something that so many second generation Americans learn, and it is very nicely explored and analyzed in this book.

I very much encourage anyone with an interest in the dynamics of social change to read this fascinating book.

"My Father's Paradise" is the haunting story of Yona Sabar, born a Jew in Zakho, in the heart of Kurdish Iraq. Yona's family immigrated to Israel in 1951. Yona was 13 years old when they arrived in Israel. He worked days and completed his high school in evening schools provided for the young workmen. He was admitted to Hebrew University he studied Aramaic. In 1967 he was awarded a scholarship to Yale University in America. Yona Sabar went on to become a well regarded professor of Aramaic at UCLA.

It was not until Ariel held his first son in his arms that he begin to think he might have misjudged his father and determined to seek out answers. By then he was a journalist, questions were a natural part of the trade. But this was something deeper...then a story.

Ariel Sabar's quest, to better understand his father, took him on a journey to Kurdish Iraq. Yona accompanied him. They went to find what was left of Zahko, Yono's paradise. Ariel wanted to learn the story of the Sabar family. This book is the result of his careful research, interviews, letters, diaries, photographs, and official documents. Ariel has made every effort to provide a framework that tells his family story.

His findings are rich in historical, geographical, and cultural background. He goes back into the history of his Jewish ancestry (the Jews of Kurdistan) but also highlights the history and politics of the Kurds, the Turks, and the Arabs.

The book provides photo illustrations that bring the pages to life and add another dimension to this awe inspiring tribute to a deserving father from a loving son.

Sabar's writing is heartfelt, thought provoking, and moving. Yona's person, character, and story will haunt the reader for days. I find myself going back to recapture something I might have missed. Highly recommended.

Though Ariel Sabar may regret that his relationship with his father was so contentious, readers have cause to rejoice because that fractured relationship led Sabar to pen this elegant tale of his father's life and language.

Yona Sabar, a Jewish Kurd, grew up speaking Aramaic, an ancient language now all but lost. He is also a celebrated linguist who has worked tirelessly to document his language before it dies. This book traces that effort, weaving a colorful tapestry of Jewish life in Iraq, Kurdish life in Israel, and immigrant life in America.

Though the portions of the book dealing with Ariel himself were less compelling, the tales of Yona's early life in Kurdistan are hypnotic- I had a difficult time putting this book down. The writing is excellent and the character of Yona breathes throughout the book. The book is never technical about linguistics; the story of Yona's work is presented as I believe he experienced it- a treasure hunt generating excitement with each new clue.

Highly recommended!

If you are an American Jew, the offspring of immigrants, a linguist, a student of the Mideast crisis, or an ex-teen who's finally dropped the attitude, you should read this book. And if I'm not mistaken, that would be all of us.

I've scarcely considered the plight of the Sephardic Jews of Western Asia much less the disposition of the Lost Tribes of Israel. Nor pondered the enormity of forced exile and the task of assimilating these uprooted peoples in America or Israel. Never knew the painstaking scholarship involved in archiving an ancient language. I was taken aback by the prejudices held by European immigrants towards those from the Middle East and Africa during the settlement of Israel. And heartened to learn that in Kurdish Iraq midway through the 20th century per a village elder there, "We and the Jews were loving each other...We were blood brothers."

I am no stranger, however, to the know-it-all attitudes with which children view their parents, and the father and child reunion that dominates the last chapters of this book is the best part of all.

Take a journey with Mr. Sabar back to a lost homeland, back to family. It's a place we all need to visit.

After reading this I somehow felt changed. Written so well that you feel her emotions immensely throughout the book. I didn't want to put it down.

When Boken Glass Floats tells the story of a young girl and her experiences and life as she lives in Cambodia with the Khmer Rouge. It is very emotional as she weaves the story of her family in the labor camps and then the periods spent in the refugee camps in Cambodia and Thailand. I recommend it as a five star book.

A great book. A very sad account of a young girl that reflect the experiences of million Cambodian refugees. Also showed what perseverance and setting goals can achieve. If Miss Him can survive and succeed, so should everyone.
Highly recommend this book.

When Broken Glass Floats is the author's journey to find the magic of a world lost as a result of the Khmer Rouge. This book, as a personal account of the Khmer Rouge regime, is also my personal journey as a reader and a Khmer person. Through this magical journey, my own forgotten memories are awakened and many traditional beliefs that I have pushed to the back of my mind resurface.

I was too young to have memories of the Killing Fields, but I have heard enough stories to feel connected to it. There were gaps missing in my memory and this book filled those gaps. When Broken Glass Floats is poetic and touching, a book rooted in the author's desire to let the world know about the tragic death of her family. It begins when her memories are awakened as a result of her work as an interpreter and interviewer for the Khmer Adolescent Project, studying post-traumatic stress disorder among Cambodian survivors. This is a story of triumph, survival, and hope written from the Khmer soul of a Cambodian-American woman.

When Broken Glass Floats is a book with two moving and powerful purposes: one, as a therapeutic tool for the author, and, two, as a reminder of an event that should never have occurred. The author describes her book as a way "to use the power of words to caution the world, and in the process to heal myself" (p. 23). The process of writing the book became a trek to the Himalayas, "a search to recapture the long-lost magic in [her] life" (p. 23). My travels have taken me to the Himalayas. I have been seeking magic for my own healing like the author of When Broken Glass Floats. The process of reading her book and other autobiographies has provided much healing. I recommend this book for everyone who is interested in this subject, but in particular to Cambodian-Americans, because this book can take you on a journey into yourself, your soul, memories, and past.

This was an entirely good read. One of the amazing things I kept realizing as I read is Chanrithy Him has condensed a number of harrowing years of into just ~300 pages, so the reader only hears about some of her experiences - there's probably much more that didn't make it to the pages of this memoir. Also, Him's story is only one out of myriad others . . . thousands of thousands of Cambodian people who could tell a story even more devastating than Him's.

When Broken Glass Floats kept me interested from cover to cover, and I enjoyed Him's writing style. It's likely I can't say anything positive that hasn't already been said, so I'll pick out a couple of things I wonder if other readers noticed.

