Middle East Books

The author of this book is Edward Granville Browne, who recorded his first account of Constitutional Revolution in Iran, plus he provided researched account on Constitutional Revolution in Iran. Interestingly, he discussed how UK and Russia divided Iran in two spheres and causing unrest in Iran. Thus, Iran did not have an opportunity to have political maturity.

This book attempts to reconstruct the events and upheavels during the persian constitutional revolution. The author shows an intimate knowledge of his subject, having spent time in Iran previously. Amanat does a magnificant job in introducing the unknown part of Iranian politics, with accurate observations and conclusions.

Edward G. Browne, the most famous British scholar of Iranian studies, for whom a street adjacent to Tehran University is named, has made an enormous contribution to Iranian studies in this and his other works. Professor Brown, whose other works span Iranian literature, culture, sociology and history, was a great friend to those who sought to advance the cause of liberalism and the rule of law in Iran.

This work is particularly valuable, as it is the only first-hand English language study of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. It is particularly valuable for those readers unable to access works in Farsi, such as Ahmad Kasravi's seminal work on the Constitutional Revolution.

In this work, Brown vividly portrays the machinations of the British, Russian, and Iranian players in the constitutional revolution. One can sense the joy and agony in Browne's work as he describes the initial victory of the constitutionalists, and their eventual defeat at the hands of foreign agents and Iranian traitors.

Amanat's introduction is also valuable for the historical and biographical context it provides. Amanat, a scholar at Yale, has established his position as one the most prominent authors of Iranian history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Those who enjoy this work, may care to also consider Shuster's work "The Strangling of Persia", also in the Persia observed series.

I read a lot of books, but sometimes one comes along that really surprises me with its excellence, and this is one of those books. In this book, Professor Neil Bierling presents up-to-date information on those bad guys of the Old Testament, the Philistines. Combining the Biblical references to the Philistines with recent archeological finds, Prof. Bierling fleshes out the Philistines, following their history from their origination in the Aegean(!), through their arrival in Egypt and Canaan, their interaction with the Israelites, and on to their final destruction by the Babylonian Empire.

This is an excellent resource for any student of the Bible who has wondered who the Philistines really were. The author uses the Biblical references to them in a skillful way, showing where the archaeological finds have complemented the Biblical narrative, and where they have not. Indeed, he does not simply follow the Bible (though the Bible does give the book its organization), but follows the history of the Philistines as they interacted with such Middle Eastern nations as Egypt and Assyria.

So, let me just sum up by saying that this is a great book on the Philistines, one that is sure to amplify your understanding of who they were.

Thank you Prof. Bierling for writing a new study of the Philistines with all the latest archaeological information. This book is a fantastic resource for the subject and I really appreciate the lavish use of color plates. It should be required reading for every Bible student.

This is a completely new study, lavishly illustrated with 30 color plates... a must have for anyone interested in the Bible!

This book was mentioned in the last few pages of "Guests of the Ayatollah" by Bowden - which is another fantastic read.

Colonel Charles Scott was one of the hostages unjustly captured and imprisoned in November 1979. He does a superb job taking the reader through the entire crisis, including the preamble, the takeover, the internment and the build-up to the release.

The book is exceptionally well-written and has the easy flow of a fictional novel. One of Colonel Scott's strengths is his ability to retell the events with such clarity and detail, that you feel it is happenning in real time - and that you are somehow part of the ordeal.

One of the most fascinating subplots of the book, is his relationships with his captors. Colonel Scott's undying resolve both frustrates and impresses those that imprison him. However, he is able to analyze and evaluate the Iranians and is even able to forge a few (dare I say) friendships - especially with Akbar, an educated and reasonable Iranian who slowly grows frustrated with the hostage situtation and is compelled to engage the Colenel in both personal and political discussions.

It is unfortunate the the Iranian hostage crisis is passed over in a few paragraphs in our schools. This book should be added to any high school reading list, and certainly should be part of any curriculum related to US History and our relationships with our friends in the Middle East.

I hope that the success of "Guests of the Ayatollah" will give more readers the opportunity to read this great book as well.

This book is a lavishly written and easy to read first person account of the siege of American embassy in Iran written by one tough as nails army colonel. It is unfortunate, that given today's events this book is now out of print. It's important to understand as time has gone on many of the hostage takers have become important figures in Iranian education and government.

