Book Description
Today Iran is once again in the headlines. Reputed to be developing nuclear weapons, the future of Iraq's next-door neighbor is a matter of grave concern both for the stability of the region and for the safety of the global community. President George W. Bush labeled it part of the "Axis of Evil," and rails against the country's authoritarian leadership. Yet as Bush trumpets the spread of democracy throughout the Middle East, few note that Iran has one of the longest-running experiences with democracy in the region. In this book, Ali Gheissari and Vali Nasr look at the political history of Iran in the modern era, and offer an in-depth analysis of the prospects for democracy to flourish there. After having produced the only successful Islamist challenge to the state, a revolution, and an Islamic Republic, Iran is now poised to produce a genuine and indigenous democratic movement in the Muslim world. Democracy in Iran is neither a sudden development nor a western import, Gheissari and Nasr argue. The concept of democracy in Iran today may appear to be a reaction to authoritarianism, but it is an old idea with a complex history, one that is tightly interwoven with the main forces that have shaped Iranian society and politics, institutions, identities, and interests. Indeed, the demand for democracy first surfaced in Iran a century ago at the end of the Qajar period, and helped produce Iran's surprisingly liberal first constitution in 1906. Gheissari and Nasr seek to understand why democracy failed to grow roots and lost ground to an autocratic Iranian state. Why was democracy absent from the ideological debates of the 1960s and 1970s? Most important, why has it now become a powerful social, political, and intellectual force? How have modernization, social change, economic growth, and the experience of the revolution converged to make this possible? Gheissari and Nasr trace the fortunes of the democratic ideal from the inchoate demands for rule of law and constitutionalism of a century ago to today's calls for individual rights and civil liberties. In the process they provide not just a fresh look at Iran's politics but also a new understanding of the way in which democracy can develop in a Muslim country.
Customer Reviews:
A Good Primer on Iran.......2007-08-11
Will Iran be a democracy? Gheissari and Nasr gives a good overview of history of Irania history with one point in mind: why has there been so much debate over democracy but no real democracy. This is a serious book with a good deal of history. A must read for all those who discuss future of democracy in the Muslim world and Iran.
Recommended.......2007-08-05
This a serious and smart book about the history of democracy in a Muslim country. It shows that democracy is not a new idea for Iranians. They have debated and experimented with it, and why they have failed to become democratic has more to do with political developments in that country than any other issue. The authors do a good job of explaining the weight of historical developments in how democracy develops and why its succeeds or fails. A good news in this book is that despite its harsh government there is more debate and interest in democracy than at any other time in recent Iranian history, and more Iranians now see it as a practical idea than before.
A worthwhile read.......2007-05-26
This a sweeping history of Iran. It shows how democracy has been debated over the years. What comes form this text is that Iranians have a rich history of debating democracy, and its is not just religion that accounts for absence of democracy in that country. It is a worthwhile read for everyone as these days talk of Iran and its government dominate the media.
Very Useful; 4.5 stars.......2007-02-25
The heart of this short book is a precis of modern Iranian history with an accompanying analysis of the social and political phenomena responsible for important events. While the authors go back to the early 20th century, most of the discussion focuses on the birth of the Iranian revolution and its aftermath, leading right up to recent events. This is very well done with insightful analysis of the major trends in recent Iranian history. The authors, however, try to present their interpretation with the major theme of efforts to build a democratic Iran. This interpretation is belied by their own narrative which seems to present the recurrent theme of trying to build a modern state under considerable external pressure. Nonetheless, this book deserves wide readership because it displays an objective view of Iranian history uncontaminated by popular cliches and with a lot of interesting detail. Gheissari and Nasr argue that the residuum of historic efforts to democratize Iran and unexpected consequences of the Iranian revolution has resulted in a state with a strong democratic movement and a number of democratic practices. Unfortunately, this book probably won't reach a broad audience because in the interests of concision, the authors have had to leave out a fair amount of relevant historical background. For example, it will be hard to understand the authors' discussion of 1930s Iran unless you know what "Kemalist" means. The quality of writing is generally good but the authors sometimes fall back to academic cliches. It has an excellent bibliography.
While Geissari and Nasr make a very good case for the potential strength of democractic practice in Iran and opportunities for conversion to real democracy, they don't discuss a real danger of this situation. Authoritarian regimes under domestic challenge from strong domestic democratic pressures have a tendency to resort to reckless foreign policies to distract domestic attention and to build domestic legitimacy.
A quicksand of sentences and words ..........2007-01-07
... A book filled with facts, names, figures, and great perspectives on the before and after of the Iranian revolution.
This book was read in a household where the readers have between them five advanced college degrees. The book was not for us and certainly not for the general public, but written for colleagues of the authors - very pompous (i.e., snobbish) and arrogant (i.e., superior) in its style.
The authors spend the majority of their energy trying to impress the reader with their vocabulary and onerous (i.e., tiring), sentences, one piled on top of the next. It made each paragraph a torture to read and the whole book laborious (i.e., difficult) to follow.
The book would have been much more powerful if it had been written with the broader audience in mind, focusing on clearly communicating ideas and thoughts, as opposed to patting themselves on their backs showing off their command of the English language and its least commonly used words (e.g., millenarianism, insouciant, polity, etc.)
Book Description
In June, 1967, jet aircraft and motor torpedo boats of Israel brutally assaulted an American naval vessel, the USS Liberty, in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea. Thirty-four men died and 172 were wounded. The author was an officer on the bridge when the attack started and subsequently spent many years researching and documenting this meticulous account of the attack and the cover-up that followed.
Customer Reviews:
Understandably passionate. Understandably flawed........2007-08-17
The crew of the USS Liberty sustained an abominable experience far beyond the scope of most of us. It is in this sense that such a book might be useful.
But the author's understandable zeal for finding WHY it happened has taken him down some paths strewn with speculation and anti-Israel zeal.
The author's ire drove him him to dish up dishonest hyperbole against Israel on matters having nothing to do with this tragedy.
For example, about 18 years ago, Ennes wrote to a New England newspaper and claimed, among other things that, "...It is Israel that daily maims and murders an unarmed population in Palestine. It is Israel that daily bulldozes homes of suspected adolescent rock-throwers."
This is, of course, false. But it does serve to show that among the victims of the Liberty incident is objectivity.
One might argue that a crew member of the USS Liberty at the time would be in an ideal position to know what happened.