For one, the black and white family photos included in the book did not resemble the images I had of disease-stricken, starving children Him described. For instance - granted he is wearing a shirt in the photos, none of the pictures show Map (Him's youngest sibling) with a protruding belly - although towards the end of the book Him tells her readers Map fails to lose this effect of starvation even after his diet improves. Similarly, the photo of Ra on her wedding day shows a young woman who looks healthy (nice complexion, full cheeks, hair in an up-do, clean floral shirt), so I couldn't help but feel confused because this is far from how Him described her physically weak, skinny sister who was barely recognize at times. I realize the photo was taken during better times, but do people so sick and hungry recover to that degree so quickly? Also, the memoir chronicles countless dizzying days, months, and years of walking, working, and barely surviving from severe dehydration, starvation, infection, diarrhea, disease, and depression; personal belongings (books, valuables, etc.) were stolen, taken by the Khmer Rouge, and lost along the way. Under those conditions, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt as I read about the photos Him had "managed to keep safe during the Khmer Rouge time" (p. 330) and the "cream lace blouse from Phnom Penh, which she (Ra) managed to keep safe during the Khmer Rouge time" (p.286). Given the circumstances described, this just didn't seem plausible. But who knows . . . not a major problem for me, it just caught my attention - as did the typographical errors I found from time to time.

Great book . . . would have enjoyed a bit more of a history lesson. If that's what you're seeking you might look elsewhere, because this is a tale focused on a very strong and intelligent young girl's survival.

For over forty years, I've been reading about the end of World War II and Japan. Were the Japanese ready to surrender? Were the atomic bombs dropped to intimidate the Soviet Union? Was racism the real motive?

Richard Frank's DOWNFALL: THE END OF THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE EMPIRE, is the best book on this subject I've ever read. Frank takes us back to 1945, and shows what the United States knew then, and how they knew it. Based on the information they had available at the time, the U.S. and British leaders had no reason to believe that the effective leaders of Japan were going to surrender any time soon, or that any alternative course they chose would lead to fewer deaths. Further, he shows that these judgments were correct: there is still no evidence that the effective rulers of Japan would have surrendered in 1945, and all the alternatives to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would have definitely led to hundreds of thousands MORE DEATHS of civilians and soldiers.

I regard the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as atrocities and crimes, but the whole of the war was a succession of atrocities and crimes, the greatest bloodbath in history. Frank shows, convincingly, that the use of atomic weapons was the least evil among the choices Harry S Truman faced.

I was moved to reread this fine book by Richard Frank by the allegation by Presidential candidate Senator Barak Obama's former preacher and confidant Jeremiah Wright's that one of America's supposed "sins" that he was cursing it for was the use of the Atomic Bombs on Japan at the end of the Second World War. I was in High School during the Vietnam War period and I recall my teachers telling us that that use of the Bomb was unnecessary and was carried out merely to scare the Communist Soviets and didn't matter anyway since the Japanese were supposedly viewed as "racially inferior". We were taught that the United State government is inherently dishonest, so any such decision to use the bomb must have had "tainted" motiviations. Such cynicism is potentially destructive, as Frank shows in his book.
Attitudes like these have unfortunately become common in the United States over the years, and as Frank points out, are based on ignorance and self-righteousness. President Truman's aide, Admiral Leahy claimed after the war that the use of the bomb was "unnecessary" (Frank points out that there is no record of his opposition at the time the decision was made). This is, of course, true. The Japanese would have eventually surrendered even without the use of the bomb. The question, though, remains "at what cost"? There are two possible scenarios, (1) American and Allied forces invade the Japanes Home Islands in order to force a decision, or (2) no invasion is mounted, but a tight blockade and heavy air bombing keep up the pressure.
Frank shows that although a two-phase invasion was planned, Operation Olympic in Kyushu, followed by Operation Coronet on Honshu near Tokyo, as time passed, American interception and decryption of Japanese messages showed that powerful forces were being brought up to the planned invasion zones along with thousands of aircraft designed for Kamikaze attacks. The civilian population was also being trained to carry out suicide attacks (the government's slogan was "100 Million Die Together"). As a result, American enthusiasm for the invasion scheme waned and, instead, a plan to destroy Japan's railroad system to prevent the distribution of food was developed, which, along with the naval blockade, would bring starvation to the population, forcing the Japanese government to eventually capitulate. The question remained "how long would it take to reach this situation"? Frank points out that over 100,000 Chinese were dying every month during the war, in addition to large numbers of Allied prisoners and forced Asian laborers in southeast Asia. If the war dragged on longer, hundreds of thousands of these people would have died. Had the blockade "succeeded" in bring famine in addition to plague and civil disorder to Japan, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Japanese would have died.
Frank also points out that something like 350,000 Japanese died in the Soviet campaign to conquer Manchuria, many of them civilians. In addition there were still large Japanese forces in China , the Dutch East Indies (today's Indonesia) and southeast Asia. Without the shock of a surrender brought about by the use of the Atomic bombs it is conceivable that these forces would have continued to fight on (the Japanese Army in China had a history of subordination). There was also a Soviet plan to invade the Japanese home island of Hokkaido. One can only specularte on how many deaths would this have caused, in addition to the possibility that the USSR would have set up a "Japanese Peoples' Republic" in their zone, just like they did in Korea, for which the world is still paying to this day. It is odd that those who show "compassion" for the Japanese people in saying that the bomb shouldn't have been used, seem to lack the same compassion for the oppressed thousands who were dying every day in the Japanese-occupied territories.
Frank also shows that the popular "deus-ex-machina" scenario that supposedly the Japanese government had really made a decision to surrender and were in contact with the USSR government is false. It is true that there were contacts with the Soviets, but they were on a low diplomatic level, and no decision to surrender had been made before the first use of the bomb. In addition, no contacts were made during the three days that passed before the use of the second bomb. It turns out that some Japanese leaders thought the bomb was merely a one-shot affair which the Americans couldn't repeat. Frank shows clearly that America's leaders had no choice but to make the decision they did and that this decision saved untold number of lives, both Allied and Japanese. Anybody who saw the horrific casualties at places like Iwo Jima and Okinawa in addition to the mass suicides of Japanese civilians at Saipana and Okinawa would reach the same conclusion.
Richard Frank is performing an invaluable service in destroying the "politically correct" myths demagogues like Wright are propagating and showing that a clear, open mind leads one to the truth.