Aspects of the book I really enjoyed were the first hand perspective of the remarkable people in our embassy, the history of the region and the reason behind the Iranian revolution.

In the past I worked for one the hostages taken by the Iranians and I questioned some of what he had to say. Interestingly, enough Col. Scott's book provided the answers the questions that have puzzled me for years.

One of the most striking aspects about the book is the fact that so many of the "intellectual elite" who took over a nation have used an educational system to pigeon hole a nation's people into a system of "group think" that allows them to be manipulated. In this way the book should be on the shelve of anyone interested in the future of the near east and how it affects us as a nation.

One thing is certain. We can be proud to know that our country produces men like Col. Scott. His self reliance, devotion to faith, attention to detail, and his ability to never give in or give out to his interrogators are a credit to him and his service.

Col. Scott's book is, quite simply, one of the very best personal narratives I have ever read. He traces the entire hostage ordeal from its political roots in Iran, including the deposition of the Shan and its effect on everyday Iranians, to its overwhelming conclusion, over a year later. Col. Scott takes great pains to ensure that the reader fully understands what is happening at every point, and the depth and clarity of the actual writing is breathtaking.

Of interest to many readers will be the time Col. Scott takes to fully develop (in the mind of the reader) his relationship with his "benevolent terrorist", Akbar. He also gives a significant portion of the book to Akbar's history, and I really felt, at the end of the book, as if I had been right there in the midst of things, listening, feeling, and watching the story unfold. A fantastic read by an extraordinarily talented man.

I enjoyed reading this book. It's written by an insider, a priest, who has lived in the Holy Land, and knows it well. He is quick to point out why certain places are believed to be actual sites where events occurred and what not to believe. He includes appropriate hymns and prayers for the holy sites. It is written for those taking a spiritual journey to the Holy Land.

I am leading a group of 48 people to the Holy Land and originally intended to compose a liturgy/sacred reading book for the group to use at each of the sites of our visit. I began to research all the relevant Scripture passages; for example, Elijah's battle with the Baals for our stop at Mt. Carmel; the Capernaum passages, etc. Then I discovered Fr. Doyle's book and Hallelujah! Saved me a ton of time. All the relevant Scripture references etc. and passages for all the key sites, along with appropos reflections, suitable hymns etc. This book is not an exegesis nor a history nor archeological text, but an excellent liturgical accompaniment.

I ordered 4 copies of this book last Sunday and paid for shipping next day air. You needed 1/2 days for handling. The books have not arrived and I'm leaving tomorrow (Sunday) for Israel. Please note: I'm not paying and will need to send these books back due to delay in arriving

There is a thread that links the greatest interpreters of legend and mythology of the twentieth and early twenty-first century, running from the genius of Marcel Granet, through the solitary and towering phenomenon of Georges Dumezil, again through the great French school of Hellenic interpretation of Vernant, Detienne, Vidal-Nacquet and Nicole Loraux, and most recently to the American Gregory Nagy circle. Olga Davidson is well rooted in the work of all these giants (except perhaps Granet) and her study of the Persian great epic makes excellent use of all their discoveries, besides showing admirable perceptivity and considerable courage. She boldly rejects a whole tradition of historicizing accounts of Ferdawsi, rightly arguing that the account of how the poet was led to write his great epic was not a piece of history but a legendary view of the Poet as Poet. Her interpretation of other features of this great masterpiece (among which, inevitably, towers the figure of Rustam) is equally perceptive, and nourished everywhere by a fine literary taste and sympathy. It is to be hoped that this book becomes a landmark in its field.

I studied under the author in college in the early 80s. The story of the Persian Book of Kings was so interesting that I saved all the class material and was happy to find the book. I highly recommend it as a must read for anyone interested in this period listerature and in near eastern literature. This story is one of the most memorable I have ever read. The characters live in your mind with a substance unparalled. I even named my dog Rustam after reading this years ago. (if that helps any LOL) Hi and thanks to the author, for sharing her knowledge of this story, and that of the Arabian nights with me :)

I was drawn to this book by my interest in Persian literature and expected to find a serious examination into the Shanama. Having read the book, I find that it is worthy not only for its educational value, but also as captivating pleasure reading. The author does an excellent job keeping the reader interested and involved with the main characters. She fully develops the plot and characters and has a gift for description. This book evinces the author's expertise in the arena of Middle-Eastern literature and is laudable for identifying new mythological aspects of the Shanama. For those interested in Persian poetry, this book is a must-read and perhaps should be required reading for anyone studying Middle-Eastern literature. Aside from its academic value, I found the writing style of the book to be clear, concise, and attention-grabbing. The author has done well examining the Shanama (not the easiest of things) and writing a fascinating book.