But such a notion is like claiming that a crewmember of the USS Arizona on December 7, 1941 was in an ideal position to know what transpired among the officers of the Japanese Imperial Fleet prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, or an NVA soldier during the Vietnam War could understand the inner workings of Robert McNamara.
As such, this book was not a huge disappointment, since the reader should expect such a perspective.
The passion to explain this attack has led Ennes and others to conclude that it was deliberate.
But as radio personality Les Kinsolving once noted, "It is as preposterous as the idea that Capt. John Paul Jones would have been ordered by Gen. George Washington to sink the French troop ships bringing soldiers and artillery to help us win our war of independence."
So where does one turn for an objective account of this military disaster?
The answer is "The Liberty Incident: the 1967 Israeli Attack on the U.S. Navy Spy Ship" by J. Cristol. The author, a federal judge and former naval carrier pilot, spent 14 years researching every possible source of information on the attack.
While others embrace all sorts of theories about why Israel deliberately attacked the ship, Cristol approached the event with the passion of a relentless detective.Liberty Incident
As for the conspiracy folks, they would be wise to consider the following comment from Adm. Leon A. Edney, USN (Ret.), former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic; and Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command:
"Only those with an ulterior motive can still cling to the conspiracy theories after Judge Jay Cristol's excellent coverage documents each detail that led to the tragic mistaken attack."
Nevertheless, this book could have been much worse, as demonstrated by author Peter Hounam's steaming heap of speculation, "Operation Cyanide."
One-Sided and incomplete.......2007-05-14
One can go on forever about who is pro this or pro that, but the truth is that the most complete and recognized book on the subject of the Liberty is written by Jay Cristol, a United States Judge who has devoted his life to the FACTS of what went on that day. This book shows one side, from an emotional person who was hurt and angry. If you read this book, you do yourself and history a disservice if you do not read Jay Cristol's book as well. I was "horrified" by the incident, as any American would be, until I read the explanations and facts addressed by Judge Cristol. Seemingly impossible facts to refute, mentioned in this book, have complicated but indisputable answers. A country fighting for its life does not brutally attack its ONLY ally in the world. There are answers, and this book does not have them. Judge Cristol's book does.
Three separate crimes.......2007-04-28
This book presents plausible answers to several important questions about this amazing event. Facts apparently not disputed include that the Israelis attacked a US warship in international waters, killing many sailors. Almost everything else is disputed by someone.
Q1. Did the Israelis deliberately attack a US warship?
P.A. The huge disrepancy in size, appearance, and visible equipment between the Liberty and the Egyptian ship the Iraelis claim to have mistaken her for make Israeli claims hard to believe. If they thought they were attacking an Egyptian ship, why were Israeli jamming efforts targeted so specifically against American communication procedures?
Q2. Assuming the Israelis thought they were attacking an Egyptian ship, did they obey the Geneva conventions?
P.A. The attacks on lifeboats, and various other Israeli actions, violate the Geneva conventions, as well as all rules of war that have been recognized for centuries. They appear to have been motivated by a desire to leave no witnesses. The behavior of Israelis in this attack, as given in sworn statements by American eyewitnesses, bears significant similarities to accounts given by eyewitnesses of others attacked by Israel, which Israelis and their apologists normally dismiss due to alleged racial or cultural inferiority of the witnesses.
Q3. Why did other US forces not rush to the defense of the Liberty?
P.A. They started to, but were ordered not to by politicians in Washington who were more concerned with 'spin' than with American lives.
Q4. Why has this attack never been given an official public inquiry and report by the US government?
P.A. The truth is too embarrasing.
Q5. What motive could the Israelis have for attacking the Liberty?
P.A. Only the Israelis can know for sure. At the time of the attack, the US government wanted to resupply Israel enough to prevent an Israeli defeat, but not enough to enable the Israelis to gain the crushing victory they did. The Liberty was sending back to Washigton information that showed the Israelis already winning, which, if allowed to continue, might have caused the US to stop resupplying Israel. (A recent poll in Israel showed that 72% of Israelis believe the attack was deliberate, and for the above motive.)
It is notable that those reviews that show more loyalty to Israel than to truth never try to answer Question 2, but confine themselves to Question 1 (fog of war) and an I-didn't-see-the-answer to Question 5.
Liberty Veterans called anti-semitic..........2006-12-18
After I spoke to two veterans and had several correspondence with a couple of those on the pro-Israeli side of the attack, some points:
1: The key to understanding the attack will be the NSA spy plane transcripts/recordings, which haven't been divulged yet. I think the survivors want them released. Consistently the pro-Israeli argument never even refers to the existence of these records, so I suspect these NSA records might be the key. Don't be confused though; the ADL and others refer to "NSA transcripts" recently released[on the NSA website in 2003]...but these [Israeli helicopter pilot] "NSA transcripts" were never the relevant "NSA transcripts" [of the actual attacking planes and boats] that the survivors were and are still calling to be released.
2: I understand the pro-Israeli interests lying about this attack to protect the essential US support of Israel, but several go over the line, such as when a rabbi at a Naval base had the book removed from a base exchange after he called it and its author anti-semetic.
3: The motivation to dismiss the Liberty attack as an accident is overwhelming on the Jewish side, with seemingly no one on the pro-Israeli side offering even question as to whether the Liberty was known to be a US ship before the attack.
4: To be clear, no investigation has actually been done on this matter, despite the pro-Israeli interests claiming several have. No interviews by an official investigation body were ever done. The only statements taken were during the US Navy inquiry, and it was made clear that the survivors could not give statements on the attack itself when that inquiry was done, so even the Naval inquiry never qualified as an investigation. A true investigation by Congress is necessary. This is the only major naval military incident in which an investigation hasn't been done.
Suggestion to readers who want to get active in the issue:
Read the facts, ask Congress for an investigation, put up a website, spread the word, support the Liberty library and memorial, but don't entertain pro-Israeli arguments, unless you want endless circular debates over whether black-is-white or day-is-night. Using these futile debates to wear down and obfuscate those supporting the survivors seems like their tactic. The facts, except the essential NSA records which still need to be released, have been clearly stated so I suggest not entertaining the fire from those who support the Israeli side, as they seem to relish and identify themselves as their role as aggitator.
