In Spite of the Gods: The Rise of Modern India58 reviews Edward Luce Anchor, 2008 A Giant's Untapped Potential + Wondering About India: Palimpsest or Pentimento? + Great primer on what makes India tick + Great perspective - very honest view of India.             Israel Through My Lens: Sixty Years As a Photojournalist3 reviews Abbeville Press, 2008 Terrific book. + A simple photojournalist.... + Insight and inspiration As a photographer, I loved this book. As good as the photographs are, the writing is even better. Great stories about working as a Time photographer in the Mid East, growing up in Europe during WWII, and wonderful vignettes about Israeli leaders. Highly recommended.             Writing War: The Best Contemporary Journalism About Warfare and Conflict from Around the World2 reviews Clint Willis Da Capo Press, 2003 Just make sure you are ready for this book. + A strong dose of the reality of war It's not Guadalcanal Diary. It makes Michael Herr's Vietnam stuff seem tame. It is not a CNN war correspondent asking guys where they are from amidst whizzing bullets and making it seem a glorious adventure. This is brutal stuff. These are stories of the wars that only get a few inches (if ...             Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present93 reviews Michael B. Oren W. W. Norton, 2008 well written book of relatively unspoken history + Interesting and informative + Informative, almost entertaining + Interesting + More excellent history from Michael Oren             Embedded: The Media At War in Iraq9 reviews Bill Katovsky, Timothy Carlson The Lyons Press, 2003 Under Fire + Very Interesting + 60 Interviews With Embedded Reporters + Studs Terkel would be proud             The War for Muslim Minds: Islam and the West10 reviews Gilles Kepel Belknap Press, 2006 Insights on Islam + Good book, despite what some say.................. Gilles Kepel provides an insightful, European perspective on relations between the West and Islam. As the title suggests, he does not see the two locked in intractable conflict. Muslims, like the West, are divided. The interests of the Saudi government are separate from those of the Wahhabite ...             The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban28 reviews Sarah Chayes Penguin Press HC, The, 2006 Great Insight + Pulitzer! + Fascinating insights + A gripping narrative of intrigue, assassination, personal dedication and courage             The State of the Middle East: An Atlas of Conflict and Resolution3 reviews Dan Smith University of California Press, 2006 An Essential Window into the World's Most Challenging Geography + real, really, really good for buy FIRST: A very important note! As I file this review today, I see 2 other reviews on Amazon, both written in 2007. Those comments -- one praise and one criticism -- are NOT referring to this new edition released in late 2008. With this new edition in print, I say: Bravo to Dan Smith and the ...             Culture Shock! Saudi Arabia: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette (Culture Shock! Guides)1 review Peter North, Harvey Tripp Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2007 Culture Shock! Saudi Arabia Very very current and informative for the area. Quite useful for someone that may be spending time there on business. Easy to read and understand.             A Thousand Splendid Suns1294 reviews Khaled Hosseini Riverhead, 2007 Heart-wrenchingly beautiful + Amazingly told...a must read! + Great second novel + Spendid is spendid             The Prince of the Marshes: And Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq Rory Stewart Harcourt, 2006             The Complete Idiot's Guide to Middle East Conflict, 3rd Edition (The Complete Idiot's Guide)131 reviews Ph.D., Mitchell G. Bard Alpha, 2005 A Rarity: An Objective Overview of the Middle East Conflict Do not be fooled by the title, this book is provides a very good overview of the Middle East conflict and what is remarkable given the emotions and misinformation surrounding the issue, it is objective. Don't mistake "balanced" for "objective". This book isn't "balanced" but it is objective. ...             Wedded to the Land? Gender, Boundaries, & Nationalism in Crisis Mary N. Layoun Duke University Press, 2000 In Wedded to the Land? Mary N. Layoun offers a critical commentary on the idea of nationalism in general and on specific attempts to formulate alternatives to the concept in particular. Narratives surrounding three geographically and temporally different national crises form the center of her study: Greek refugees’ displacement from Asia Minor into Greece in 1922, the 1974 right-wing ...             The Lost Boys of Sudan: An American Story of the Refugee Experience6 reviews Mark Bixler University of Georgia Press, 2006 Great read! + Must Read + Modern slavery, boy soldiers and African Diaspora + Full review of Bixler's book + Interesting Reading             The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Middle East (Politically Incorrect Guides)21 reviews Martin Sieff Regnery Publishing, 2008 Required reading + A most insightful work (as far as it goes) + A blunt and necessary read for any realist + strong dose of historical realism             Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan23 reviews Robert D. Kaplan Vintage, 2001 A first rate book on Afghanistan + Please Read Robert Kaplan + The Many Worlds of Afghanistan Kaplan is an American journalist who made several trips into Afghanistan during the time that the Soviet Union had occupied Afghanistan and was intent on turning Afghanistan into a communist country. In his trips, Kaplan experienced and describes the life common to all mountain peoples, the ...             Dubai Complete Residents' Guide Explorer Publishing Explorer Publishing, 2006 A guide for visitors and residents, this book begins with an overview of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. It discusses the economy, demographics, environment, culture, and necessary facts for travelers. It describes places to stay and methods to get around. A detailed section follows, which focuses on everything one needs to know for life in Dubai. It includes licences, finding ...             City Guide Tel Aviv3 reviews Lisa Goldman Crossfields TLV, 2008 THE REAL DEAL! + Great book even for locals + Excellent in showing the current cultural life of Tel Aviv This is it for me! The ultimate guide to what is a vibrant & exciting city. She takes you through every different section of the city covering history, architecture, very up-to-date restaurants, bars & shopping addresses. Great book to own and looks fantastic on your coffee table ;)             Behind the Burqa: Our Life in Afghanistan and How We Escaped to Freedom14 reviews Sulima and Hala, Batya Swift Yasgur Wiley, 2002 A glimpse into two horrific lives + Enlightening and educational + psychologically astute and culturally enlightening I read a negative review on here, that I was unhappy to see. This book focuses on "Salima" and "Hala" two Afghani sisters, both opressed by different wars and regimes at different times in Afghanistan. They are 16 years apart. Reading that Salima had a "pampered life" in one of the reviews was ...             Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September ...140 reviews Steve Coll Penguin (Non-Classics), 2004 Fascinating and well-researched history + bordering on fraudulent + A Historical Tour de Force Though Osama Bin Laden became a household name after the 9-11 attacks, few people know the background of Afghanistan and the mujahideen fighters that birthed these radical groups. This book gives a well-researched, in-depth look into the interplay of the Cold War, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, ...