Frank has done an excellent job of dispassionately presenting the facts about the endgame of the Pacific War. I appreciate that Frank laid out the evidence and left it to the reader to judge where it pointed.

What is clear from the evidence is that neither the Japanese nor American leadership had adequate information to judge the other's intentions during 1945. In fact, there is some evidence that the Japaneese High Command was being mislead by underlings regarding the state of American morale. Thus the War Council believed that they were just one decisive battle away from being able to negotiate with the Americans for softer terms than Unconditional Surrender. On the other hand, American intelligence community were not adept enough to draw out from the vast array of intercepted cable traffic a clear picture. Thus they did not provide Truman information that was 'actionable'.

As for the bomb, the preponderance of evidence amassed by Frank points to the conclusion that once the decision to build the atomic bomb was made, the Manhattan project took on its own momentum and thus made the bombs use inevitable.

All-in-all a terrific book. Since I finished it on September 30th, it makes it onto my Summer Reading Favorites of 2007 :-)

I was so fascinated by this book that I read all the previous reviews. I only want to add my unlimited praise and to add a few thoughts and stories...
I was as unaware as anybody of the details of the end of the Pacific war until I met a fellow (Bill Lear, son of "the" Bill Lear) who was on a troop ship to Olympic. He said the officers told them that they all were going to die. After that the book was a natural, and I couldn`t have chosen better.
In my present line, I am in Japan a lot. If there is any one thing that makes Frank`s book fascinating, it is the detailed look at the inner workings of that eastern mind in the government and military leaders, and the resulting confusion for their hapless diplomats. In some cases it is not so radical - we Americans still get huffy about Pearl Harbor, when the Japanese were following a pretty basic tenet of war. Frank didn`t really go to a lot of trouble to remind us that the "unfathonable" Asian way of seeing things is normal to them. Perhaps it isn`t necessary. Any Japanese soldier who sees dying for his emperor/country as his highest honor will tend to see anyone who surrenders or is beaten before he can sacrifice himself, as the lowest sort of worm, not worthy of bayonet practice let alone a bowl of rice. Just an example, but with a point. Frank managed to state facts, back them up with numbers and intel documents and let it go at that. The case builds easily in the reader`s mind that this was a terrible war and that the allies/Americans were in a real conundrum about how to end it. Which brings up the sadly fascinating fact that the very thing that the allies demanded, as a way of keeping "these fascist and militarist governments from starting a world war every few years", was unconditional surrender, the very thing the Japanese couldn`t accept.
One thing which makes a really great book is that it opens discussion on the topic rather than, say, on the writer`s vocabulary. By that measure, this is one of the best. Please indulge me...
I have been to the peace museum in Hiroshima. It is very moving and also very evenhanded. It shows the little uniforms of the school kids killed - they were in town that day to help build firebreaks. It also has the army order on the wall which commanded that when the invasion came, all subjects were to show up on the beaches with pitchforks, sticks or any other weapon that came to hand. Hiroshima, by the way (to answer a previous comment) was the headquarters of the 5th Japanese Army, in charge of Japan and Korea (where they'd been since 1920, only getting to Manchuria in 1931, re another comment)It was also a recruit center, and a navy shipyard, in other words not exactly non-military.
My Dad flew in B-29s. He was a tough old farm boy, but once he met an army buddy who had also `been there` That`s the only time I saw him cry. I don`t think it`s wrong to lament the terrible things humans are capable of doing to each other and to make them stop; a basic about war, by the way. The fact that millions of innocents had died and were likely to keep dying in this war would make any way of stopping it look pretty good, ie, "moral". I personally would say, you can`t argue with success. The Japanese had been fighting since at least 1920. Days after the bomb, it was over. I`m in the camp of "the Russians had nothing to do with it." I want to thank Mr. Frank for explaning readably and in detail, how that came about.
Finally a note from my Mom... The war council was correct in believing that Americans were sick of the war (Incorrect in their eastern way in seeing Potsdam as weakness). They were beaten but wouldn`t quit. If you had a family member in the service, you put a red star in your window, and if they were killed, you changed it to a gold star. There were plenty of houses with two gold stars in the window. People in 1945 wanted the war to end and wanted the boys home. Imagine you are Truman, and a wife/mother says to you, "You mean to tell me you had the means to end this war the day before my boy was killed, and you didn`t do it?"
Read this book.

Richard Frank conclusively shatters a number of myths about the end of the Pacific side of World War II.

First, Japan was NOT ready to accept unconditional surrender, even with the caveat of the preservation of the Japanese throne, until after both bombs were dropped. Frank uses extensive declassified transcripts of Ultra (military) and Magic (diplomatic) U.S. codebreaking to get members of the Japanese war cabinet's own words, or lack thereof, on this issue. Within that is the fact that Japan's attempt to use Russia as an intermediary-ally in negotiations was totally out of tune with reality, so much out of tune that Tokyo actually expected Moscow to honor the full one year's "down time" after abrogating the two countries' neutrality agreement.

Second, the Japanese Army was ramping UP the plans for Keisu-Go, the all-out defense of the Japanese homeland, after the spring firebombings of Tokyo and elsewhere. Top Army brass considered that the U.S. might well try blockade, and thought it had enough kamikazes, midget submarines, etc., to make the U.S pay enough a price for even the blockade that it would settle for a negotiated peace. Again, Frank looks in-depth at Magic and Ultra transcripts to show how much support there was for this.

Third, Frank demonstrates that U.S. casualty fears of an invasion of Kyushu were well-warranted and may even have been understated in some cases.