Truth be Told, Indeed!.......2006-05-16
This book is still for sale by
the very fine Institute for
Historical Review. You can also
get it @ alibris.com. It is a
primary example of why ALL FOR-
EIGN AID MUST STOP! Especially
to Israel, the Zionist/New
World Order/UN puppet state
in the middle east! And while
you're at it, get out of Iraq
as well! More truth at ihrewview
richunderscoresalzeratyahoodotcom
"Let freedom of the press ring!!!
Customer Reviews:
Intriguing, but Unrealisitic and Philosophically Weak.......2007-01-29
An Na'im's "Toward an Islamic Reformation" is a fascinating excursion into the evolutionary aspect of Islamic law. Without repeating previous comments, I will get to the core of his thesis and the problem with it. In essence, he states that since Islamic law evolved from a Makkan to a Madinan stage, it can "de-evolve" back to the Makkan stage. It was in Makkah where the Prophet gave his statements about tolerance and freedom of religion, while in Madinah those concepts were withdrawn. As Islamic jurisprudence argues that earlier revelations that are contradicted by later ones are abrogated, An Na'im is arguing for reverse abrogation, stating that the Madinan stage of Islam was necessary then, but is not needed now. This is the core of his argument.
Now the problems. First, An Na'im is asking for Islamic jurists to ignore 1,300 years of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) to engage in reverse abrogation. One must ignore a good portion of the writings of al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Qayyim, al-Mawardi, not to mention large sections of hadith collections (al-Bukhari, Imam Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, etc). While not wishing to appear as a nay-sayer, this is simply an impossible task. He simply has no Qur'anic or hadith basis for saying that Islam can backtrack and abrogate much of the Madinan message.
This highlights the second problem he encounters is the amount of abrogation. For anyone who has even done a casual examination of the hadith and Qur'an regarding war and jihad, one can see that there would be large sections of both (more of the former) that would require abrogation. Large portions of the sayings and deeds of the Prophet and his Companions (the "Salafi") would have to be virtually ignored. Considering the fact that the Prophet on numerous occasions indicates that one must follow his sayings and deeds to live his Islam makes this extremely difficult.
But the third problem is possibly the most damning... and dangerous. Let us say it succeeds. Let us speculate that, yes indeed, Islam engages in reverse abrogation and the violent and warrior sections of the hadith and Qur'an are now ignored. What is to prevent an abrogation of the reverse abrogation in the future? What is to stop a group of Imams and other leaders from standing up later and calling for the re-imposition of the Madinan passages calling for war and jihad against those who refuse to give their Islam? Islamic law, rather than a higher law such as in the Judeo-Christian tradition, is really a series of juristic pronouncements, with the schools of law having difficulty finding agreement on anything. For example, the schools of law cannot even agree on how many phrases are in the adhan (call to prayer), let alone anything else. Thus, there is no core law that can prevent a return to the Madinan stage. This may buy us time, but will present no permanent solution. The world will see a temporary respite, and then a return to more violence, more killing, and more devastation, all in the name of the expansion of Islam.
In reality, we have seen such a reversal before. For the last 300 years, prior to the Islamic Resurgence Movement (starting about 50 years ago), Islam was relatively contained. With virtually no money they had little influence in the world as a whole. Thus we saw virtually no Islamic terror operations and the like. But now that Islamic organizations have money and wealth, the jihadists have surged forward on the offensive. Thus, we have been down this road before, and a philosophical attempt to reform Islam, while well-intentioned, is stillborn from the beginning.
I simply do not see how An Na'im's thesis, intriguing as it is, can prevent this in the future.
Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na 'Im.......2004-01-31
I wonder why the American government doesn't get this fellow and send him to Iraq to head up their religious studies department and establish a modern Islamic Studies program in an Arab country to educate the Arab as to what Islam could be about, if they weren't so backwards.
A Fascinating Challenge to Orthodoxy.......2003-09-18
Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im, as a scholar of Islam and law, offers an analysis of Islamic decline and possible reformation that is much more clearly delineated and rigorous than the cultural accounts given by authors like Bernard Lewis. An-Na'im's argument rests on the separation of "historical Shari'a" (often wrongly treated as if it were itself divine revelation) from the essence of Islam itself, as revealed by the early tenure of Mohammed in Mecca, before he moved to Medina and grappled with the difficult and immediate imperatives of political power.
Like a good lawyer, An-Na'im's case in "Toward an Islamic Reformation" unfolds like a geometrical proof, proceeding deductively from an axiom (a universal principle of reciprocity) and reasoning from there; namely, that all peoples have rights of self-determination, as long as they don't clash with others' rights of self-determination. To this norm, An-Na'im adds two sociological observations. The first is that Muslim majorities are now becoming politically assertive, exercising their right to self-determination, which is in itself a healthy thing. However, the second observation is that the hitherto weakened and disorganized condition of the Muslim community has usually been attributed to departure from "true" belief and practice, as well as to outside interference by non-Muslims. Thus, An-Na'im reasons, secular solutions to social problems will not appeal to most Muslims. Even the doctrine of necessity (darura) is not enough, although it has been used with some degree of success in the past, because only a truly Islamic solution will satisfy Muslim demands for self-determination. Thus, any proposed reforms must be seen as Islamic in origin.
However, An-Na'im here makes a strong case that the implementation of "historical Shari'a" (he calls it historical, obviously, to emphasize its man-made, temporal quality), while seen as a solution by many (due to the yearning to go back to tradition), will likely oppress others, and limit their right to self-determination, because it conflicts with modern norms of constitutionalism, human rights, international law and criminal justice. However, historical Shari'a was constructed by early jurists, written for a specific time and place, and does not come directly from revelation. So, given that secular and Shari'a solutions both are inadequate, the question becomes: how can Muslims' rights vis-à-vis others be exercised, while also being legitimately limited in accordance with universal principles (and the earlier, more tolerant words of Mohammed)?