I find big lies to be the most serious threat to peace on this planet. Almost any conflict has a chance to be resolved, given that no matter how bad things are, fighting tends to make them worse. Only when one or both sides are convinced that their opponents and neutrals are reacting to ad hoc fabrications are they likely to completely abandon a search for peace in favor of pure self-defense (or even aggression against the liars).

That is why I find this book, which discusses a truly arbitrary fabrication, to be very important. We may laugh at the accusations that were made against Israel in this case of "poisoning." But witch hunts are no joke. And the threat to all of society is very serious, even though at first it may seem that only a few "witches" are being attacked.

Raphael Israeli describes the case in a straightforward manner. That makes this book very useful, because Big Lies will occur in the future. And he implies that the same scenario will repeat: the bewilderment of the accused, the outrage of the accusers, the complicity of media and authorities, the indifference of neutrals, the claims that there really is no such thing as truth, and the generation of more lies and more escapades.

The final third of the book is the best part. In it, the author discusses what a lie is, what a hoax is, why people lie, what types of lies exist, and what political lies are. He then gives a little of the history of antisemitic lies. And he shows how these lies are used today to attack Israel's legitimacy.

Perhaps if we all read more books like this one, we would not be so easily misled by liars and their media accomplices.

This extremely powerful and enormously disturbing book will seize the reader's attention from the very first page with the text radiating a plea to the people of goodwill to open their eyes to how the flames of anti-Semitism (hatred of the Jews) are presently being fanned by virtually every International media entity. Whether this is through ignorance or deliberate, the reader must decide for themselves. I was personally immersed in the relevance of this presentation in relation to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

I found this work to be an authoritative and impressive study which commendably draws on sources & documentation from Israeli, Palestinian, European, Arab, American and other International elements. The attitude of the media in its news reporting in relation to the Jewish state is cited as libel and misrepresentation and described in the book as poison; psychological, social, emotional and especially political.

Aptly and with due reference to the subject of "poison", the book presents its case initially through the events of March 21 1983 when Palestinian girls at Arrabeh school near Jenin were reportedly poisoned en masse by .....Israel. Further events following at later dates with 56 Arab girls at Jenin's Zahra School likewise being taken ill and in April another 310 Arab girls at Hebron being hospitalized.

Despite investigations revealing that the reported poisoning was merely a case of mass hysteria, the book reveals how the International media reported Palestinian/Arab accusations as fact, irrespective of the circumstances and their lack of authenticity. Little if any time being given to provide the Israeli version of events and the fact that poison pollution teams had examined the schools but found absolutely no trace of poison in any case. Reporters instead are shown to be only too prepared to publicly declare the horrendous allegation that Israel had used Nazi methods in these alleged incidents.

The book includes two sections entitled "Lying About Jews" and "The Nature Of Political Lies". With due study here it can be seen that the media's extraordinary ability to influence world opinion is undisputed with journalists being trained to reserve personal opinion for the editorial page, but sadly only those few with discipline and integrity taking it upon themselves to comply. Through a thorough investigation and presentation the book provides the individual reader with an opportunity to examine how those who we trust to impartially report the news actually write with a persistent and undeniable slant against Israel.

Stories are described which show how it has been possible to distort the truth behind the headlines in parallel with the Palestinian doctrine of hatred and propaganda daily directed towards the Jewish State through the use of sensational selective headlines which allegedly distort the facts on the ground to advance particular points of view.

Reporting of the Israeli-Palestinian situation through a series of half-truths and selective headlines are shown here to have exacerbated widespread anti-Jewish feelings, eroded any possible support for Israel and which have considerably increased sympathy for the Palestinian/Arab position. A policy which is shown to pander to the agendas of Palestinian extremists who seek exploitation of the media and prey on the fears of the public in order to alter their perception of events and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Although the book takes great pains to illustrate and emphasise the inherent dangers within the reporting by the media of events such as the alleged "poisoning" in this manner, it is evident from the text that this principle applies in relation to the entire Middle East conflict and not only the Jewish people.