The determination of the Japanese Empire to resist was well-known by American troops in the Pacific who had seen the Japanese, on average, take 97 percent casualties in many of their defensive actions. A militaristic government was ready to exploit this to the death.

The atomic bomb was therefore used for reasons of the highest seriousness. It was NOT dropped on Hiroshima as a demonstration for Stalin. And, speaking of demonstrations, the fact that it took two atomic bombs on Japan to get it to surrender puts the lie to the idea that a "demonstration" bomb would have been enough to get the Japanese to a non-negotiated surrender with them attempting to hold on to territory.

I am a fan of Michael Yon and have written a review of his book Moment of Truth in Iraq: How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hope. This book is quite similar in that Bing West is an old Marine in far better shape than I could be and has spent months with the troops beginning early in the war. His book goes beyond Yon's book in that he has a background of strategic thought going back to Vietnam and a book he wrote about that war. It is not better, just more complete and I recommend both. He is harsh in his criticism of the army in the early days of the war, as is Yon. Both believe Fallujah to have been a mistake. West is also very critical of President Bush and his failure to take control of overall strategy when it became apparent that the army was drifting and had lost the initiative. Both Yon and West are very critical of General Sanchez. West doesn't say so but hints at something I have been aware of; the Marines were far better prepared for this war than the army was. They have been training for COIN tactics for a decade. The book goes into almost mind numbing detail on units but will be very useful to families and veterans who will want that detail about their own service or that of loved ones. His last few chapters detail exactly how we won and why. He has harsh criticism for John Murtha and some of the other sunshine patriots in Congress. This will be the definitive book on Iraq for some time and is a classic. I have already passed it on to some Marine friends for their reading. I recommend it.

The Strongest Tribe is likely the best military and political history so far available on the Iraq war, and Bing West is also likely the most qualified person to write this history. Mr. West is a former infantry officer with the Marine Corps in Vietnam, where he learned first hand the lessons of counterinsurgency serving in combined action platoons in the second half of that war, an assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration, and as someone who has been to Iraq at least 14 times since the start of the war. Each trip has been weeks to months long and has taken him to all corners of the country, where he has been given unprecedented access to US and Iraqi forces. His connections range from corporals on the ground, fighting IEDs and snipers in arid desert, urban jungle and dense palm thickets, through battalion and brigade commanders in the provinces, to the generals in the Green Zone, and all the way to senior policy advisers in Washington D.C. As such he brings unmatched experience, breadth, and depth of access to write what I believe will be the watermark history of the Iraq war, and the first major history written after the success of the "surge." It is also written in an extremely straightforward, just the facts manner, which bequeaths it with an unbiased (although not uncritical) and honest tone. This history corrects so many of the faults of the rash of books rushed to the printing presses shortly after the invasion ended and the insurgency began.

Mr. West's account of the war is long and detailed, without being bogged down in unnecessary tangents, and flows seamlessly from the terror, heat, and gore of room to room fighting in Fallujah to the oak paneled offices of the Capital. Like the war itself it is broken into roughly two parts, the first half being the struggles America dealt with in failing to protect the population and fight the insurgency before late 2006, and the second half chronicling the turnaround brought on by Petraesus' strategy shift, coincident with and augmented by a "surge" of five brigades whose largest impact was to signal to Al Qaeda, the Iraqis, and indeed the World, that America wasn't quiting the fight. Many figures come in for deserved and thoroughly explained criticism. Bremer and General Sanchez completely mismanaged the early days of the occupation, turning chaos into disaster and squandering opportunity at every turn. General Casey comes off as a decent general but one pursuing a disjoint and unworkable strategy of trying to get America out as quickly as possible, protecting the force by keeping it isolated from the population vice risking the force to protect the population, and defeating the insurgency with raids that didn't stem the source of the takfiris swarming over the country. Bush is a man of principle and faith trying to do the right thing, and who has generally made the right calls, eventually, but whose intellectual lack of curiosity, slowness in enacting policy changes, and ineffectual leadership style have cost the strategy pursued, and the men and women charged with carrying out on the ground, dearly. The constant themes throughout the book are the bravery and honor of our fighting forces, and the extreme complexity of the situation on the ground.

Mr. West explains the tortured tribal, ethnic and religious makeup of Iraq, and the festering cauldron of sectarian hate and violence that was unleashed when the oppressive lid of Saddam's regime was removed and then stoked by the incompetent early rule of the American occupation. He also drives home the complex lessons and sometimes uncomfortable necessities of fighting insurgencies throughout the text, and summarizes his expertise with a useful appendix outlining his rules for counterinsurgency.

America has turned the corner in Iraq with a new counterinsurgency strategy, and because our men and women on the ground are the "Strongest Tribe." But Mr. West also sees a disturbing disconnect in American society, with one half of the political spectrum placing opposition to the war for political gain above the national interest, and an uninformed and uninvolved society (which Bush tragically and shamefully made no effective attempt to explain the war to and call to action / share the burden of the war amongst, in other words, lead) losing the martial virtues which have allowed us to win our wars in the past. He rejects completely and convincingly the notion that the country can support the soldiers but not the mission, and delivers a poignant cautionary warning about how American society has reacted to and inexorably influenced the war in Iraq.

Highly recommended. Not quick or comfortable reading, but necessary if you want to know what has actually happened in Iraq, why, and what to do carrying forward from here.

Bing West's The Strongest Tribe is a balanced and insightful examination of the US involvement in Iraq. It is a must read for any student of recent political and military history. I would recommend this book to anyone concerned about our global role and the role of the valiant US military.

Bing West's latest, THE STRONGEST TRIBE:WAR, POLITICS, AND THE END GAME IN IRAQ, gives a year by year "Boots on the Ground" view of the war in Iraq. Normally, I am reluctant to read history in real time but I took a chance with West's latest. This was a good decision. Rather than the view from Washington or the Green Zone, West clearly brings the war to the reading public from the ground up. Vietnam is compared to the present conflict with regard to lessons learned. West's background from his Marine Corps infantry experience in Vietnam and his relationships with the war fighters from the ground up makes for very informative reading. This book is highly recommended.

