Middle East Books

My daughter brought this book home from her school library and asked me to read it to her. It is a great story about a girl who loves numbers. And perfect for me to read to her since I am an accountant. I really like that the book is about a woman who is good at math, and it takes her a lot of time to meet a man who can match her mathematical genius. It is a cute story with great illustrations.

Beautifully written and illustrated, this is an outstanding book for uses in the upper-elementary grades to accompany a lesson on properties of whole numbers (the multiplicative identity, in particular), place value, and problem solving, in general. I used it with my course for prospective elementary teachers and they loved it. I know that children will love it as well. It also supports gender equity in mathematical ability.

Young Aziza, the sultan's daughter, has been educated in all things, but her favorite subject is numbers. When the time comes to marry, how to choose her husband? A riddle, of course. A riddle with only one answer. She travels throughout the country searching for a man who can answer her riddle. An astronomer, a soldier, and a merchant all try, but fail. Just as Aziza is about to give up a farmer comes to the caravan to try to answer the riddle. This humble man knows the answer and becomes her groom. A detailed explanation of the riddle follows the story. The illustrations are beautiful. A great story, gorgeous pictures, math - what more could you want!

A fine, balanced, insightful, scholarly survey of Zionism and its dark side. This Israeli scholar issues an effective call for readers to take a more enlightened stand on an issue often clouded by ignorance and (anti-Palestinian)racial prejudice. As a former relief worker in the Middle East, I heartily endorse Prof. Beit-Hallahmi's book as an introduction to clear thinking and action about the realities of Palestine/Israel and other, broader, issues. As a professor of social ethics, I find this book well documented and well researched, bringing light to a question which often generates only heat and darkness.

This Haifa University Israeli scholar credibly demolishes the myths successfully established by a century of Zionist propaganda. He joins Marc Ellis and Meron Benvenisti(CITY OF STONE)as a courageous "voice in the wilderness" in an Israel where few leaders are willing to acknowledge the massive injustice done to the Palestinian people over the past fifty years. That such a devastating critique of the flawed foundation of a society can come from within it's own intelligentia is, oddly enough, a tribute to Israel and a sign of hope.

This book is remarkable. It ranges widely but is quite incisive! Covering about 200 years of Jewish life with special attention to the Zionist movement and the State of Israel.
Despite the title, it is not the breast beating of a bleeding hear liberal. It just states that facts and examines the arguments and concludes with a way forward.

True, he probably dwells too much on the "failures" of Zionism. (Zionsim failed to work as intended, that doesn't mean necessarily that it failed.) One might want to compare Tom Segev's ELVIS IN JERUSALEM assessment.

The chapter on religion is worth the price alone! He disentangles the groups like Gush Emunim, the Kach party, Agudat Israel, and Neturei Karta, which tend to get lumped together. Along the way the does much to give the lie to Israel Shahak JEWISH HISTORY, JEWISH RELIGION which sought to lay the sins of Zionism at the doorstep of "Classical Judaism." On the contrary, even today, there is an strong negative correlation between orthodoxy and zionism in Israel.

As for anyone who wishes to question his discussion of religious groups, I would like to point out that religion in Israeli life is a Dr. Beit-Hallahmi and his previous book DESPAIR AND DELIVERANCE deals with this very subject.

This book can provide plenty of help and guide for anyone traveling to Pakistan, foreigners in particular (she mentioned a few things in Lahore, my hometown, which even I did not know). I picked the book from my father's bookshelf to kill my time and ended up reading all of it. She explains most things about the local culture extremely well, without the usual negative tone that most other authors unconsciously get into (no offence for anyone please).

For me if a book gives you the information that you need and makes you read more than what you initially planned, is a five star, so is this one!

We visited North Pakistan, looking at the archaeology, and this guidebook was excellent- it covered virtually everything.
We ordered it from London, and it arrived very promptly - and cheaper than the price quoted by amazon.co.uk!

My journey home to Pakistan started a little over five years ago when I married a Pakistani national who had immigrated to the United States in the early nineties. The decision to visit my family back home in Lahore City was one that took nearly five years to make. After securing my flight at the height of the summer travel season and I might add the hottest time of year in that part of the Indian subcontinent I desparately sought out the most comprehensive travel guide I could find. Isobel Shaw's book is informative and a godsend to a novice traveller to the Indian subcontinent such as my self. From her descriptions of famous landmarks to the locations of hotels and hospices she gives an accurate account of what to expect. The index of Urdu phrases came in handy on several occasions as I do not speak or read the language and was often dependent on my husband's translating capability. The maps and descriptions of the different regions allowed us to the luxury of travelling to areas of Pakistan I might never have seen otherwise. My only regret is that we were unable to see more of Kashmir than the border checkpoint. Due to my blonde hair and western features the border guards were relunctant to let us in. Perhaps next time I shall be allowed to travel in that region. I would not hesitate to recommend Ms. Shaw's guidebook to anyone travelling in Pakistan. It is an informative and enjoyable book on the people and the country of Pakistan.

