Hezbollah [Hardcover]

Hala Jaber (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0231108346 | ISBN-13: 978-0231108348 | Edition: First Printing

Revered by many fundamentalist Shiites and reviled by the West, Hezbollah is considered to be a paradigm for other militant groups wishing to make the promise of Islamic Revolution a reality. Journalist Hala Jaber was granted exclusive and unparalleled access to the inner circle of this organization, and she exposes not only its tactics, but also its history, ideology, and culture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[A] readable account of Hezbollah's rise by an experienced journalist,... [Jaber's work] gives a broad account of the origins of Hezbollah and its expanding influence.

(Jon Van Camp International Socialist Review )

Essential for any who would study the region's past, present, and possible futures.

(Midwest Book Review: California Bookwatch 12/1/2006)

Review

This lively portrayal of Hezbollah goes behind the sensationalistic headlines to find out why and how Lebanon's Shi'ite population launched and maintained an effective, militant political movement. No other book tells the story so vividly or with such balance.

(Richard Bulliet, author of Islam: A View from the Edge )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press; First Printing edition (April 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231108346
• ISBN-13: 978-0231108348
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 0.8 x 5.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #901,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #88 in Books > History > Middle East > Lebanon

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 48 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent book on a complicated issue. June 11, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

IN THIS HIGHLY READABLE BOOK,AUTHOR HALA JABER GOES BEHIND THE VEIL OF HEZBOLLAH TO TELL THE READER THAT NOT ALL WE READ IN THE WEST IS QUITE TRUE ABOUT THIS GROUP.HOSTAGES,SUICIDE BOMBERS ETC..ITS ALL IN HERE BUT SO ARE THE SCHOOLS,HOSPITALS AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE THAT THE GROUP HAS BUILT UP OVER THE YEARS.SHE EXPLAINS CLEARLY AND OBJECTIVELY WHY ISRAEL,WHICH OCCUPIES 10% OF LEBANESE LAND,HAVE TAKEN MANY OF THEIR YOUNG SOLDIERS HOME IN BODY BAGS.I WOULD HOPE THAT THIS BOOK IS READ BY FUTURE PRESIDENTS AND PRIME MINISTERS ASWELL AS THEIR INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENTS.VERY ENLIGHTENING!

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A journey into Hezbollah corridors... March 25, 2001

By "trometer"

Format:Hardcover

Reading hezbollah: born with a vengeance by H.Jaber gave me a good introduction to the history of such an organization. It made me think differently taking into consideration the study Jaber undertook into the dark corridors of Hezbollah when no one tried to go deep into their beliefs.

Nowadays, with media coverage and the current affairs in the region, the hezbollah movement became more known and more people got to discover their intentions and why they had to fight for their rights in the way they did. I always believed they were freedom fighters, I could understand how someone is fighting for his own land, it is theirs and Israel was occupying it. Anyone who thinks that hezbollah is only labelled as a terrorist movement, definitely never felt the imprisonment in his own house and land....

Imagine you can't have an orange from your garden that you yourself planted but not allowed to have a bite because your occupier is benefiting. The rise of Hezbollah as clarified by Hala Jaber gives different angles to how you can look at them, but at the same time she puts you on her track of thoughts to be able to see what she saw and what she endured.

Maybe being a Lebanese made her more vulnerable to criticism from many other people who think that hezbollah are mass murderers, terrorists, fanatics and ignorant militias. That is just wrong and one can't just draw a line under such recognition just because one's background influences such beliefs.

what I really respect about Jaber, is her writing her research in English just to make it possible for a western audience to take a glimpse at a part of the world she wanted to shed the lights on.

A good critique is a criticism that tries to show the book in its literary worth and not based on the reader subjective points of views.... It is ok for the reader to not agree with Jaber sometimes but in a constructive way not just for the sake of destroying this piece of work... Read more ›

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The only book yet about IDF's most formidable Arab enemy January 3, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Wasn't exactly what I was hoping to read as the book was more into the history of Hezbollah rather than a description of the successful tactics that have paralysed the Israeli Army. However, it does uncover the most important element in Hezbollah's success, which made it vastly superior to any other Arab Army, and it can be summarised into one word "Motivation". The book kicked off with a story of a young boy named Mohammed, watching a video every evening, of a suicide bomber, crashing into a convoy of Israeli soldiers. The suicide bomber is his father................

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A good and informative read! July 29, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

As a student with a few cents to hand,i read this book at a friends house.i think jaber is both informative and constructive in her approach to the subject.i knew little of this subject but have made it my business to find out more.please bring this out in paper back so we poor students can buy our own copy!

20 of 29 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A different perspective... October 31, 2000

By Kevin P. Schultz

Format:Hardcover

I certainly agree with the others who have written reviews for this book in that it is very pro-Hezbollah / sympathetic to Hezbollah. The underlying theme of this book seems to be that Israel brought this upon themselves. Even though the book may be skewed toward the Hezbollah perspective, I still think it is an important book to read for anyone who is trying to learn more about the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli conflict in order to be familiar with the different perspectives of the conflict. One quick comment on the writing style: I thought the book was well written and easy to read. It flowed pretty smoothly and I found it to be a page-turner (which is a pleasant surprise in comparison to some of the other books I have been assigned to read for class).

1.0 out of 5 stars worst book i ever tried to read February 24, 2012

By Chris Sims

Format:Hardcover

I just couldn't finish this book. It was way to biased. I even felt that the author was glorifying suicide bombers. This author was obviously sympathetic to hezbollah. The work reminded me of other works i read that were distributed by authoritarian regimes to instill government mandated values. On the plus side, you can read this book if you want to know how a terrorist perceives his duties and justifies his actions. The distortion of reality is vividly portrayed to a disturbing level in the first chapter.

4.0 out of 5 stars get to know Hezbollah August 1, 2010

By Piotr Krudysz

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

A good book by all means. The author doesn't talk about the atrocities committed by israel until the last chapter, but all the chapters are worth reading. You will learn: why Hezbollah was created, what it does (military is just a small part), how it functions, how it is structured, and why it has so many supporters. You should definitely read this if you don't know much about the organization, but I'm also sure that knowledgeable readers will find some new details. Good book.

12 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The moving inside story of Hezbullah August 12, 2001

By [e-mail]

Format:Hardcover

I read Ms Jaber's book, and was so inspired by it I visited South Lebanon. Ms Jaber is obviously not an Islamist, but her unbiased and contextual approach presents a picture, which many of Hezbullah admirers would recognise. She shows the Quranic roots of the movement by quoting the Holy Scripture at each chapter head. Most importantly she describes the comprehensive nature of the Party's work, and not just it's military aspects. She allows the Hezbullahi and other players in the drama to speak for themselves, yet is not afraid to form an opinion about some of the controversial aspects of recent Lebanese history.

For anyone who wants to know how a radical Islamic programme can work within a multi-cultural society this book is a must. [133 words]