An-Na'im acknowledges that any attempt to answer this question and "evolve" alternative principles will be difficult, due to the likely suspicion that tampering with the weight of tradition will inflame, but must be done, and can be based directly on revelation. This is the task that he sets himself to in the second half of the book, once he has demonstrated how Shari'a: 1) is man-made; 2) is non-divine; 3) originally arose for political expediency; 4) goes against the early word of Mohammed (much of which it "abrogated" under the doctrine of naskh); and 5) will likely violate the rights of non-Muslims, women, slaves, etc., and be incompatible with the very idea of the nation-state, international law, and human rights. In this, An-Na'im is clearly a modernist, in that he takes the nation-state, etc. as a given, and holds that there are benefits from secularism that would be lost (self-expression, women, religious minorities, slavery) if Shari'a were to be implemented. He also makes a very specific negative judgment about the application of Shari'a in today's "fundamentalist" states (Iran, Sudan), arguing that "it has created more problems than it has solved" (67). While an "anti-imperialist" might take issue with this statement, arguing that the worst excesses of fundamentalism are preferable to "western" institutions, An-Na'im's mission is to make Islam palatable to western institutions, and vice-versa, by "rehabilitating" the "early Mohammed" in much the same way that neo-Marxists drew upon the "Young Marx" to get away from the stale determinism of scientific socialism. Thus, the early Mohammed of the Mecca period is portrayed as a tolerant, "reasonable" leader, while the Mohammed of the Medina period, and the later rulers under whom Shari'a developed, were forced to adapt their ideas to the expediencies an extremely harsh, violent political world.
What is An-Na'im's program for rehabilitating Islam from the legacy of this world? The four main areas of law concerned are constitutionalism (how can Islam reconcile itself to self-determination, but with limits on power?), criminal justice (how can Islam democratically enforce Islamic justice without violating the rights of non-Muslims?), international law (how can Islam reconcile itself to interactions between nation-states, some of whom will be non-Muslim?), and human rights (how can Islam leave behind the legacy of subordinate status for women, slaves and non-believers, and grant universal rights to all people?).
While the program is well-argued and eloquently framed, obviously drawing much inspiration from the mentorship of the Sudanese reformist martyr, Mahmoud Taha, An-Na'im himself, though an optimist, admits that the book is not likely to receive a warm reception in the Muslim world. Though he doesn't admit it, part of the problem with this reception might be a feeling that he is engaged in sophist apologism for the West, finding parts of Islamic teaching to justify a wholesale adaptation to modern, secular developments. For those Muslims who feel their identity under attack, and thus advocate a return to tradition, the particular tradition that An-Na'im cites might seem a bit too conveniently Western. And after all, arguing that the Prophet went against his own early teachings out of expediency might seem unfathomable for one who believes that everything the Prophet did was divine!
Superb, groundbreaking scholarship.......2001-11-01
This is a wonderfully refreshing work on the possiblity of reforming Islamic law. Na'im's basis stems from Mahmud Taha's work on the evolutionary nature of the revealed Qur'an. The basic thesis is that the Meccan suras were abrogated through naksh in favor of the later Medinan verses due to political and social circumstances of early Islam. Na'im takes up Taha's argument, that God gave differing foundations for Shari'a, the earlier, tolerant, pluralistic Meccan one being the ideal for which all must strive for. Na'im argues that in order for Islamic peoples to align themselves according to their faith with univeral notions of human rights, a new Shari'a needs to be derived from the earlier Meccan suras. Na'im points out that Shari'a isn't divine in nature, as it is human interpretation of certain portions of the Qur'an. Very well researched and congruent with the universal principles that all faiths share. Also check out Taha's original work on the evolutionary revelation, translated by Na'im, called "The Second Message of Islam".
Book Description
poetry, Cambodia, bilingual Khmer-English edition
Customer Reviews:
Sacred Vows.......2007-01-12
I met the author and heard the poems at UH Manoa in both Khmer and English as they are also laid out in the text. It would be interesting to have an oral form/spoken word for this book. If you have an interest in Southeast Asia, Khmer Rouge,genocide or the human struggle this book offers enormous insight to all.
It is tragically moving in some parts and although I am not much for poetry it is one of my prize posessions.
I know little or nothing about poetry but the flow of the poems are not rythmic or fluid, but the words are essential. The author said he wrote in the style of Walt Witman which was a major shift from traditional Khmer poetry with it's oral and melodic style.
This book is heavily based in myth, spirituality and hardship of a man who's life has seen the most extreme in hills and valleys.
I recommend this book to anyone. For deepar understanding of the life of the author the Three Wilderness memoirs are also good.
Wonderful book!.......2006-05-05
I was fortunate to hear Mr. U Sam Oeur read his poems in person at UW-Madison a few weeks ago and I bought 2 books on the spot, one for my mom and one for myself.
I am so happy that there is someone trying to bring back the art of Cambodian poetry, it would be a tragedy if this art form were to disappear. Mr. U Sam Oeur is a wonderful person and so passionate about his work, his reading (or singing rather) of one his poems was so breathtaking and emotional.
Despite the horrors of the Khmer Rouge period, this book is a testament to the Cambodian spirit in which Mr. U Sam Oeur and others like him seek to re-establish important Cambodian cultural traditions. This will not only benefit the younger generation of Cambodians in Cambodia and around the world, but will also serve to enrich the realm of poetry in general as Cambodian poetry is an important form of oral tradition that is unique and intricate in style and structure.
Amazing man, amazing story.......2006-03-10
Reading these poems is one thing, hearing them sung in person is another. And for those of you who cannot hear him speak, read the gracious words of someone who has seen the worst in mankind, and yet still looks at the world with hope for the future. This is a must read for everyone!
Ambassador for the silenced.......2004-12-31
These are poems of downtrodden and endangered people, for whom I once unofficially dubbed U Sam Oeur poet laureate.
This slight Cambodian poet, a survivor of the Pol Pot regime who committed his horrifying experiences to Khmer verse in Sacred Vows, several years ago gave one of the most soulful readings I was ever privileged to hear.
"I am the ambassador of the silenced," he said at the opening of his reading, noting that the Cambodian people remain imprisoned in their own land. He would read first in English (translations by Ken McKullough) and then chant his poems a cappella in a voice as vibrant as it was heart-piercing.
What a lowing my wife put up
when she gave birth to the first twin.
Very pretty, just as I'd wished, but those fiends
choked them and wrapped them in plastic.
This stanza from "The Loss of My Twins" seared my ears as he read the clean, crisp language of loss.
From this voice, one remarkable fact is eminently clear: Indigenous languages can be inhabited even by strangers. John O'Donohue once explained it like this, in terms which themselves danced on the edge of a poem:
Language comes from that restless space between loneliness and experience. It lives through people, but without them as well. Poetry is travel to the inner language, and every poem is a threshold crossing between the ancient and the [now]. Even when one does not understand these languages, the poems speak.
Indeed they do.
