This is an excellent collection of work that has been compiled here. Nubar Hovsepian has done a wonderful job gathering together some very good essays, but more than that the editor deserves even more credit for organizing this material in such a flawless manner. Usually what I don't like about Readers such as this one is that many times the contributions will be too disparate tackling different issues and jumping from one topic to the next creating a lack of continuity within the entire work, or the focus will become to narrow in which the different topics will overlap constantly giving the reader the feeling that they are essentially reading the same article over and over again but written by different people. This book does neither which makes for an easy flow from one essay to the next. Each one covers a topic distinct but related to the broader topic where it has been placed. This makes the book not only highly enlightening but a joy to read in its own right.
The book is broken down into six parts covering the Lebanon war from a variety of angles, and while some contributions shine brighter than others I found everyone to be valuable. I must also credit this book for introducing me to some very talented scholars. Lara Deeb's contribution really stood out for me. Her article on Hizballah and its history within Lebanon was excellent. She is a superb writer and a meticulous scholar. I am eager to read some of her other works.
Kirsten Scheid's account was a stellar contribution as well. Her account of her war experience during this conflict really gives the reader the human perspective of what the war was like for those on the ground. Her accounts written during the fighting are filled with a dark humor that emphasizes the ironic. It is a humanizing account that shows the coping mechanisms that individuals develop to deal with harrowing situations. After writing a particular passage that was egging on the Israelis, castigating them for being late on bombing her area, she ends with, "I like writing that. It makes me feel like I'm in control. Ha!". This to me was a poignant moment. The need to feel control, and also the need to feel a part of the resistance is overwhelming. The absolute powerlessness of her situation and the knowledge of immanent, arbitrary death from above begets this need to defy, and in that defiance regain some control no matter how fleeting or intangible that control really is. Her entire contribution was profound, but that moment really stuck in my mind.
As for criticism there was an article by Elias Khoury in part three that seemed out of place. It was almost too literary and over-written for the format. It stands in stark contrast to the gritty realism and raw emotion within that section. It broke the feel and the flow of part three. I felt similarly about Bishara's contribution as well.
All in all this is a very strong work that is filled with powerful emotions and scholarly arguments. The book does a great job in melding the emotional and scholarly into a cohesive and profound work. From Sara Roy's emotional "A Jewish Plea" to Richard Falk and Asli Bali's detailed "International Law at the Vanishing Point" this book is elucidating and powerful. In one book the reader is offered history, humanity and scholarly assessment of the affects of this conflict. The editor has put together a terrific collection that I highly recommend.
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