The author, a counterinsurgency expert, documents the "hundred things" that had to be done by the Marines and the Army to turn around a war that was declared lost by Senator Harry Reid. The fiendish complexity is explained province by province battle by battle. And how this complexity had to be dealt with from the bottom-up with bribes, Iraqi partners, barriers and many more tactics like that that made the turn around possible. But the turn around is reversible. On page 375 Bing West suggests a pullout of all combat units in sixteen months (the Democrats position) could lead to catastrophe in Iraq. Defeat ordered from the top down, in spite of all that has been sacrificed, is still possible. We will see how great that possibility is after November 4, 2008.

This vibrant & colorful work on the diverse society of Israel incorporates interviews with a large number of individuals, insightful observations, facts of history and the constantly changing figures & statistics of the dynamic little country. This second updated edition covers the start of the new millennium, bringing the story up to date. Rosenthal deftly integrates the personal opinions of hundreds of individuals with the latest developments in a rapidly evolving society for a most intriguing portrait of the miracle nation at the centre of the earth, a country of more than 7 million people of different geographical, cultural & religious backgrounds. She avoids politics as much as possible which is a definite advantage.

Israel is a tiny sliver of decency where the rule of law applies, in a vast neighborhood of oppression stretching from the Atlas Mountains to the Arabian Sea and the Arctic Ocean. Its free media, its buoyant - sometimes even tumultuous - democratic process and its freedom of religion set it apart from the rest of the Middle East, from North Africa as well as Russia and the states of Central Asia. It manages to maintain this respect for life despite continuous belligerence from its Middle Eastern neighbors, threats of divestment, opprobrium from organizations like the United Abominations and an onslaught of homicide-suicide bombings, the results of which are documented in Life in the Shadow of Terror by Nechemia Coopersmith.

Rosenthal's writing style is enthralling and very honest, as she deals with dating, family attitudes to various issues, relations between the sexes, relationships across religious & ethnic divides and the role of the IDF in bringing people together. In this section, my ears were perking up every 3rd paragraph or so, admittedly for anything but pious reasons. Her examination of the IDF, a formidable fighting force, illuminates and entertains in an amusing manner as does her analysis of the country's impressive technological innovation, an issue more thoroughly covered in Israel in the World: Changing Lives Through Innovation by Helen & Douglas Davis.

The book recounts several dramatic instances of the ingathering such as those of the Beta Israel from Ethiopia and the massive influx of Russians after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a valuable gain of skills in fields ranging from medicine to technology and culture. Regarding the Beta Israel, I highly recommend Operation Solomon by Stephen Spector, a book that recounts this tale of suspense in riveting detail. Rosenthal explains the difference between Ashkenazim, Sephardim & Mizrahim, Haredim, Orthodox and Secular as well as the diverse Arab and Christian communities. About 50% of Israeli Jews are descendents of refugees from North African & Middle Eastern states who fled or were expelled after the rebirth of the nation in 1948. Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Christian numbers are growing and Arab Christians are amongst the most wealthy & educated of citizens. Chapters are devoted to the Druze, the Muslim communities and the nomadic Bedouin who find themselves in a particularly interesting phase between tradition & modernity.

The final section deals with marriage, polygamy, adultery, divorce, sexual preferences and the use of substances. Considering the existential threats the country faces, especially from Hezbollah & Iran, and the psychological scars inflicted by two millennia of antisemitism, the negatives are not as severe as in other societies. One cannot but regret the occurrence of adultery, divorce and prostitution but even this part holds the reader's attention without depressing too much. Even in the sadness of these vices, a certain love of life shines through that is more affirmative than melancholy. However much those of us who love Israel would like to see less of this sort of thing, I think only Mashiach will ultimately solve these problems in wisdom & mercy.

The different communities comprising the nation of Israel might seem divisive on the surface but when assessed as a whole, thoroughly contemplated & digested, the words of all these individuals obliquely affirm an underlying unity in all the bewildering diversity. In other words, all the contributing cultural elements really serve to strengthen the soul of the nation. One highly admirable fact not discussed at length is Israel's embrace of Sudanese refugees from Darfur; while the world, the NGO's and the UN are babbling on without doing anything, Zion is extending mercy to those who by the grace of the Almighty manage to reach it. G-d bless Israel. This inspiring & uplifting book concludes with an epilogue, notes, bibliography and index.

This book is very interesting and easy to read, as one can turn to any page and read a short section at a time. I also found it very broad in scope; it does not shy away from controversial issues, such as homosexuality, extreme ultra-orthodoxy, poverty, crime, politics, etc. This appears to be an overview of Israel as it really is in 2008 -- a real eye-opener. I would recommend it to Jews and non-Jews alike.

If you have any intrest in knowing what life is like in Israel this book will satify your intrest. I found it very well written easy to read and the author gave intelligent insight and positions of all groups written about. Upon finishing this book I had a useful and fulfilling knowledge of Israelis and Israel. Of course this is only a glimpse but the book shows one there is such rich history and fascinating people in this diverse land. It gave some insight to both views mentioned in the editorial review. However I took from the book Israel is making attempts at assisting ALL Israelis no matter their ethnic origins. You will not regret adding this book to your Library.

I found this book (the first edition, 2003) in an apartment I'm renting in Jerusalem. It's quite interesting and well-written.

However, the author seems to have been rather sloppy in her research. I noticed at least two gross factual inaccuracies in details about the Orthodox communities in chapter 9, and this in turn calls into question whether the other information in the book is supported by the facts.

On page 176 (2003 edition), Rosenthal describes how "[s]oon after independence, Prime Minister Ben-Gurion agreed to Rabbi [E.M.] Schach's and other rabbis' requests to free haredi scholars of military obligation." Ben-Gurion's primary interlocutor on this issue was actually Rabbi A.Y. Karelitz (known as the Hazon Ish), the leading Lithuanian haredi rabbi of his day in Israel; the story of their meeting is quite well known in haredi circles, even to school-age children.