--Alyssa A. Lappen
Cambodian poetry in the spirit of Whitman.......1998-11-06
This is a stunning collection of poetry presented in a bi-lingual layout that provides an extremely moving and spiritual diary of a poet that witness and survived the savagery of the Pol Pot years. What is more interesting is that the author U Sam Oeur has stretched the traditional and very formal structure of Khmer poetry and brought his own love and admiration of Walt Whitman to create a new kind of Cambodian poetry. I had the fortune of attending a reading by U Sam. His translator, Ken McCullough read the english translation which was followed by the author's sung and chanted rendition of the poem in Khmer. The author told us that when his family was finally able to return to their home in Phnom Penh, while everything else had remained, his entire library of some 2,000 books had been removed and apparently destroyed. The only thing that he discovered from his collection was a single page from a book of poems by Emily Dickinson.
Book Description
The USS Liberty was attacked by unmarked planes and torpedo boats in international waters during the Six Day War between Israel and the Arab States. The attack on the surveillance ship lasted 75 minutes -- 34 men died and 172 were injured. Initially it was thought that either Egypt or the U.S.S.R. was responsible, but astonishingly Israel, the U.S.'s closest ally, said that the planes and boats belonged to them, and that they mistook the ship for an Egyptian vessel -- despite the prominently displayed Stars and Stripes.
This hard-hitting investigation shows that on that day in 1967, the world came closer to all-out nuclear war than ever before -- this incident made the Cuban Missile Crisis seem tame by comparison. Peter Hounam reveals that the attack was part of a clandestine plan between the US and Israel known as "Operation Cyanide," designed to ensure victory for Israel in the Middle East. By blaming the attack on the Arab world, retaliation on a grand scale would be justified.
A massive cover-up has endured to this day -- the attack on the Liberty remains the only maritime incident that has not been investigated by Congress. But many survivors and senior government officials say that the attack was no accident, including Secretary of State at the time, Dean Rusk. Based on interviews with ex-government officers and the examination of official documents, this book answers the following questions: Why did the White House call back rescue planes from helping the Liberty -- twice? What was the CIA's role in this attack? Did LBJ know in advance about the attack? Why did the U.S. government accept Israel's explanation?
This book will shock any reader interested in Middle-East affairs, as it shows that the U.S. was prepared to -sacrifice its men and risk nuclear war to ensure victory for Israel.
Customer Reviews:
Uriah's death was no accident.......2007-09-10
Nor was the attack on the USS Liberty. The Liberty was a sacrificial lamb (or in the words of those candid few on the inside, a "guinea pig") whose sinking was to be a pretext for the US to nuke an airbase outside Cairo at which Soviet bombers were based. The IDF tried their damndest to sink her and eliminate the entire crew, but could not, and someone, thank God, put a stop to it before they eventually succeeded. Hounam's research follows on that of survivor Jim Ennes and Pearson and is quite comprehensive given the intense, massive, and on-going cover-up (an example of which is the many pans offered by others on this page). Although after one recognizes the absurdity of the "accidental friendly fire" cover story it is easily surmised that the US must have put Israel up to the attack on the Liberty for some reason, it becomes fairly speculative as to precisely what the US aims were. Hounam's research indicates that the US may have been after more than simply removing Nasser as a threat to the Saudis and thwarting the USSR from assuming control of the Suez Canal. Hounam's thesis - and it is well supported - is that the onset of WW III may have been avoided by a mere three minutes. The story is not yet complete - and may never be - but Hounam's detective work has yielded a remarkably extensive picture - the most compete thus far. King David owned up to his culpability in the murder of Uriah, but LBJ, MacNamara and their co-consipirators never did own up to their responsibility, leaving all the blame on Israel. The Liberty was not the first USN vessel intended to be sacrificed as a pretext for war; the USS Maine was precedent sixty-nine years earlier. And one can speculate as to whether the Stark and Cole may have been intended tp serve some similar purpose. But in the case of the Liberty, nukes were sent aloft with aircraft launched from the USS America. Could it happen again?
If you hate good investigative reporting, you will love this book!.......2007-08-17
For decades, I have been comsumed with knowing how the catastrophic attack on the USS Liberty could have happenend.
Reports and investigations did nothing to satisfy my need to know. I devoured every word on the subject, watched every documentary, and intellectually sampled every theory.
But everything had a speculative nature. And many books were written with an agenda other than the whole truth.
This piece of rubbish is no exception.
Thus far, the only serious examination of the Israeli attack on this ship is J. Cristol's study, "The Liberty Incident."
Cristol's book is a delight! Extremely detailed AND a great read, a rare combination. Liberty Incident
But THIS steaming heap of hyperbole will have the reader asking himself, "Did a tree have to die for THIS?"
The following remark about Cristol's book inadvertently speaks to this book as well...
"Only those with an ulterior motive can still cling to the conspiracy theories after Judge Jay Cristol's excellent coverage documents each detail that led to the tragic mistaken attack." - Adm. Leon A. Edney, USN (Ret.), former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic; and Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command
That says it better than I could.
Skip this waste of paper stock and treat yourself to Cristol's riveting minute-by-minute account.
uss liberty.......2006-08-11
Book was well researched and provided great insight regarding the attack On the USS Liberty.
America's Hidden History: A must read for true Americans.......2006-01-20
My own copy of this book contains the signatures of several USS Liberty Survivors whom I've interviewed and written about throughout the years. This book IS their story and the survivors proudly recommended it to me. Every American needs to read Operation Cyanide, the story detailing a horrendous crime against the American people and our sailors; a crime which for nearly forty years has yet to be addressed because of who purposely and with malice, committed it: the state of Israel.
As with all books, films, professors and speakers exposing Israeli atrocities, its protectors have attacked this book (see the one star analysis. This is standard procedure on all books exposing Israeli war crimes) and others in an attempt to prevent your reading this book. The attack on the USS Liberty was a war crime; Israel shot out the life boats, used napalm, lied about it, torpedoed the ship... AND still our sailors survived. Historically accurate, true and very much needing to be told Operation Cyanide's award winning British author Hounam, details the amazing escape and survival of the USS Liberty against all odds and how it came to be. It is what true heroism is about. You will be inspired by the story of the Liberty crew and disgusted by the cover-up now in its 38th year. This is a great book for anyone who enjoys espionage stories, historical novels or adventures. It is the perfect book for any patriotic American.
Unsubstantiated hype.............2005-11-28
There are better books out there if you're interested in more substantiated accounts of the USS Liberty attack. For example, the chapter on the USS Liberty attack in "The Secret War Against the Jews" (john loftus, mark aarons) appears to be based more on fact and less on fantasy (I wouldn't have thought so, given the title of the book...but go figure).
