OCTOBER 2018 WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS 71MIDDLE • EAST • BOOKS • AND • MORE
P is for Palestine: A Pales-
tine Alphabet Book, by Gol-
barg Bashi, Dr. Bashi, 2018, 66
pp. MEB: $30. The second edi-
tion of the best-selling P is for
Palestine, the world's first-ever
English-language ABC story
book about Palestine, told in
simple rhymes, with stunning
illustrations to act as an educa-
tional, colorful, empowering
reference for children, show-
casing the geography, beauty and strength of Palestinian
culture.Witnesses of the Unseen:
Seven Years in Guantanamo,
by Lakhdar Boumediene and
Mustafa Ait Idir, Redwood
Press, 2018, paperback, 288 pp.
MEB: $15. The authors were liv-
ing peaceful lives in Bosnia
when, in October 2001, they
were arrested and accused of
participating in a terrorist plot.
They were flown to Guan-
tanamo Bay, Cuba and held for the next seven years, en-
during torture, force-feedings and beatings. Now living
in Europe and rebuilding their lives, they are finally free
to share a story that every American ought to know.Feast: Food of the Islamic
World, by Anissa Helou, Ecco,
2018, hardcover, 544 pp. MEB:
$45. In Feast, award-winning
chef Anissa Helou—an author-
ity on the cooking of North
Africa, the Mediterranean, and
the Middle East—shares her ex-
traordinary range of beloved,
time-tested recipes and stories
from cuisines in the Muslim
world. Suffused with history,
brought to life with stunning photographs, and inflected
by Helou’s humor, charm, and sophistication, Feastis an
indispensable addition to the culinary canon featuring
some of the world’s most inventive cultures and peoples.How Long Will Israel Survive?
The Threat From Within, by
Gregg Carlstrom, Oxford Univer-
sity Press, 2017, hardcover, 256
pp. MEB: $21. Israel is surrounded
by an array of ever-changing
threats. But what if its most seri-
ous challenge comes from within?
There was once a national con-
sensus in Israeli society: politics
was split between left and right,
but its people were broadly secu-
lar and liberal. Over the past decade, the country has frac-
tured into tribes fighting internecine battles—over reli-
gion and state, war and peace, race and identity.A History of Muslims, Chris-
tians, and Jews in the Middle
East, by Heather J. Sharkey,
Cambridge University Press,
2017, paperback, 394 pp. MEB:
$27. Across centuries, the Islamic
Middle East hosted large popu-
lations of Christians and Jews in
addition to Muslims. Sharkey ex-
amines the history that Muslims,
Christians and Jews once shared
against the shifting backdrop of
state policies. Focusing on the Ottoman Middle East be-
fore World War I, Sharkey offers a vivid and lively analy-
sis of everyday social contacts, dress, music, food,
bathing, and more, as they brought people together or
pushed them apart.Restating Orientalism: A Cri-
tique of Modern Knowledge,
by Wael Hallaq, Columbia Univer-
sity Press, 2018, hardcover, 392
pp. MEB: $44. In this landmark
theoretical investigation, Hallaq
reevaluates and deepens the cri-
tique of Orientalism in order to
deploy it for rethinking the foun-
dations of the modern project. Re-
fusing to isolate or scapegoat Ori-
entalism, Hallaq extends the critique to law, philosophy,
scientific inquiry, sovereignty and the self and exposes
the depth of academia’s lethal complicity in modern
forms of capitalism, colonialism and hegemonic power.Library packages (list value over $240) are available for $29 if
donated to a library, or free if requested with a library’s paid subscrip-
tion or renewal. Call Middle East Books and More at 800-368-5788
ext. 2 to order. Our policy is to identify donors unless anonymity is
specifically requested.U.S. Shipping Rates:Please add $2.50 for the first item and $2 for each addi-
tional item.Canada & Mexico shipping charges:Please add $15 for the
first item and $2.50 for each additional item. International shipping
charges:Please add $15 for the first item and $3.50 for each additional item.
We ship by USPS Priority unless otherwise requested.The Falcon's Arrow: The
Book of Seljuk,by Oryal
Tanir, self-published, 2015,
paperback, 328 pp. MEB:
$15. In 1020 A.D., a man
with a troubled past finds
himself in a strange land
east of Byzantium. As he
tries to come to terms with
his life, a nomadic clan of
mercenaries adopts him—
unraveling a tumultuous se-
quence of events. The clan is
led by Seljuk princes who
trace their roots to ancient Oghuz legends and empires.
This is a story of the incredible events that defined the
destiny of a man in a foreign land and his adopted fam-
ily: the Seljuks.Yemen: Dancing on the
Heads of Snakes, by Victoria
Clark, Yale University Press,
2010, paperback, 328 pp.
MEB: $21. Yemen is the dark
horse of the Middle East. Every
so often it enters the headlines
for one alarming reason or an-
other—links with al-Qaeda,
kidnapped Westerners, explo-
sive population growth—then
sinks into obscurity again.
Clark returns to the country
where she was born to discover a perilously fragile state
that deserves more of our understanding and attention.
Untangling Yemen’s history before examining the coun-
try’s role in both al-Qaeda and the widerjihadist move-
ment today, Clark presents a lively and clear account of
a little-known state.Harlots of the Desert: A
Study of Repentance in Early
Monastic Sources, by Bene-
dicta Ward, Cistercian Publica-
tions, 1987, paperback, 128 pp.
MEB: $12. Beauty consuming it-
self like incense burnt before
God in solitude: these stories of
penitent women from the
fourth-century Egyptian desert
fascinated Christians in antiq-
uity and throughout the Middle
Ages.Most items are discounted and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Orders accepted by mail, phone (800-368-5788 ext. 2), or Web
(www.middleeastbooks.com). All payments in U.S. funds. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accept ed. Please send mail orders to Mid-
dle East Books and More, 1902 18th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009, with checks and money orders made out to “AET.”Literature Films Pottery Solidarity Items More
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