Again on page 188 (2003 edition), she writes: "For Lubavitch/Habad Hasidim, however, [Israel] Independence Day is a religious holiday becase they believe the birth of Israel in 1948 marked the beginning of the messianic redemption." This is completely incorrect: there are indeed religious Zionist Jews who believe this, and their communities are treated in the following chapter of the book; but Habad's position has never been that the establishment of the State has anything to do with the coming of the Messiah. Habad does support Jewish settlement on all territory under Israeli control, and opposes giveaways of land, for religious reasons having to do with saving Jewish lives; sometimes this puts them side-by-side with various Religious Zionist groups, as in opposition to the Gaza disengagement of 2005. Most likely our author saw or heard of such events and jumped to conclusions that the Habad and Religious Zionist ideologies are the same. But again, how hard would it have been to find out the real facts?

Rosenthal, Donna. "The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land", New Press, revised and updated, 2008.

My People

Amos Lassen

Americans have no idea who the Israelis are. The stories we get in the American media by and large depends on the source of the report. We see them here as soldiers fighting for their freedom and we see them as aggressive colonizers who determined to stay in control over Palestinians who resent them. We know that there is truth to both depictions and at the same time they depictions are distortions of who the Israeli really is. Donna Rosenthal looks at the Israeli across the broad spectrum and she gives very interesting insight as to the nature of the modern Israeli in two aspects--an individual and as a group.
Many Americans are simply not aware of the vibrancy and diversity of Israel and as the nation is such so are the citizens. There are the very Orthodox who constantly study and await the Messianic age. They are against those that dress immodestly and violate the Sabbath. There are the modern Israelis who excel in business and industry and do not bother with their religious heritage. There are the Bedouin Arabs who still live primitively carrying everything they own with them to wherever they go. There are prostitutes and mailmen and waiters and there are farmers and fishermen and gays, lesbians and those that are transgender.
Rosenthal entered Israeli society and interviewed many people and she gives us their backgrounds and their viewpoints. She discusses the decline of the kibbutz movement which was once vital to the country and shows how the ethic of collectively is no longer relevant. She shows how the Orthodox remain a community unto itself and stays isolated from mainstream Israeli culture and society. She shows the vice and corruption with Israel and the presence of the drug trade and she gives us a history of Zionism as we hear the reminiscences of the way it was. We hear from the man on the street, from the leaders, from Arabs and from Druze, from the Russian mafia and from the subcultures of sex and gambling.
Rosenthal has a wonderfully readable style and she manages to weave interviews, anecdotes and vignettes to give us a picture of a people that most of us know little about. But let me tell you that you must be prepared to have your preconceptions become misconceptions. In giving us the information on whom the Israeli is, Rosenthal sheds light on the shadows. It is absolutely amazing when we realize that Israel is a nation that has "ingathered the exiles"--Jews from all over the world who have not much in common except a history of persecution and the desire to live free in their own land.

Live From Jordan gives its readers a fresh perspective on the "Arab East" untainted by political subtexts. Benjamin Orbach's honest, open, and often humorous description of the people and places he encountered during his travels and studies is both engaging and thought provoking.

Exceptionally well written book. It would make a great travel companion for anyone embarking on a trip around the region, but could also serve to provide some great insight and information about the "Arab East".

Highly recommended.

Benjamin Orbach takes a total immersion approach to living in and understanding Jordan. He learns the language, befriends neighbors, and in a quest to understand, becomes a relentless listener/communicator to those he encounters along the way.
This excellent book deconstructs myths and sterotypes about the Arab East in a way that is both analytical and personal. The author's insights evolve from real life experiences far removed from academia and the often sterile think tanks upon which many Westerners depend for information about the Arab world.

I highly recommend Live from Jordan. This book has really opened my eyes and has helped me realized how important it is to look at issues from all perspectives. Reading this book has also been a good way to learn about the Arab East. I realize now how complicated and long term the problems in the middle east are. Thank you for writing such a thoughtful and intelligent book.

Benjamin Orbach did something just a few months after the events of 9-11 that few Americans dared to do. Just when most Americans were purposely avoiding travel to the Middle East (or had left the area for good), Orbach decided to move to Jordan on his own so that he could study Arabic as it is spoken on the street. He wanted to learn everyday Arabic slang and ways of expressing himself in the language that would allow him to communicate with Arabic speakers at the deepest level. Immersing himself into the culture of Amman, and living there without the usual security surrounding most Americans in that part of the world, he learned much more about himself and the people he met than he could have reasonably expected to come away with going into the experience.

Orbach's language skills and obvious respect for the culture and people he lived among made it possible for him to fit into his Amman neighborhood so well that he formed lasting friendships with the people he saw there everyday, his barber, his grocer, students at his university, his language teachers, restaurant owners and his landlady, among them. Unlike most Americans, and probably most Westerners, he came to see them as individuals with the same hopes and desires that we all have, rather than as interchangeable parts in a single Arab culture dominated by a religion bent on destroying the West and claiming the world for Islam. Anyone who reads Live from Jordan will be able to rid themselves of that stereotypical viewpoint forever and that makes it an important book.

When I started reading Live from Jordan I wondered whether or not Benjamin Orbach's personal experiences would be similar the ones I had while working in Algeria from late 1992 until early 2002. As it turns out, they definitely were. I am not an Arabic speaker but in Algeria French is the business language of choice and most Algerians are at least somewhat fluent in the language. That allowed me to have rather detailed and intimate discussions with my Algerian co-workers and friends about our differences and, more importantly, about our similarities. Much as I suspect that Orbach will always treasure his days in Jordan and Egypt, I will be forever grateful for the friendship and trust that was offered to me by those Algerians who welcomed me into their world as an individual rather than exclude me as an "American."

I mention my years in that part of the world only to emphasize how "true" this book read to me. I did not find a false note in it anywhere and would love to see its message spread as widely as possible.