I have no doubt that many readers of this work who have studied the Nazi Holocaust in any depth will find themselves reminded here of the anti-Jewish sentiments prevalent in the years preceding that period which provided such a fertile ground for the genocidal policies which followed. Sentiments which the book sadly expose, not only still exist, but are perhaps now more widespread than ever. It is said that if a lie is repeated often enough, then it eventually becomes regarded as the truth and also that those who forget the past are condemned to relive it. That is why I consider this to be a very timely, appropriate book which I highly recommend.

The United Nations concluded in August 2002 that the battle in Jenin the previous March had been anything but an Israeli massacre, as the international medial had widely reported it. On the contrary, Arab combatants had booby trapped houses and fought among civilians. Although 52 Arabs killed were mostly combatants, however, incorrect news reports went uncorrected--mirroring the 1983 experience detailed exhaustively here.

Raphael Israeli's examination of this 1983 incident shows how Middle East news often becomes distorted. On March 21, 1983, girls at Arrabeh school near Jenin were reportedly poisoned en masse. Before classes began at 8 a.m., a 17-year-old student ran to the window, coughed, complained of breathing difficulties, headache, nausea, drowsiness and stomach pains. Then 17 more girls became ill. On March 22, West Bank health services director Dr. Hussein Ubeid confirmed visiting the school and reported a sharp odor that irritated his nostrils and throat.

On March 23, the author shows, a poison pollution team examined the school but found no trace of poison. Within four days, however, the school issued two more mass poisoning reports. The following week, 56 girls at Jenin's Zahra Middle School similarly took ill. In April, 310 Hebron girls were hospitalized with Jenin syndrome. Serious cases went to Israel's Ramban Hospital in Haifa. Patients were given oxygen, glucose infusions and tranquilizers--and improved.

Reported here are findings of 15 scientists dispatched to the sites, who found zero evidence of food, water, gas or pesticide poisoning or pollution. But Israeli health director general Dr. Baruch Modan's assurances--that there were "neither poisoning nor a physical disease, nor any obscure scheme against those young women's health"--
fell on deaf ears.

As the author shows, journalists attributed to military sources "news" of "poisonous substances"--supposedly "sprinkled on the curtains of the classrooms." Furthermore, Islamic, Arab, Soviet block and Western European media reproduced, often verbatim, "accusations and statements regarding the mass poisoning,"--including unsubstantiated claims "that nerve gas was used in this affair." The book shows how the extensive media reports of unusually high levels of protein in the girls' urine were in fact fabricated. The author demonstrates reporters' hateful suggestions that Israel used Nazi methods.

Israelis realized at that juncture, the author notes, that Europe's cradle of anti-Semitism was again savoring an anti-Semitic bouillon, this time, one concocted in the Arab middle East.

Actually, the reported poisoning was merely a case of mass hysteria, he shows. It precisely matched descriptions in a landmark 1947 medical report on physiological results of psychogenic hyperventilation. Of many similar cases worldwide, the author demonstrates, no others attracted much press coverage. But the media hype--which the author exposes as paralleling medieval European blood libels and Middle Eastern slanders targeting Jews--falsely provided the news with international traction.

The author also exposes a shocking press role in which virtually every major media outlet participated. They reproduced mass-distributed lies, unedited, without skepticism--and without compunctions about the potentially deadly consequences.

Months before, the book also notes, Israel invaded Lebanon to halt decades of cross-border rocket and terror attacks that took hundreds of civilian lives. The author demonstrates that here, too, the media engaged in a festival of anti-Israel bashing. Reports had routinely endowed fundamentalist murderers with progressive traits, he discovered, but meticulously smeared their Christian and Jewish opponents. The author found that reporters had even mis-translated and reported pleas in Arabic--that Israel rid Lebanon of PLO terrorist jerks--as pleas to stop killing us.

The author compares the 1983 incident to other medical stories, frequently sensationalized to sell newspapers and ads. Even in instances reporters had deemed unnewsworthy, a professional study the author found demonstrated the reportorial tendency to manufacture news by attributing severe causes, more ominous than actual events.

