Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting insights from the son of an American Foreign Service officer that grew up in the Middle East, May 11, 2010
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This personal history is also an in-depth explanation of a great deal that has happened in the Middle East since the founding of the state of Israel. The author is the son of an American Foreign Service officer and his family moved to Jerusalem in 1956 when he was four years old. This was only a few weeks before Israel, Britain and France colluded in an attack on Egypt, the Israeli goal was to seize the Sinai while Britain and France wanted to regain control of the Suez Canal. Possessing a perspective that only a child can have, he watched the growing rift between the Israelis and the Palestinians. One of the most interesting components of the book is his descriptions of how cosmopolitan the area called Palestine was at the time he was there and how small Jerusalem was. He was an eyewitness to people of all faiths walking the streets alongside animals and living out their lives. Bird also gives in-depth descriptions of some of the most significant people on the Palestinian side and voices his opinions on missed opportunities for peace between Arab and Jew. In his youth, Bird also lived in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon and he was there during the 1967 war and had a "girlfriend" that was a passenger on the planes hijacked by the Black September group. His insights and discussions of the internal political situations in Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt and Lebanon should be required reading for anyone interested in the Middle East or claiming to know something about the resolution of the problems. Bird has some interesting and harsh comments for the holders of the American presidency from 1956 through 1970. In his opinion, the best solution to the Palestinian-Jewish problem would have been the establishment of a Palestinian state comprised of Jordan and the West Bank. His harshest criticism is leveled at the Johnson and Nixon administrations that propped up King Hussein of Jordan, which kept the country under Hashemite rule rather than the majority Palestinian. There is much to be said for that argument, because that was a solution that would have probably worked. The combination of the West Bank and Jordan could never be a valid military threat to Israel and would have provided a homeland for the Palestinians. This is one of the best books about the reality on the ground in the Middle East that has ever been published. The insights into the Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia, would be an education to nearly everyone that thinks they know the history and situation there.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent memoir/history of an interesting life lived in the Middle East., June 17, 2010
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I was given the chance to review this book by Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize winning author of American Prometheus. Given my interest in the Middle East, I was very excited to read this book. The author tells the reader in the beginning that the book is a personal memoir and history of the region in which he grew up as the son of an American diplomat. As he lived in Places like Jerusalem (hence the metaphor for the crossing of the now non-existent Mandlebaum Gate) between Arab controlled East Jerusalem and Israeli controlled West Jerusalem, Cairo, Beirut, Saudi Arabia and India, Bird lived through many important events during the 1950's through 1970's. I really didn't know what to expect from this book, but it turned out to be a great read. At first, I was annoyed by the constant shift in the narrative between the author's youthful memories and later events. However, after a while, the narrative made perfect sense. By describing his memories of the events as he lived through them (for example, the 1956 Arab/Israeli War) and later events, the author was giving is 'the rest of the story.' I found many of these anecdotes to be very interesting and I was surprised by my overall lack of knowledge of some versions of these events. The discussion of Egypt's Nasser and his leadership during the 1956 and 1967 wars was fascinating. Also, his own involvement during Black September in 1970 was also riveting during the Palestinian uprising in Jordan. I also loved the descriptions of life in the Aramco Oil towns in Saudi Arabia during the 1950's. Indeed, as the author himself notes, life was certainly far more 'American' in these places then even America itself. And, as compared to now, these 'oil towns' are now fortified and enclosed. Clearly, as I have noted in my own experiences in having visited the Middle East, the region has changed and not necessarily for the better as in earlier times Jews, Christians and Arabs mingled much more freely and less consciously then now. Having lived in Cairo during the 1950's and 1960's, Bird was able to experience this first hand. I also believe the author's experiences to have a good insight into the dynamics of the region. As his father was an Arabist diplomat (his father predated the formation of Israel in 1948 in the US Foreign Service)), and by the author's own admission, he was fairly biased in how he saw many, many events. However, his later adult life has led him to understand the underlying reasons for the Arab/Israeli conflict in a way that I believe is accurate (I will leave it to the reader to discover these insights on their own). I do have to say that the author discusses his own political activities, and this makes perfect sense in the context of the book, it is more personal memoir than historical narrative. His views may upset some readers looking for a particular viewpoint, in fact. But, I found his connections to people and places personally fascinating and important. However, I could imagine some may find his conclusions upsetting only because some readers will assume his viewpoints are biased. To this I say don't close off your mind to new ideas! Overall, this book was mush like Thomas Friedman's great book from Beirut to Jerusalem. It was immensely enjoyable for me, and I imagine most anyone with a interest in the Middle East during the years 1950's and 1970's will be riveted by the author's life and the region's history. Highly recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Challenging And Disturbing Memoir, May 3, 2010
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Kai Bird grew up as the young son of an American diplomat in Jerusalem, and later in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He writes from an insider's perspective about events in the Middle East and the actors who shaped these events. Now as an adult he revisits this history with the benefit of extensive research and adult study. What he has to say is not always "balanced" and won't be easy for some of us to hear. Later in his life story, and in the book, he encounters his future wife, whose parents were survivors of the holocaust, and begins to understand how those events affected Jewish consciousness. Again, he paints a disturbing and challenging portrait. There are few angels in Bird's memoir, many great men who did foolish and shortsighted things, msny tragic mistakes and missed opportunities. To read this book is to challenge whatever preconceptions one might have brought to his material. To Bird, one must acknowledge what Palestinians call the nakba, or catastrophe, the founding of Israel; and what Jews call the shoah, the holocaust, the defining never-again experience of the Jewish people. Author Bird writes beautifully, managing to keep himself out of the story even as he writes of his own experiences. The book is challenging, for it raises fundamental questions about Israeli, Palestinian and American policy in the Middle East. Hard to read, and yet, I couldn't lay it down. If you're prepared for a serious and moving read, I recommend this book highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