Pakistan is a fascinating and unfairly under-rated country. It certainly is one of the poorest in the world but its people are the most welcoming you will ever meet and the scenery is enthralling. I promised myself I'll keep returning to Pakistan every year since my first discovery trip (1998). Look no further for the best guidebook to Pakistan. This new edition is VERY detailed and informative and has even succeeded in improving on the already brilliant previous edition. In my opinion, Lonely Planet's updated 1998 edition is not bad either but does not compare. Have a wonderful journey ! And please, if you go to Lahore, don't miss the beautiful Wazir Khan mosque !

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be indespensible during two trips to Pakistan in the Summers of 03 and 04. A little skimpy on photos and the prices were outdated (it has not been updated since 1998 I wish they would too). other than that it was/is the best on the market, far more engaging and extensive than Lonely Planet. I see Footprint is expected to release a Guide to the Northern Areas. Although I welcome this I think far too many tourists neglect the four provinces down country. This is really where the guide book shines for it reveals so much about the majority of the country that other books neglect or skim over.

While in pursuit if my passion of travel, I have had the chance to use several types of guides, but never have I enjoyed reading any guide as this one. Very detailed, yet simply arranged, and excellent recommendations. Very accurate trekking information is also included in it, along with the typical "touristy" material. Maps could use a little more detail, as I saw it. Prices and other recommendations were excellent! Awesome job!

If anyone is going to Pakistan, I would highly suggest getting this book. There are so many things that I have never known even though I was there for several months.

If Dr. Robert John were remembered for nothing else, he would be forever remembered for his two volume history, The Palestine Diary.

In a world awash with Zionist propaganda it remains the classic reference work on the subject. Next to "The Holocaust" no subject has been more thoroughly distorted than the history of Zionism in Arab Palestine. The Palestine Diary remains the only complete history of the dispossession of the Palestinian Arabs. In all the years since it was first published in 1970 it remains the most complete and objective study of the subject. Not surprisingly, The Palestine Diary encountered major publication problems. No university press would touch it, despite the endorsement of the world renowned English historian, Arnold Toynbee.

Dr. John himself was dismissed from numerous jobs with major U.S. corporations, all of them fearful of the well known lobby.

The eventual publisher of The Palestine Diary, New World Press in New York, had its presses burned to discourage reprints of the heretical work. The Palestine Diary has always been a difficult work to find. It is so clearly written, well organized and factually unimpeachable that its research is simply devastating to Zionist pretensions. Robert John had many accomplishments in his life besides The Palestine Diary.

But it was his magnum opus and the work which shall overshadow everything else he did. In many senses Robert John was the Jimmy Carter of his time. The Palestine Diary is a much greater work than Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid. The scholarship is on a much higher plane. Books like Palestine:Peace, Not Apartheid come and go. But The Palestine Diary is the classic which shall remain. Robert John may rest in peace. His classic shall endure.

This book blasts to smithereens the misconceptions and prejudices surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. No one who reads this book will remain politically naive.

Dr. John's two-volume Palestine Diary is a timely masterpiece of scholarship on the most important international issue of our time. It documents important sources which can be found nowhere else.

If read and comprehended by enough persons of influence, this book just might help avert the escalation of the Middle East conflict into World War III.

Dr. John's two-volume Palestine Diary is a timely masterpiece of scholarship on the most important international issue of our time. It documents important sources which can be found nowhere else.

If read and comprehended by enough persons of influence, this book just might help avert the escalation of the Middle East conflict into World War III.

This book blasts to smithereens the misconceptions and prejudices surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. No one who reads this book will remain politically naive.

If Dr. Robert John were remembered for nothing else, he would be forever remembered for his two volume history, The Palestine Diary.

In a world awash with Zionist propaganda it remains the classic reference work on the subject. Next to "The Holocaust" no subject has been more thoroughly distorted than the history of Zionism in Arab Palestine. The Palestine Diary remains the only complete history of the dispossession of the Palestinian Arabs. In all the years since it was first published in 1970 it remains the most complete and objective study of the subject. Not surprisingly, The Palestine Diary encountered major publication problems. No university press would touch it, despite the endorsement of the world renowned English historian, Arnold Toynbee.

Dr. John himself was dismissed from numerous jobs with major U.S. corporations, all of them fearful of the well known lobby.

The eventual publisher of The Palestine Diary, New World Press in New York, had its presses burned to discourage reprints of the heretical work. The Palestine Diary has always been a difficult work to find. It is so clearly written, well organized and factually unimpeachable that its research is simply devastating to Zionist pretensions. Robert John had many accomplishments in his life besides The Palestine Diary.

But it was his magnum opus and the work which shall overshadow everything else he did. In many senses Robert John was the Jimmy Carter of his time. The Palestine Diary is a much greater work than Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid. The scholarship is on a much higher plane. Books like Palestine:Peace, Not Apartheid come and go. But The Palestine Diary is the classic which shall remain. Robert John may rest in peace. His classic shall endure.

