Prison Writings: The Roots of Civilisation (Hardcover)

~ Abdullah Ocalan (Author), Klaus Happel (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'Very readable. It is a tour-de-force.' Ghada Talhami, D.K. Pearsons Professor of Politics, Lake Forest College, Illinois 'We would expect Abdullah Ocalan to write a political treatise. Instead, he has penned a monumental history of the ancient Near East that offers a grand vision.... This is the first truly postcolonial history of Mesopotamia.' Randall H. McGuire, Professor of Anthropology, Binghamton University"

Product Description

Venezuela has become a huge source of hope and inspiration for the Left throughout the world. Some see it as a shining example of how to begin building a successful socialist state, but Western leaders see it as a dangerous enemy and accuse President Hugo Chavez of being a dictator. This book reveals the truth by examining the country from the ground up.

Iain Bruce explores the political changes underway in Venezuela at the level of the lives of ordinary people. Through grassroots investigations and extended interviews, he explores a series of key transformations: a new social economy around a network of cooperatives; workplace democracy; popular education; radical agrarian reform; participatory budgets and community planning. The result is a clear picture of everyday life in Venezuela.

No other book on the country has this level of detail; it will be a key text for students of Latin American politics and social movements and of interest to anyone following the fortunes of the Bolivarian Revolution.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pluto Press (January 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745326161
• ISBN-13: 978-0745326160
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,552,794 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'd strongly recommend this book to everyone studying the Middle East, October 25, 2007

By	Robert Hood (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

When I bought this book, I expected rampant propaganda by a guerrilla leader, and instead I found a well-written, insightful and philosophical account of the roots of civilization and how these roots have influenced the peoples in the Middle East.

Filled with many "AHA!" and "Eureka" experiences, Ocalan's book was a big piece of a puzzle I have long sought after. Seeking answers in the root of civilization, Ocalan gives his view on how the early civilization's search for a higher power (meaning/purpose of life? origin of life? etc..) helped setting up organized religion, and how these organized religions regulated developments in areas such as moral values and ethics. When did the human lose control of her own destiny? Reading this book might give us a clue or two.

To my surprise, I learned that Abdullah Ocalan had, before he became a oppositional Kurdish guerrilla leader, studied at the Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences. I am well aware of this faculty as the breeding ground for Turkey's political elite. I'm looking forward to more publications of Ocalan in English.

I'd strongly recommend this book to every serious student of Middle Eastern studies.

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Turkish person left 1 start without reading the book., July 14, 2008

By	Olis Bahari "Olis Bahari" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Turkey and its people have never learned how to respect others like Serb, Armenian, and Kurds. The Americans buy the books so they can learn other view points. Even you live in USA, you still have old obsolete Trukish mentality. Read the book before leaving feedback.
Have you learned any thing from your university Orta Dogu Teknik Üniversitesi?

17 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars How can a killer give a lecture on civilization, August 2, 2007

By	Cem Tuncoglu "Cem from USA" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

USA does not even allow O. J Simpson to benefit from a hypothetical murder book that he wrote.

Abdullah Ocalan is a convicted killer. He was tried in front of European monitors and found guilty of instigating murders of thousands of civilians.

Would you distribute Osama Bin Ladens books?