Book Description
Draws on newly declassified documents and high-level interviews with numerous officials from the United States and Israel, including the late prime minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, that resolve lingering questions
A former naval aviator provides a page-turning, minute-by-minute account of the battering suffered by the U.S. Navy's intelligence ship, USS Liberty
Includes diagrams, maps, and photographs, including images taken by the gun cameras of participating Israeli aircraft
On June 8, 1967, at the height of the Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors, Israeli air and naval forces attacked the USS Liberty, an intelligence-collection ship in the service of Israel's closest ally, while that vessel steamed in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula. The Israelis killed 34 Americans, wounded 171, and nearly sank the ship. Dozens of theories exist about what happened that day. Official inquiries conducted in both the United States and Israel attributed the event to faulty communications and tragic error, but survivors remain outspoken and not alone in their belief that the Israelis acted deliberately.
Federal judge and former naval aviator A. Jay Cristol places the incident in its proper context. The Israeli strike, he argues, can only be understood in light of the Cold War, the outbreak of war in the Middle East, interservice rivalry within the Israeli Defense Forces, and the chaos of an operational environment. That both the United States and Israel kept much of the data concerning the incident classified for more than ten years served only to fuel the fires of intrigue and charges of conspiracy to cover up the truth, but since the incident significant portions of most of the official inquiries have now been declassified. Cristol draws on these, documents recently obtained by him through the Freedom of Information Act, and extensive oral history interviews to deliver the most comprehensive treatment of the episode that threatened to ruin Israel's relations with the United States and has served as a nagging source of suspicion for so many years.
Customer Reviews:
The official "USS Libertry Apologist's resource".......2007-07-17
Judge Cristal's book is and has become just the continuing written resource of the "official version". He was a bankruptcy judge, a naval reserve officer who never saw combat, was never there, avoided the survivor's versions of events if it doesn't mesh with the "accident" thesis. He is held in deep disregard by the Liberty Veterans Organization, they are all wrong yet his version is correct. They were there, he was not.
What it doesn't say and what it avoids is as important as what he does says. He has avoided any debate whatsoever with any member of the Liberty Veterans Organization but now spends his time answering op-ed pieces proclaiming the "case is closed". His book is a part of the Liberty canon and it does demostrate the extremes that the Liberty opponents have taken over the last 40 years. The question still remains "why?". If it was a "friendly fire" so-called accident. Why oppose the Liberty crew the first open honest day in an open manner? Like Ennes say, if they are lying, they go to jail but they are willing to take the chance.
But a bankruptcy judge who was never there, never a part of the investigation and and who has been condemned by the very limited number of Liberty crew he sought information and who deny "his version" of he claims does not make this a reliable resource. You want the truth, read Jim Ennnes' book, "Assault on the Liberty". He was there and no one has ever called his book disingenuous or fabricated.
There are two sides to every story and the good Judge has no monopoly on the truth. Certainly not the "Liberty Incident". BTW an "Attack" is hardly an "Incident" when 34 crew members were killed and 174 wounded. What's next "The 9-11 Incident"? Decide for yourself. Buy it used .
Excellent analysis of the incident.......2006-06-27
I had heard from time to time mention of the 'liberty incident' and never really knew what happened until I purchased this book. Those who want to live in their own fantasy world and believe that it was some type of conspiracy can go ahead, but this book will most definitely put cracks in all their stories, ideas, and theories. The actions of the ship are laid out, the actions of the Israeli pilots are plotted and presented as the fact that the liberty opened fire first on the three Israeli torpedo boats that went out to try and identify the ship only after which did they fire their torpedo's. Suffice it to say this has to be the most definitive account of the incident covering all the angels to the minutest detail and showing where conspiracy theorists got their ideas from in the first place is a nice addition. He goes through these 'theories' and rebukes them at every turn explaining why they don't make sense or what evidence is missing or simply put how logic does not dictate what is being presented as 'fact' and 'evidence.' Israel had no need to attack a US ship, Israel admitted their guilt and admitted it was a mistake as soon as they found out what they had done, there is no reason to think this action did anything more than damage, to a degree, the relationship between Israel and the US. Probably one of the better books on the subject no doubt about it, highly recommended.
Cristol is the most quoted Liberty Israeli apologist..........2006-04-13
Even if you want to believe it to be an accident, you can do better than this book. Cristol created this book based on his doctoral dissertation, which was manufactured after (and some estimate to obfuscate and diffuse) Dr. John Borne's initial doctoral dissertation on the Liberty assault which came to the conclusion Israel knew it was a US ship before they attacked.
You don't even need to open the book to know what's inside!...let's take a look at the front cover photo...
The photo, claimed in the book to be provided to Cristol by the Israeli Air Force, as a gun camera photo, shows the USS Liberty flying no flag as it is attacked, with even a large splash of munition next to it. This of course reinforces Israel's claim there was no flag flying during the attack, which would then debunk the survivors' claim they had an American flag flying(and put up an even larger US flag after the first was shot down!).
-It turns out, according to a photo analysis done for the Liberty survivors' website, this "is in fact a doctored view of the ship just as she tied up at the pier at Little Creek, Virginia, in July, 1967, upon her return from repairs in Malta." The photo evidence is too much to list but here is some of it: All the vectors and even people on the ship correspond to the Little Creek dock photo. The smoke was apparently falsified - there is no smoke or fire damage in corresponding areas of the ship, in photos taken immediately after the attack. The displacement(how deep in the water the ship sets due to weight) of the Liberty during the actual attack was much greater than the Cristol image depicted, but corresponded perfectly with the Little Creek photo (after the ship was offloaded). The munition splash apparently was added to cover a tug boat that occluded a small part of the front side of the Liberty. A photo of a real wake created by the Liberty does not correspond to what was apparently a post photo wake added to the photo of the stationary Liberty. Etcetera, etcetera. Of course, the fact that there is no flag in Cristol's cover picture corresponds to the fact it is customary to take down the flag once you get into port, as the real Little Creek photo shows. So there you have it, no need to even open this book. Sorry to say, the photo was presented as evidence in a Thames television presentation before a proper analysis and debunking was done.
This is the second book(the other is the unrelated "Hitler's Pope" by Cornwell) I've reviewed where a photo was presented as evidence, but was apparently otherwise.
