Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour

Posted by J

Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour

Click here to purchase
The true story of a Palestinian who lived through the tumultuous events that led to the founding of the state of Israel. A Christian Palestinian, Elias Chacour's family was displaced by Israeli forces but found refuge in the town of Gish in the Galilee which became part of the state of Israel. His eyewitness account of those events and what it was like to live as an Arab in a Jewish state are illuminating. From his boyhood to his ordination to the Priesthood and finally culminating in a fight for equal rights within Israeli society, Blood Brothers is essential reading for those seeking to gain a deeper understanding of Israeli Arabs, a group not fully accepted in either Israeli or broader Arab societies.

The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power by Daniel Yergin

Posted by J

The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power by Daniel Yergin

Click here to purchase
Daniel Yergin's masterful epic history of the global oil industry naturally includes extensive history from the Middle East and North Africa. While this is a much broader work written in a more engaging style, it touches on many of the same issues of the difficulties of managing oil wealth that are found in Jill Crystal's "Oil and Politics in the Gulf". The book takes a very personality-centered approach, so many technical and geological details important to the oil industry are not covered, but this remains essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the oil industry and its effects on nation states.

In Plain Arabic: A Play in Two Acts by Lenin El-Ramly, translated by Esmat Allouba

Posted by J

In Plain Arabic: A Play in Two Acts by Lenin El-Ramly, translated by Esmat Allouba
Click here to purchase
This sharp and hilarious play utilizes characters who each represent an Arab country to poke fun at the contradictions of the Arab world. While the translation results in the loss of much of the subtlety of utilizing different countries' Arabic dialects, the flavor of the satire comes through loud and clear. With jabs at the political and social situation throughout the Arab world and the ultimate betrayal of the Palestinians, the play offers rare and humorous insights into how the Arab world perceives many of its own problems.

The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World by Avi Shlaim

Posted by J

The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World by Avi Shlaim

Click here to purchase
By Israeli "New Historian" Avi Shlaim, this book traces the history of Israel's relations with the Arab world. Through the 1960's Shlaim had access to declassified Israeli records, a fact which shows in his more authoritative coverage of the period. Even beyond the period of available declassified material, however, Shlaim shows remarkable insight into the driving factors behind Israel's policies with the Arab world. The term "Iron Wall", made famous by revisionist Zionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky, is shown to be the bedrock of Israeli policy towards the Arab world throughout the state's history and to this very day. While both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian readers will be able to find items to fault in this book, Shlaim has clearly written a well-researched and documented work that should serve as a basic text for readers wishing to better understand the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The Journey of Ibn Fattouma by Naguib Mahfouz, translated by Denys Johnson-Davies

Posted by J

The Journey of Ibn Fattouma by Naguib Mahfouz, translated by Denys Johnson-Davies

Click here to purchase
A work of fiction might seem a strange way to introduce readers to the Middle East, but in The Journey of Ibn Fattouma Nobel prize winning author Naguib Mahfouz gives more insights into the Arab view of the world than many textbooks manage. Utilizing the metaphoric journeys of a young man struck with the travel bug, we see Ibn Fattouma travel through various countries representing different corners of the world and socio-political systems. From societies representing tribal Africa, to Eastern Europe, to America, and several other locations, Ibn Fattouma learns much but never seems quite able to find where the utopian land of Gebel can be found. The book is short, entertaining, and a fascinating insight into how Arab society sees the rest of the world. From Ibn Fattouma's perspective, no society escapes criticism or praise, all have their benefits and drawbacks, and all leave him hungrier than ever for the ideal society that always seems just beyond his reach.

Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq by Hanna Batatu

Posted by J

Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq: A Study of Iraq's Old Landed and Commercial Classes and of its Communists, Ba'thists and Free Officers by Hanna Batatu

http://www.amazon.com/Social-Classes-Revolutionary-Movement-Iraq/dp/0863565204/sr=1-1/qid=1158374737/ref=sr_1_1/102-2114092-4768951?ie=UTF8&s=books

The late Hanna Batatu's masterpiece, this book published in 1978 is almost the only comprehensive, primary source-based history of any Arab country ever written. In the course of pursuing research in Iraq, Batatu happened to meet Abdul Karim Qassem who later went on to lead Iraq after the overthrow of the Hashemite monarchy in 1958. The prior friendship resulted in Batatu gaining access to otherwise secret state archives. Combined with extensive interviews and on-the-ground research, "Old Social Classes" catapulted Iraq from one of the least understood Arab countries to nearly the best understood. At nearly 1300 pages the work is dense with detail including large numbers of tables and raw data to illustrate his analytical points.

[Note: This was out of print when I first wrote the review but has now been republished. If you're serious about getting to know the Middle East and willing to make a major investment of time and mental effort, there is no better book to do it with. Not easy, but was worth it for me.]

Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle Eastedited by Donna Lee Bowen and Evelyn A. Early

Posted by J

Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle Eastedited by Donna Lee Bowen and Evelyn A. Early

Click here to purchase
With all the attention politics and war receive in the Middle East, this work is a refreshing collection of essays documenting the ordinary ebbs and flows of life that are the actual reality of everyday life for most people in the region. Edited by political science professor Donna Lee Bowen of Brigham Young University and anthropologist Evelyn A. Early, the book is an excellent primer that provides a more balanced perspective of the Middle East.

Perceptions of Palestine: Their Influence on US Middle East Policy by Kathleen Christison

Posted by J

Perceptions of Palestine: Their Influence on US Middle East Policyby Kathleen Christison

Click here to purchase
Former CIA analyst Kathleen Christison looks at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from an often ignored but vital angle: how the conflict is viewed by US policymakers. Starting in the late 19th century and going US administration by US administration, she examines how Washington's policies have been a critical factor in the development of the conflict. In effect, she lays out how this is not a binary Israeli-Palestinian problem, but in fact a triangle involving the Palestinians, Israelis, and Americans. A century of deep sympathy for the Israeli perspective, but near constant ignoring and denigration of the Palestinian viewpoint in Washington has helped to fuel rather than calm the conflict in the Holy Land. For American readers who wonder why the United States often gets so much blame in the Arab world for what happens to the Palestinians, this book is a clear-eyed explanation of the issue.

Oil and Politics in the Gulf: Rulers and Merchants in Kuwait and Qatar by Jill Crystal

Posted by J

Oil and Politics in the Gulf: Rulers and Merchants in Kuwait and Qatarby Jill Crystal

Click here to purchase
Jill Crystal uses Kuwait and Qatar as case studies in state formation and development, with a particular emphasis on the impact of oil revenues. The relationships between ruling families and merchants is laid out and contrasted in the two countries, with the differences and the impact they have had on the two countries very stark. Of particular note is that given the lack of primary sources available on Qatar, this book is one of the very few reliable histories of the country available. More importantly, the book is an excellent look at how two different pre-existing societies were transformed by oil, how various elites tried to capture the revenues, and the problems and successes that a new state faces as a result. A must-read for those wishing to better understand the Persian Gulf region and the development of rentier states in general.

Cairo: The City Victorious by Max Rodenbeck

Posted by J

Cairo: The City Victoriousby Max Rodenbeck

Click here to purchase
Reporter Max Rodenbeck has lived much of his life in Cairo and gives a sweeping and highly enjoyable overview of the city in a style that is a wonderful mixture of history and storytelling. Mixing historical facts, personal experiences, and anecdotes, he paints a picture of a city that in many ways is a microcosm of the entire Middle East. One walks away from this book having felt a sense of what it was like to live in ancient Egypt's capital of Memphis with the same sort of intimacy one gets to know the medieval city and today's boisterous developing-world metropolis. Pious and lecherous, ancient yet constantly renewing, full of beautiful artistic expression and hundreds-of-years-old refuse, Cairo is a city that overwhelms the senses while invigorating them. In many ways the book defies description and categorization. It is perhaps enough to say that it is an extremely enjoyable read from which you will walk away having truly learned what makes one of the greatest cities in the Middle East (and the world) tick.