The author also shows Western media unwillingness to expose a genuine Middle Eastern sensation, intense hatred featured regularly in Arab government newspapers that target Jews and Israel with false claims that they poison Arabs, bake Passover matzo with Christian blood, kidnap Arab children to drink their blood--and so on. The author believes that Western media failure to recognize or expose this phenomenon lets it seep into their news--which remain uncorrected, even when proven wrong.

The author exposes that the 1983 deception involved two kinds of lies, active lies--deliberately falsified information--that victimized the intended Israeli targets. And passive lies promulgated by Palestinian friends and political allies which furthered the false impressions and aided the Arab war on Israel.

The author analyses motivations that make lying common to spies, subversives, saboteurs and other swindlers: It constitutes an assumption of power, in which the ones deceived are reduced in stature, and symbolically nullified, while imposters temporarily grow more powerful.

Israeli also condemns the masquerades of investigative journalists and the false and exaggerated claims of advertisers--an important point, since global media are mainly ad-supported corporations. He concludes that political lies were calibrated for modern mass communications within the tension-filled Arab Israeli conflict, to aggrandize Palestinian victimhood, psychologically-induce mass hysteria--and necessarily reverberate against mankind's oldest hatred.

The author concludes that while it may be politically incorrect to instigate hatred for any ethnic or religious minority, this taboo does not transfer to nations, which enabled political cartoonists, writers and reporters to easily slide thinly disguised stereotypes past their editors--and mass disseminate virtual facsimiles from Der Sturmer.

He also concludes that within the 55-year military and intellectual jihad against Israel, lazy, unwary newsmen, wittingly or unwittingly, often play a big role.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

I am a Saudi so my review might give a different perspective about Mark's book. I was astonished by the tremendous effort he puts in the data collection and research to write his book. He travelled to different cities and met many people. It also amazed me how much knowledge that Mark has about the history of Saudi Arabia.
In short, unlike other authors how wrote their books about Saudi Arabia from their offices in Washington, Mark did travel to Saudi Arabia and met and interviewed Saudi people from different backgrounds and levels in order to write his book.

An entertaining and detailed look at Saudi Arabia at a time when Westerners (and Americans in particular) need more than ever to understand the country. I learned a lot and enjoyed the read.

The price of gas is sky-high and I admit, I was surprised to realize that Saudi Arabia has a quarter of the world's oil while the United States has just 2 percent. I knew I had a lot to learn about the Saudi kingdom and am so glad to have Prophets and Princes as my guide. Mark Weston does a phenomenal job of separating myth (and mistrust) from fact and of explaining in a thoughtful and compelling way everything westerners should know from the birth of Islam to the recent and dramatic changes in Saudi Arabia today. A balanced and comprehensive book complete with remarkable photographs, this is an impressive tour de force that is also remarkably clear and readable.

I have grown up reading the biblical stories recounted in the Hebrew bible as essentially historical recollections. I have always had some reservations about their accuracy as historical fact and their exaggerations of the scale of the Exodus. This book dispels any notion that the Bible records history accurately or factually. This book strongly suggests that the Exodus, as described in the Bible, is a work of fiction and that the 40 year wandering in the desert is more a theological wandering than a historical event. It does appear, from having read this book twice, that much of Israel's history is fabricated for political purposes and exaggerated toward the Southern Kingdom's benefit. Even the revered Solomon's very existence is questionable. At best he may be a fairly minor king whose exploits and building projects are either non-existent or greatly enhanced by later scribal embellishment.

This is an excellent introduction to the latest research in Biblical Archaeology, presenting a middle ground between the Minimalist and Maximalist debate which has sought to polarise the issue over the last 15 years. Both Finkelstein and Mazar are leading exponents in the field of Post-processual Archaeology, but neither are afraid of examining where the Biblical record is confirmed or challenged by the findings of modern archaeology. For a balanced view, with good editorial summaries, this book looks at the various periods and brings the reader up-to-date with the findings of the latest ecavations.