If you are an Israeli apologist and want to give a better try than Cristol's book, it's not hard. But you should at least go to the survivors' website and get firsthand information so you don't look as foolish as Cristol. Now that Cristol is being dismissed, Michael Oren is the next big hope for Israeli apologists concerning Liberty. This assault is so dangerous to Israel's reputation that apologists consistently offer terminology that attempts to stop discussion on the subject rather than address concerns, such as the title of Michael Oren's writing's "USS Liberty: Case Closed". The process is consistent, first the apologist (Oren/Cristol/whoever) offers what they claim is a thorough discussion-ending report(in Oren's case even titling it as such), then the apologist goes on with a typical limited and contextually false account, then right on queue, the apologist is soon after applauded for such a "conclusive", "thorough", "definitive" account. Then eventually the apologist is dismissed by those on the other side as false after having his material reviewed, such as Cristol eventually was. Then another apologist takes over the reigns as 'lead USS Liberty reference' for the apologists, conveniently forgetting they were just supporting the last guy who who offered false claims. To some, it might seem strange Oren was given the top prize at the LA book fair for what was a rehashing the 1967 Israeli six day war in his book "Six Days of War". What Oren did conveniently offer in his newly awarded book, just as Crystol conveniently offered, was, once again, "new evidence" that the attack on the Liberty was accidental. Of course, "Body of Secrets" author James Bamford eventually took great exception to Oren's selective Liberty account, and offers insight into Oren's personal history and his close working connections to those who apparently were connected to Israeli war crimes that the Liberty would have monitored, and that, as Bamford suggests, would have been reason to snuff out the Liberty's surveillance.
The real story, and the amazing and intriguing evidence that is now coming out is mostly coming from NSA sources. The Anti-Defamation League primarily references Cristol and NSA transcripts released in 1999 of helicopter pilots sent to the Liberty after the attack. Of course, the ADL pointing to the helicopter transmissions is misleading, as the unreleased plane and boat transmissions(those taking part in the attacks) are the relevant ones. Of course the ADL doesn't address Cristol's basic problems, such as that silly cover photo passed off as an Israeli gun camera photo. Some amazing admissions have occured just recently(after 2000). There is still apparently a key NSA record of the attack, taken from a an NSA spyplane in the area of the attack, that is being withheld.
"Of four former NSA/CIA seniors with inside knowledge, none was aware of any agency official who dissented from the position that the attack was deliberate." - Naval Institute Proceedings
"That the attack was deliberate "just wasn't a disputed issue" within the National Security Agency" - former NSA director William Odom, 3 March 2003 interview for Naval Institute Proceedings
"...the board of inquiry (concluded) that the Israelis knew exactly what they were doing in attacking the Liberty."
-- CIA Director Richard Helms
"I can tell you for an absolute certainty (from intercepted communications) that the Israelis knew they were attacking an American ship."-- NSA Deputy Director Oliver Kirby
Write a letter to your Congressman and sign the Liberty petition, if you want the NSA record released!!
you know it's meaningless when..........2005-12-20
The author fails to interview more than 1/4 of the survivors of the actual incident. That's a very L.B. Johnsonesque manuever: Obfuscate with "facts" from impartial sources (not the actual victims of the incident of course, they're too "emotional and biased" hence their thoughts are meaningless). Non-partial sources such as Israeli military personnel and top brass will give a non-political, no bs, view of course. It's not like they're worried about promotion or anything! Isn't odd though that LBJ didn't pin Commander McGonagle's Medal of Honor on the White House lawn? It's not like it's an important event, but at least give the guy a break!
deceptive.......2005-11-14
I find it very telling Judge Cristol included so few photographs of the damage to the Liberty. They clearly show most of it, with the exception of the torpedo hit, was inflicted by rocket fire from the planes. The use of rockets in the attack is officially denied by Israel. Why? Because most of the superstructure and much of the hull took scores of hits from almost every conceivable angle. Many of them penetrating several bulkheads. The ship looked like an angry grizzly bear got to chewing on a steel bucket. Such extensive damage clearly refutes Israeli claims the air attack involved only 4 aircraft and a maximum of 6 strafing runs over 12-14 minutes. It does support survivor's statements that dozens of strafing runs were made over 25 or more minutes. These facts alone should cause any reasonable person to very seriously doubt the "accident" explanation for the attack. Consider also this. The aircraft flying at a typical cruising speed of 500mph would have burned about 10gal/min of fuel. In 25 minutes they would have each used 1,500-2,000lbs. The pilots wouldn't have consumed so much fuel over the target unless they had planned for it in advance.
Customer Reviews:
Mainline Medicine.......2000-12-29
Chesnut provides a wealth of 21st Century ministry suggestions through the lens of his own personal experience at Cathedral of Hope. While he is unabashed in sharing his own theological and pastoral perspectives, he is equally open about how surprising and varied have been the resources that have enabled his vision. Great resource for anyone evaluating current trends in Protestant Christianity. Descriptive of renewal in a dwindling, urban, mainline congregation, but applicable to a wide range of congregational situations and settings. I found it inspiring, pastoral via the author's own vulnerability, and filled with both practical suggestions and stimulating reflection. It is a great read!
Average customer rating:
|
Gender, Modernity and Liberty: Middle Eastern and Western Women's Writings: A Critical Sourcebook
Manufacturer: I. B. Tauris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Classics
| Comic
| Contemporary
| Literary
Medieval
| Classics
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Civil Rights & Liberties
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Democracy
| Government
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Gender Studies
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Women
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Special Groups
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Democracy
| Political Doctrines
| Political Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Women's Studies
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1860649572 |
Book Description
This book returns to circulation a wealth of important documents by Middle Eastern and Occidental women of the late Ottoman empire. Tracing women's involvement in campaigns of gender and national emancipation, these fascinating texts show that, contrary to the popular notion of the Middle Eastern woman trapped within the harem without access to outside education, there was in fact a fruitful mutual dialogue between the Western women travelers and the women in the regions they visited.
Average customer rating:
- The not so Good old Days
- Good Coming of Age Story
- Unexpected Delight -- I Recommend it Highly
- I really enjoyed this book.
- The Pittsburgh Connection
|
East Liberty
Joseph Bathanti
Manufacturer: Banks Channel Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Graphic Novels
| Comics & Graphic Novels
| Subjects
| Books
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Literary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1889199087 |
Book Description
Winner of the Carolina Novel Award and a finalist for the Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Award, this is the story of Bobby Renzo, growing up in the late '50s and early '60s in the marginal East Liberty section of Pittsburgh, in the care of a beautiful, unmarried mother who raises questions and eyebrows among the devoutly Catholic, Italian-American residents.