Andrew Lubin is a true combat correspondent. He wasn't staying at a hotel in downtown Baghdad - he was out in the field with Charlie Battery during some of the fiercest fighting in the early stages of the War in Iraq. "Charlie Battery" offers us a first hand look at the USMC by a military historian and journalist who goes where the Marines go. This is must have for anyone reading about the War on Terror. It's on my bookshelf and is an award winning book. An easy 5 star selection. From one combat vet to another - thanks Prof. Lubin for accurately telling the Marine's story!

Patrick J. McLaughlin, Author of "No Atheists in Foxholes - Prayers and Reflections From the Front"

This book lives in the heart of what it means to be a Marine -- and what it means to those who love a Marine. Ambitious author Andrew Lubin divides his attention between four perspectives -- the Marine Corps, the course of the early stages of the Iraq War, the impact of the experience on the young men of Charlie Battery -- and the emotions of their relatives.

In many ways, "Charlie Battery" is like all war stories. Bored boys decide to become warriors. They join the service of their choice. They train. They gain confidence. They bond. War is declared. They prepare for battle -- both mentally and physically. They travel to distant, forlorn places. They wait. They attack. There are set-backs and mistakes. Some die. They either succeed or not. They come home -- both proud of what they've achieved and saddened by what they've seen. It's a well-known saga. Unfortunately, it's a story that's evergreen.

This author writes with great affection about the Marine Corps. He is uniquely qualified for the task. Both his mother and father were Marines -- and now, as "Charlie Battery" opens, his son Philip has joined the Corps just in time to participate in the invasion of Iraq. Andrew Lubin paints a portrait of the US Marine Corps as an organization focused on being the best trained and most ferocious fighters in the world. They are proud to be "the point of the spear" -- and eager to take on all missions impossible their country requires. "Charlie Battery" forces the reader to close his/her eyes and remember generation after generation of determined Marines throwing themselves into battle -- from Tripoli to Belleau Wood to Iwo Jima to the Chosin Reservoir to Vietnam, the Gulf War and Iraq -- it's both a horrifying and comforting thought.

In more tender interludes, Andrew Lubin, the father, emerges to talk about his beloved boy turned Marine. We hear about Phil's friends and fellow battery team members. We see the tears of mothers and sweethearts. We admire the grit of wives long used to the rigors of Marine Corps family life. We hear of how important contact from home is to those waiting to hear whether or not they will be going into battle soon. We wonder how we would have felt if they were our children or husbands waiting behind the Line of Departure the night before the invasion.

Lubin's fourth focus is the "what happened" side of things. He follows the activities of Phil and his friends from the time they are called back to their duty station at Camp LeJeune. He describes their incessant training, their long cruise to the Middle East, and their dismay at their temporary home at Camp Shouf -- a Kuwaiti desert aggregation point. As the moment approaches, he shows the members of Charlie Battery as they transition from restless young men, fond of playing with aggressive desert critters, to grim Marines primed for the job to come. In the most visceral scene of the book, the chaplain stands among his charges the night before they cross the LoD playing "Amazing Grace" on his bagpipes.

The invasion, the Battle of Nasariyah, the Jessica Lynch story, the rest of Charlie Battery's activities in Iraq, their return to Kuwait and the long way home are told in a patchwork quilt manner -- based on research, and interviews with the men and their families -- and letters and emails.

"Charlie Battery" is a big busy book squeezed into 194 pages. It includes maps and photos and "where everyone is now" vignettes. If you are into military history, Lubin describes the course of the invasion and the circumstances behind each move associated with "Charlie Battery." If you have a loved one in the service, you will empathize with the relatives of the young men of "Charlie Battery." If you are a fan of the USMC, you certainly want to read this one. If you are a veteran, you will mourn the fact that war is still necessary -- and that our children must step forward to sort out the problems of an ever more complicated world.

This book is a great read. It is well written and flows well. Keeps your interest throuhout.
This narrative gives you good information and insights into what is happening over there. One of the few books that gives you the perspective of the actual soldiers.
I look forward to more books from Mr. Lubin

This was a great book detailing Marine Artillery. There are very few books out about artillery and as an artilleryman I thought it was an accurate account for those who have not been around a battery. It is a must read for all military and military enthusiasts.

This is a great read from the beginning to the end. I especially enjoyed the perspectives from both the Marines abroad as well as the family and friends back home. It was a nice touch adding the messages sent home.

Great detailed account of the preparation and deployment of this fine Marine unit. This is a must read for anyone who wants to know what happens during wartime and the courage and sacrifices involved.

I discovered this book while visiting relatives in Amsterdam. I've been exploring tagine recently and this book just opened up for me the whole of Near Eastern/North African cooking. I went to one of the wonderful Amsterdam spice markets and stocked up before my return home and have been having a great time cooking from the book ever since.

The recipes are clearly laid out and easy to cook, and the book itself is great reading with a lot of fascinating background material and lovely photos of the finished product. It's just a pleasure to use.

I lived in Alexandria, Egypt for 14 years before moving to the US for good. This book captures the essence of Egyptian, and other Arabic, cooking. My American mother who lived in Alexandria for 16 years could rival any Egyptian woman in the kitchen. I learned a few things from her but she passed away a few years after our family moved to the US and ever since I've been trying to find a book that would come close to my North Carolinian mother's Arabic cooking. Well, that search started over 30 years ago and thanks to Claudia, my search is finally over. I no longer have to buy another book on Middle Eastern food. This book is a work of art. The memories it conjures up of life and especially food in the Middle East brought tears to my eyes. This book is replacing dozens of obsolete Arabic cook books on my shelf. None even come close. I wish I could thank Claudia personally for taking the time to write such a wonderful book that's full of not only great recipes that are very easy to follow, but equally exciting prose and tid bits of the mother land. There is no equal in my eyes to Claudia and now I'm on a quest to get all her other books.

Great book. So glad I got it. What a whole bunch of flavor. Need something new and different to eat? Here you go! This woman (Claudia Roden) really knows her stuff. Yummm!

The book is fantastic. Have a very long introduction to give you a better understanding of the food as a part of middle east culture. Although have very little photos (I personally like photos on cooking books), this book is full of great ideas. I think I will buy soon CLaudia Roden's Jewish cookbook.

