This book is unique that it combines personal experience with academic research and analysis. The personal aspect is engaging, yet it is not a journalistic work, but rather that of a researcher who has learned by way of journey.
Today those that seek to understand the contempory Middle East, especially in the context of the Israeli-Islamic conflict are in danger of being deflected or misled by the standard coverage of the area. Decades of shallow and simplistic news coverage from journalists who had received an easy but interesting assignment, or journalists who are advancing pet agendas, have cast a very particular slant on the established and accepted views of the dynamics of the region.
This book has laid these dynamics bare, casting off the tiresome platitudes and assumptions of those that seek to shape the world by mobilizing mass opinion.
For the champions of liberal etiquette, the discussion or analysis of the rise of Islamism is a subject on the verge of taboo, and if it is to be tackled, it is explained away as a response to Capitalism and the Imperialism that came before it. This book is not shackled by such blinkered sensibilities, and those who are wondering if their heads are deep in the sand, would do well to read this work.
Another fascinating aspect is the analysis of the change that has taken place in Israel from the early 1990's until today. Israeli society and its motives, whether political or otherwise are rarely tackled by those who cover the region. This subject is gravely misunderstood if understood at all. Usually a depiction of the Israeli lunatic fringe as being the mainstream, suffices for the average European journalist who thus both adds color to his/her article and strengthens entrenched stereotypes yet further. Both help sell newspapers.
Spyer takes this complex subject and describes in intricate detail and logic the change that has taken place over two decades. He does this with objectivity and detail that is rare within the Israeli media or academia itself (which is still largely dominated by the "old" elites).
Overall a highly entertaining and thought provoking read.
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A must-read for anyone wishing to understand the nature of antisemitism
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 24, 2015