Customer Reviews:
The not so Good old Days.......2004-01-10
This is a moving story of a boy growing up in a neighborhood that many of us can identify with. The uncertainty of childhood has been portrayed with a skillful touch. The author delves deep into the dark corners of youg Bobby's mind, only to find that there are no easy answers to life or its meaning. I read the book through at one sitting.
Good Coming of Age Story.......2003-09-03
This book captures the reader from the beginning, with it's story of a young boy trying to cope with being fatherless is 1950's/60's parochial Pittsburgh. We feel how difficult everything is for Bobby, how tough it was for him to just get by day to day. His Mother does not seem to have a great support network, which also makes it hard for them to survive.
My only problem is that Francene seems a little underdeveloped. I needed more of her, and that would help me see Bobby better.
Unexpected Delight -- I Recommend it Highly.......2001-12-12
In the real East Liberty, in Pittsburgh, where Joseph Bathanti, an author I had never heard of, and I grew up, I attended a function dedicating a refurbished theater and celebrating locals, including Bathanti, who have made good. He had a table set up in the lobby where one could purchase copies of his book East Liberty and, frankly, I bought a copy simply to be supportive of this hometown fellow. And although I fully intended to dip into the book, I doubted that it would merit my reading it to the end.
To my surprise and delight, I learned - despite the book's less-than-enticing title unless you happen to hail from East Liberty - that this fellow Bathanti is a wonderful writer, far more readable than many of the big names who have managed to secure the services of mammoth marketing machines. My concern now is that his book won't receive the kind of publicity and marketing it deserves.
Joseph Bathanti's anecdotes about growing up fatherless in a working class Italian family are authentic and affecting. But it is his skilled use of language that impresses. During an evening of mischief with his own friends and a rival group, the young narrator finds himself the victim of a ricocheting rock. He doesn't know at first that he's been wounded but eventually feels "the warm scarf of blood on my bare neck." When an ambulance comes to haul off a neighbor felled by a heart attack, he says, "It's red lights spray my bedroom with what looks like blood and fire."
East Liberty is a story of struggle and love, hope and survival, in a blue collar, multi-ethnic neighborhood. And although it is presented as a novel, it reads like an autobiography. If that is not the case, Bathanti's powers of description have convinced me otherwise. There are incidents in East Liberty that will make you laugh out loud and that will resonate with your own experiences, but the stories of his hardworking mother, his stern and culturally eccentric immigrant grandparents, and multi-cultural neighborhood influences are haunting and bring back memories of the "good old days" that were not necessarily so good.
I really enjoyed this book........2001-10-01
Mr. Bathanti's blazing rich characters and truly insightful renderings of the `50s, bring Bobby Renzo's extended family and neighborhood brilliantly to life. In a well-stirred play of dream life, gleanings from old black and white movies, the lure of baseball as savior, and exotic language so true, I was cruising close beside him on the streets of Pittsburgh. East Liberty is a wonderful whirlwind chase though boyhood adventures told in a strong voice of innocence and curiosity. Renzo's coming-of-age is rendered with deep passion for the honesty of his heritage and flows from a stream of amazing, brave stories. This book has soul - highly recommended.
The Pittsburgh Connection.......2001-09-24
This is a terrific coming-of-age story about a boy growing up in a seedy Italian-American neighborhood in Pittsburgh in the '50s and early '60s. His mother is single, so the neighborhood's Catholic residents disapprove of her but accept the boy. As a result, he gets his information partly from the Church (he goes to parochial school, where the nuns try to encourage him to become a priest), partly from the old movies he watches with his mother, and partly from his tough buddies on the street. Great read!
Book Description
Although many Westerners claim human rights as a major achievement of Western civilization, Muslims argue just as sincerely that human rights are central to Islam. They argue as well that the West's rhetorical emphasis on human rights cannot hide the fact that within Western society basic human rights are violated every day.
Through the use of extensive research and interview material from Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, Kevin Dwyer explores what human rights mean to Middle Eastern men and women--lawyers, political militants, religious thinkers, journalists, and human rights activists. The debate ranges widely from the nature of human freedom and human rights organizations to the role of religion in Arab and national identity. The reader gains a strong sense of the complexity and vitality of life in the Middle East today and of the kinds of issues that are at the center of informed discussion there.
From the book:"Human rights may be something new for the West, but we in Islam have had it since the beginning. We have no differences between whites, blacks, Jews, Muslims--everyone is free. We never persecuted the Jews here the way they did in France and England. In England and in the US you fight against the blacks--why just the other day there were news items about fighting between the police and blacks in London."--Muhammad Mekki Naciri, member of Morocco's Council of Religious Scholars
Books:
- Dragonlance - Chronicles Volume 1: Dragons Of Autumn Twilight (Dragonlance Chronicles)
- Edith Wharton : Novels : The House of Mirth / The Reef / The Custom of the Country / The Age of Innocence (Library of America)
- Escape The Coming Night
- Everyday Victory for Everyday People (First Place Bible Studies)
- Fablehaven Rise of the Evening Star (Fablehaven) (Fablehaven) (Fablehaven) (Fablehaven)
- Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
- Fargo Rock City : A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota
- Feud: Hatfields, McCoys, and Social Change in Appalachia, 1860-1900 (Fred W. Morrison Series in Southern Studies)
- Final Cut: Dreams and Disaster in the Making of Heaven's Gate
- Freddie Mercury
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Study Guide for the Therapeutic Recreation Specialist Certification Examination
- Invading Mexico: America's Continental Dream and the Mexican War, 1846-1848
- Fast Food, Fast Track
- Financial Accounting in an Economic Context
- Hunger of Memory : The Education of Richard Rodriguez
- My Grandfathers Blessings : Stories of Strength, Refuge, and Belonging
- How to Buy Real Estate Without a Down Payment in Any Market: Insider Secrets from the Experts Who Do
- The Chicago Guide to Writing about Multivariate Analysis
- From Adam Smith to Maynard Keynes: The heritage of political economy
- The Third Secret: A Novel of Suspense
The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future
Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic
Confronting Iran: The Failure of American Foreign Policy And the Next Great Crisis in the Middle East
The Soul of Iran: A Nation's Journey to Freedom
We Are Iran: The Persian Blogs