After my gourmet food writer friend's recommendation, purchased this for a quality food fan husband as a gift. This book contains thorough recipes of Middle Eastern with history and original names. Some inserts of beautiful photos, as well (which is more restaurant ready than home ready). Can use out of this every day. Strongly recommended.

I truly enjoyed this book. It is somewhat parochial regarding the air force, but not awful about it. Some of the personal anecdotes were quite interesting, especially the description of the Saudi officers. I laughed out loud at the anecdote of "you are now leaving Saudi Arabia, please set your watches ahead 600 years".

This book assumes the reader has something of a military background, which isn't an issue to me but I can imagine some people struggling w/the story. If your interested in military history in the mideast, you can easily afford the day or two it will take to read this.

Boy, I certainly enjoyed this book. It really keeps you on the edge of your seat as you relive his experiences in Iraq and with GEN Schwarzkopf during the Gulf War.

With his unique first-hand experiences in Iraq and the Middle East and being fluent in Arabic, Col. Francona has certainly had a most exciting career. I'm sure he must still be an extremely valuable consultant to the Bush administration in Washington.

This is the best book I've read in quite some time!

He was right in the middle of the Iraq war with eyeball accounts of things that were happening. Great if you like behind the scenes info. Well written.

If you were an intelligence officer fluent in speaking Arabic and served in Iraq during its war with Iran and later as General Schwarzkopf's interpreter during Desert Shield and Desert Storm you would have a lot to tell that could not be found in American news reports--and Rick Francona does just that in Ally To Adversary.

This book takes you into Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, where you will come away with a better understanding of the political, military, and cultural mishmash of the region.

The book is full of revealing tidbits, such as:
--Government Control - In order to mail a letter outside of the country of Iraq, one must get government permission to buy postage stamps. A woman "sobbing quietly" told the author that she had a sister in the United States but could not correspond with her.
--Bunker Opulence - The Saudi king's bunker deep below the palace is itself an underground palace with kitchen, living areas and medical clinic, "opulent beyond description."
--Allies? - When the first Iraqi missiles hit Israeli soil, inside the coalition operations center every Saudi officer was on his feet applauding and cheering the attack.
--Monster Marines - The fighting ferocity of a small group of U.S. Marines surrounded and greatly outnumbered by Iraqi soldiers spread through the Iraqi army spawning wild perceptions about American marines. Among them: each marine had to have killed a member of his own family as a condition of entering the corps; and that marines practiced cannibalism on the bodies of their foes.

Find out why Iraq did not use chemical and biological weapons against the coalition forces.

At a time when many Americans want to understand Arab and Islamic influences and their effect on current events, Rick Francona's book is an excellent and enduring source.
As an Air Force intelligence officer, a Middle East veteran, and a fluent Arabic speaker, Rick had seen the Iraqis, first as an ally, and later as an adversary, as the title suggests. Early in the book he tells us about visiting Iraq during its long war with Iran. He visited areas of grinding combat around Al-Basrah and observed, as an ally, the army we would later face in the Persian Gulf War. His unique, first-hand observations would be invaluable later. He also entertains us with stories of life in Baghdad, once even escaping his Iraqi escort and conversing in Arabic with surprised ordinary Iraqis in the marketplace.
Later in the book, he gives us an insider's view as General Schwarzkopf's interpreter at the meeting at Safwan where Iraq was to receive surrender terms. Asked to translate instructions to the senior Iraqi representative, Rick tells us, "I translated the words into Arabic; the Iraqi interpreter, a brigadier who had spent several years living in Michigan, nodded to Sultan Hashim that my translation was correct." He ties many of his experiences together at a meeting later in the book when he finds himself facing an Iraqi major with whom he had worked during the Iran-Iraq war. "I was stunned to be now face-to-face with Majid Al-Hilawi, whom I had not seen since my last night in Baghdad at the end of the US-Iraq military relationship in 1988. I simply walked over to where Majid was sitting and offered my hand which he took warmly."
Rick Francona makes us feel like a personal witness to all these events. This is a great story from an observant eyewitness. It is all the more compelling because we saw the highlights on CNN and many of the observations will probably be relevant far into the future.

This was an interesting book. Not fantastic but I think it could have been. The author states she has her choice of stories from dozens of women and while she says she picked them for their variety, sometimes it didn't feel like it. That being said however, her portrayals of these women is excellent. She is able to empathize with them because she was going through the exact same thing. Army wives who are really hurting do so in silence because they don't want to be included in the ranks of whiners who want attention. She lets their voices be heard in a way that honors their sacrifices and the duty that their husbands are called to. This was one of the first books about deployment that I really enjoyed.

Although I am the wife of a retired soldier who spent 24 years in the Army with two tours in Viet Nam, I still could identify with these women during their husbands' deployments to Iraq. I was especially pleased to read about Baumholder since that was where we were stationed in the 70's. This is a different war from ours, the Army has changed, women are much more independent than I was in the late 60's and early 70's when my husband went to war; however, the loneliness, worry about your spouse, counting down of days until he/she comes home, sometimes the anxieties and sheer terror that you feel...those things remain the same. This is one of my favorite books about this war and I think that it is ideal reading for any woman who watches her man leave for war. I was glad to read that the Army has Family Readiness Groups and support groups for the families. A glimpse into these women's lives was so revealing and I felt their pain. Just an excellent read, in my old Army wife opinion.

As a military spouse and after reading so many great reviews here and elsewhere, I felt the need to read this book. It was a little fluffy for my liking. I did relate to events and day to day life of the women. However, I felt as though a lot was missing from this book. I was left wanting to know more about the characters. I think it could have been developed a little more.

all i can say is that by reading this book the last 3 deployments my husband has gone thru and the time i have spent by myself and the kids are finally validated.
im a army wife of 8 years, and 3rd deployment survivor.
i am german where my husband was stationed at for 10 years, and deployed to iraq twice from there.
i got the book and instantly started to read, and i couldnt stop, i sat on the couch for 6 hours crying and sobbing.
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