My Holy War: Dispatches from the Home Front (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, the United States reflexively contracted around the wound inflicted on its eastern seaboard, and for a short spell the country felt..." (more)
Key Phrases: dirty bomb, homeland security, United States, Middle East, White House (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Seattle-based British author Raban eloquently argues a by now commonplace premise throughout these 15 previously published political and cultural think pieces, autobiographical reflections, book reviews and travelogues: that the Bush administration's bellicose unilateralism abroad and burgeoning security state at home were neither the necessary nor best response to the attacks of 2001. Rather, the administration capitalized on an exceptional moment of national unity to take the country down a dangerously antidemocratic, Manichean path that wedded widespread religious faith to a right-wing imperial agenda. As a potent prose stylist and keen observer of the American scene, Raban charts with rare luminosity the changes and widening fissures in American society from 9/11 through 7/7 (as the 2005 London subway bombings were instantly branded), which makes revisiting even topics like Howard Dean's presidential race worthwhile. Several thoughtful and compelling chapters grapple, meanwhile, with the largely Western and entirely modern origins of Islamist extremism, drawing on Raban's demonstrated familiarity with the Middle East (Arabia: A Journey through the Labyrinth) and careful perusal of both the English-language Middle Eastern press and a sampling of jihadist Web sites. Amid a plethora of works on American domestic and foreign policy post-9/11 by journalists, academics, policy makers and government insiders, Raban's contribution will inevitably seem, at times, limited or redundant. But the book's defense of reason over militant irrationalism, resting as it does on the author's formidable talent for insight and analogy, will inspire readers with the underlying issues at play in this dizzying, event-crammed historical moment. (Nov.)
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From Booklist

In his latest book, this distinguished and award-winning commentator gathers 15 essays that previously appeared in such publications as the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books. The thematic link is the Bush administration's war on terrorism; the specific zero-in that draws the pieces further together is Raban's rather unique perspective on the (mis)application of the antiterrorism campaign and its (non)success: that of a Briton who happens to reside in the Pacific Northwest, a region he identifies as the "secular, top-left-hand corner of the U.S." Raban is hardly a Bush supporter (the president "talks of his relationship with Jesus as if they'd been Deke fraternity brothers in college") nor is he a believer in the Iraqi war ("Wolfowitz has singled out this state-that-never-should-have-been for his breathtakingly bold experiment in enforced American-style democracy"). From Howard Dean's ultimately failed presidential bid in 2004 to Americans' difficulty in understanding the "intoxicating appeal of pan-Arab Islamic nationalism," Raban is articulate and erudite, but perhaps he is preaching to the liberal choir here. Nevertheless, his reputation as an outstanding journalist will generate demand. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 193 pages
• Publisher: New York Review Books (November 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590171756
• ISBN-13: 978-1590171752
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #754,001 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An anthology of articulate, well-reasoned essays, December 2, 2008

By	S. McGee (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This collection of political essays (many/most previously-published) by an expatriate Englishman are often beautifully written and well-observed; Raban, also known for his travel writing, has a wonderful eye for detail. He also has a knack for identifying and describing that particular and peculiar American characteristic: a kind of zealous idealism first seen in Winthrop's "city on a hill" oration.

The joy of these essays is that they don't tread over already far-too-well-trodden ground, such as the debate over torture at Abu Ghraib (horrific, but let's face it, how much new insight is an observer like Raban likely to contribute?) Instead, he veers a little bit futher off the track to write about Howard Dean's presidential campaign of 2004 and what is happening in Middle Eastern society -- all with 9/11 and its aftermath, including the London bombings, as his center focal point.

One minor quibble: in a thin book, the overlaps and repetitions between essays written at different times for different audiences become glaring and ultimately extremely irritating. I would have been happier with a thinner volume and fewer moments of "wait, I've read these paragraphs before".

Recommended to all as a thoughtful analysis from someone who has lived a large part of his life in the United States, but who has not yet succumbed to a "this country right or wrong" ethos. Those who don't want to read a critical analysis should probably avoid it as some of his conclusions will send their blood pressure soaring.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outside view, December 10, 2005

By	Colin Brace (Amsterdam) - See all my reviews

A small but valuable and articulate series of essays on 9/11 and subsequent events and issues written from the vantage point of a British author living on the West Coast of the US. Raban builds upon insights into Arabic culture acquired for an earlier work to offer a perceptive point of view. Recommended.