An extraordinary book describing the desecration of Palestine by the Israeli government. It is a poignant memoir of a time past, beautifully written and pregnant with emotion.

I've walked in Israel and the West Bank before the Intifadas, before the barriers, and subsequently tried to make some sense of the mistakes and the historical horror show that has occurred. I think that the Arabic term "al Naqba", the catastrophe, truly best states what has happened, and what continues for all those who live there.
For everyone who shares the author's love of the land or has any respect for human dignity, this book will make you despair over the tragedy of it all.
Some books on the subject have challenged me, all have upset me, but none have effected me as viscerally as these personal ruminations on the irretrievable loss of the landscape itself.
It's beautifully written. Read it and weep.

I have just made arrangements to go to Palestine and experience walks in Palestine in the midst of a brutal occupation! This is how powerful this book!

I bought this book because I wanted to have a look at old Cairo, this part of the city that has been unspoiled by time and, unfortunately, neglected by men. I think the Egyptian Government should do something to restore and exploit these buildings for the sake of Cairo's beauty. The pictures are nice and the texts are mainly for those who have an architectural interest for Cairo's past. I am not an architect, though, and I enjoyed the book - perhaps because I love this city very much.

The beautiful photographs of the belle epoque buildings of Cairo fairly jump off the pages at you. This lovely, understated book should be a guide for architecture and restoration students and buffs. This is a great gift book for the right people.

From the Egyptian Press: "[Myntti's] photographs...overflow with her love of Cairo, so the photos have become more beautiful than professional photos, because it was the heart that recorded not the fixed lens that cannot feel the pulse." (Hussam Abd Rabbu, Akhir Saat.) "The French architecture of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries makes up one of the most charming of Cairo's harlequin faces.... This era has left a strikingly beautiful imprint on the citscape. Myntti's zoom lens offers a graceful catalogue." (Francis Bickmore, Egypt's Insight.) "In its global significance and cosmopolitan sophistication, Cairo was not merely a copy of Paris, it was more than Paris. The book inivtes one to 'promenade' and also to protect these neglected treasures." (Bruno Ronfard, Al-Ahram Hebdo.)

I purchased this as a source for a class presentation. If my professor had not required that I have three sources, I would not have needed anything else. Great, up-to-date, practical information from someone who has been there. Great buy!

This succinct, highly readable guide to understanding Israeli culture and dealing with Israelis in business and social contexts makes observations solidly supported by academic research on the subject. Topics range from negotiating with Israelis to hot-button issues like religion and politics. The bibliography of books and Internet sites provides additional resources for those who want to know more. A must-read for Americans seeking successful intercultural communication with Israelis, whether in the U.S. or Israel.

I had originally purchased this book to use for a school project. While the book was extremely useful for my Human Resources class, I also found the issues and topics presented in the book to be of great interest. This book is easy reading, short and to the point.

This is one of the best, balanced and objective documentaries I've yet seen on the crisis in the Middle East. It confirms accusations made in another documentary "Enemy Image" which showed how US Media is controlled by external sources, denying citizens of the US a truly honest picture of world events.

I imagine Zionists and hard line Jews will not be enamoured of this documentary, which points out, fairly, exactly where the blame lies for much of what is going on, and has gone before. They will no doubt brand the many Jewish persons providing comment in this documentary as "self-hating" Jews or worse.

That aside, this is a documentary which has opened my eyes to a number of issues I was quite ignorant of or had swallowed the manipulated US Media's reporting on.

This documentary should be compulsory viewing to all school children to bring some balance into the Middle East conflict equation.

Honesty in reporting is not yet dead, thankfully. Just seems that way in the US.

JK

This is a must see documentary, an essential for anyone who is interrested in knowing about the Israeli Palestinian issues. What this production offers is information and facts that will never be shown on our corporate media outlets; the brutal Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian people that has lasted for almost 4 decades and is still going in full force, with the help of the US who supports the occupation by providing financial, military and intelligence.
You want to know the truth, see this.

This is a must see for anyone that is interested in understanding the conflict and the reasons for its continuance.

Even during the most recent lebanon-Isreal war, It was distressing to see the one-sidedness of the coverage of the crisis in the media. Even respectable outlets like NPR did not do a good job of portraying the suffering of the people and the roots of the conflict. This documentary does an excellent job
of conveying how news is twisted and biased in the US. You can also see clearly why the mass US population only sympathises with Isreal. When you dont see the other side of the story ever, its easy to turn a blind eye to their plight.

Everyone claims the cause is all the 'Islamic-Terrorists' or the jihadists. Why does not anyone question what causes an entire nation to become jihadists and to live in such hatred ?

There is only one answer -- HOPELESSNESS. When you deprive human kind of hope and de-humanize an entire population, violence unfortunately will seem to be the only alternative

Highly recommend this for anyone trying to understand the conflict and US foreigh policy and how big corporations and big media control what and how we think about world issues.