Author Elsa Marston has written a wonderful book about the Middle East, but not another boring political analysis of why the conflict started or who is to blame. Instead, she focuses in on the children of the Middle East under the inspiring title "Santa Claus in Bgahdad: and other stories about Teens in the Arab World."
There are 8 stories in this compelling collection that brings the reader to the harsh realities of a very harsh part of the world. The stories reflect the experiences of Arab and Muslim children from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine and from a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, from where the greatest injustices continue till this day. Stories from Egypt, Tunisia and Jordan round out the poignancy of this book with the title coming from one story in Iraq, now under American military occupation and rule.
This book does more than offer compelling stories. It offers real insight into why the conflicts continue, contracts what Americans think they know and how little they really know about the causes of the conflicts from the standpoints of innocense and tragedy an perikous lives of young children clouded only by the desire for peace.
I read it and I couldn't put it down until I was finished. I hope you will read it too.
The book is published by the Indiana University Press, Bloomington and Indianapolis and can be purchased through many online and retail book stores, and from their web site at www.IUPress.Indiana.edu. Or, call 1-800-842-6796.
Marston is the author of many works of fiction and nonfiction. her books include "Women in the Middle East; Tradition and Change; the Cliffs of Cairo; and Muhammad of Mecca, Prophet of Islam.
This book needs to be in every library.
-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Phyllis Bennis offers two new insights into problematic foreign policy challenges
Phyllis Bennis has authored two small soft-cover books that help readers betters understand the challenges we face in "Ending the Iraq War" and "Understanding the US-Iran Crisis." Theya re easy reads and that offer he often doctrinaire perspectives that are essential to unraveling these complex political challenges.
Most Americans are never exposed to the full balanced of information about the Middle East and it is not surprising that the American understanding of all of the conflicts, from Iran to Iraq and Palestine remained skewered by misunderstanding, driven by prejudice and simply wrong. Bennis offers some light into two of the most topical of these conflicts that if Americans ever did spend a moment to read, they might actually learn something.
But as we know, the Arab perspective that does not fit neatly into the dominant stereotype of hatred, discrimination and politically motivated bias, is a perspective few will take the time to even bother to read.
They should, even if those perspectives can come across more clinical than compelling. The entertaining truth is easier to sell in America than the hard truth, but it's the hard truth Americans need right away.
Both books are available at InterLink Publishing. www.InterLinkBooks.com/
Most Americans are never exposed to the full balanced of information about the Middle East and it is not surprising that the American understanding of all of the conflicts, from Iran to Iraq and Palestine remained skewered by misunderstanding, driven by prejudice and simply wrong. Bennis offers some light into two of the most topical of these conflicts that if Americans ever did spend a moment to read, they might actually learn something.
But as we know, the Arab perspective that does not fit neatly into the dominant stereotype of hatred, discrimination and politically motivated bias, is a perspective few will take the time to even bother to read.
They should, even if those perspectives can come across more clinical than compelling. The entertaining truth is easier to sell in America than the hard truth, but it's the hard truth Americans need right away.
Both books are available at InterLink Publishing. www.InterLinkBooks.com/
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