This book is a great resource for those who are interested in the history of ancient Israel. It is written in a manner that is very informative, but not so academic that the material is meaningless to people to aren't scholars. The book is divided into sections, with each part consisting of a chapter by Finkelstein and a chapter by Mazar. The intent of the authors is to examine and evaluate the archaeological data that pertains to the history of Israel, which includes a look at what archaeology says about the period of the patriarchs, the story of the exodus, the conquest, and the monarchy. The book demonstrates in an engaging way that, while the authors disagree on the interpretation of some of the archaeological data they are both in agreement that the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) contains historical data within its pages, and is not, as some scholars would assert, a completely fictional work. The book also serves as a handy summary reference for the archaoleogical data pertaining to these topics.

For visitors to Angkor Wat, this book is a "must". However, it's more than just a late afternoon read after touring Angkor Thom and environs. It's an excellent translation of a valuable work with very helpful footnotes for academics and independent scholars. The excellent footnotes and explanations and inclusion of Chinese characters makes it a valuable reference work for those of us studying Cambodian, Vietnamese (Champa) and Chinese history. Don't let its slim size and popularity with armchair and real visitors distract you from its value.

If you're heading to Cambodia as a tourist on your first visit...or if you're a scholar immersed in Southeast Asian studies...this book is for you. It's unusual to find a work of this depth that holds such broad appeal.

Zhou Daguan's 700 year old report of his diplomatic journey to the fabulously wealthy ancient Khmer capital of Angkor is rare. In fact, it is one of the only written records about this mysterious kingdom that has survived to the present day.

Two things make this edition unique:

Author Peter Harris provides the first direct Chinese to English translation of this historic record of Asian travel with many new insights and interpretations.

Second, Harris accomplishes this in a readable style, also including fascinating comparisons to Marco Polo's China journey, which was contemporary with Zhou's account.

The result is a book that will enhance any recreational visit to Cambodia, but at the same time offers concrete facts and references for academic readers.

This edition includes 28 full color photos and two maps giving readers modern references to temples and concepts in Zhou's original account. Academics will be pleased to find 44 pages of detailed endnotes, more than 100 bibliographic references, two appendices and a detailed index. All the reference tools include Chinese characters for Sino-linguists.

"A Record of Cambodia" delivers cultural relevance, readability and rigorous scholarship in a compact and inexpensive volume.

This is the only substantial record of the Angkorian civilization that we have. It was written in the 13th century by a Chinese traveller, Zhou Daguan and has been translated directly into English for the first time. This book is an invaluable accessory for any trip to Angkor Wat, the descriptions provided give a life to the dead temples and ruins that they themselves can no longer project.

Unfortunately even this record is fragmentary and much of this book is filled with extremely helpful translator's notes and footnotes. Also included are maps and photographs of some of the landmarks described in some of the books. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in Angkor Wat and would consider it essential for anyone actually going there.

I originally read this gem of a book by Maxwell during the 1970s (we had had to read "Ring of Bright Water" in school) and returned to it again several years ago while I was planning a conference about restoring the marshlands (and people) that had all but been competely destroyed by Saddam. Of the handful of mid-century books by British ex-pats about the marshes, I still think that Maxwell remains the best writer of the group. Much of my own prose in "Wetlands of Mass Destruction: Ancient Presage for Contemporary Ecocide in Southern Iraq" benefited from a third reread of this exploration classic.

It is astounding that in such a short time the world can change so dramatically. The events in this book are a little over 40 years old yet so much has changed and so much may be lost forever. Maxwell documents the lives of these wonderful people and a land that is rapidly disappearing now. The roots of the 'otter' books are also here in the eventual arrival of Mijbil. Sadly, even the status of Mij's sub-speciation has now apparently disappeared too. Anyone with an interest in the lives of other people should have a copy of this book in their libraries.

Maxwell is one of the lost breed of British travelers who raised their adventures in unknown lands (and recordings of the same) to an art form. Like the better-known Wilfred Thesiger, Maxwell spent part of his life among the ma'dan, the Shi'i marsh Arabs of southern Iraq. His book is, like Thesiger's "Marsh Arabs," an awe-inspiring treatment of the life, work, recreation, physical environment, and culture of the ma'dan at approximately mid-century, when Baghdad had yet to extend its political governance and physical infrastructure to the marshes. Until recent decades, the economy and lives of the ma'dan remained similar to the ancient practices of their Sumerian forbears, according to other writers. These people, whose habitats, villages, and very lives are being progressively snuffed out by the Iraqi government since 1991, are one of the forgotten peoples of the world, and this book is a moving, impressive testament to what they were.