Middle East Bookshelf

Many of these Books are available through the Monroe County Library System.

Invisible Nation:
How the Kurd’s Quest for Statehood is Shaping Iraq and the Middle East
by BBC Reporter Quil Lawrence, who is the current head of the NPR Baghdad Bureau.
A fascinating book about the Kurds in Northern Iraq, who have their own government, the KRG (Kurdish Regional Government), complete with Ministries, civil services and an army, the Peshmerga. Lawrence, tells the stories of his time spent in Kurdistan with only a cursory mention of the history of the Kurds necessary to give some context to these stories. While there, he met many of the people we now associate with the origin of the Iraq war, as well as current President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani and current President of the KRG, Masoud Barzani. In a speech on the subject that you can see here, the author says that “[Iraqi Kurdistan is] everything that the Bush Administration promised for Iraq.” I had the same impression.

A Modern History of The Kurds
A detailed, well researched history by David McDowall
This book gives a detailed account of 200 years of increasing war, betrayal, ethnic cleansing and attempted genocide. It tells of a people excluded from the picture when the colonial powers divided up the Ottoman Empire 100 years ago, and who fight, to this day, for recognition as an ethnic entity. It tells of years of years of vacillation between tribal leaders and political initiatives put forth by a rising middle class. It blames the Kurds for their troubles, often as not, while describing the manipulations of the powerful empires of the day to undermine their initiatives to nationhood and self determination. I read this book shortly after returning from Iraqi Kurdistan, and was immediately terrified. So many of the forces that have caused the cyclical devastation of this group are still in play. Even so, they have come so far, one can only hope they are allowed to continue on their current path.

Kurdistan: In the Shadow of History
a beautiful book by Susan Meiselas
This book was the perfect companion to McDowall’s book, though it is well worth your interest whether or not you have read the other. It tells the history of Kurdistan from the late 19th Century through photos and writings of the people who lived it. It’s hard to say more about this book. A picture is worth 1000 words. I highly recommend this book to those who love history, or who love art, as well as those who want to know about the Kurds.

Backdrop to Tragedy: The Struggle for Palestine
A telling of the story of the Zionist conquest of Palestine by William R. Polk, David M . Stamler, and Edmund Asfour, and published in 1957.
The Introduction was written by Polk. The first section of the book is a joint effort, then there are separate sections by each of the authors.

Gate of the Sun
An award winning novel by Elias Khoury
relating the stories of Palestinians who lived through the Nakba and the disastrous Israeli Occupation of Lebanon. The story is told through the ramblings of a man sitting with his dying father and reminiscing about how they came to be where they are.

Between the Lines
Edited by Tikva Honig-Parnass and Toufic Haddad
A collection of 21st Century writings on Palestine and the Palestinians, Israel, Israelis and the US and the War on Terror.

The Struggle for Palestine
Edited by Lance Selfa
Essays about the history of Palestine and Israel.

The Ethnic Cleansing Of Palestine
by Israeli Historian, Ilan Pappe
Tells the history of the Israeli takeover of Palestine, utilizing research in recently unclassified Israeli Documents and among the Palestinian people who remain in Israel.

A History of Modern Palestine
by Israeli Historian, Ilan Pappe
More Detailed than the previous book, this one relies to a significant degree to the stories of individual Palestinians who are survivors of the Nakba. It tells their story, how they lived before the 1948 war and how their lives were impacted by the war and Israels takeover of their lands.

The Last Arab, A Biography
by Said K. Aburish
A biography of Gamal Abdel Nasser, President of Egypt from 1956 through 1970. This book defines a significant piece of modern history in the Middle East. Nasser’s character and personal magnetism had a powerful effect on the so called ‘Arab street’. The book gives context to his actions, and the context defined by Nasser’s story impacts the stories of the other countries in the Middle East.

Asad, The Struggle for the Middle East
by Patrick Seale
Another fascinating biography of a man from humble beginnings, who, upon coming to power, created a measure of stability in his country, and put her on the road to modernity. This initiative was without cost, either for Hafel al Asad or for Syria. As with the Biography of Nasser, Asad’s story gives context to other events in the Middle East.

Historical Dictionary of Lebanon
by As’ad AbuKhalil
Interesting, but difficult to use if you don’t have enough background information to give meaningful context to the information. If you can find your way around, it gives a perspective on events in Lebanon that is generally hidden by American political interests.

Hizbullah, The Story from Within
by Naim Qassem, Deputy Secretary General of Hizbullah
How do the leaders of Hizbullah see their history and define their mission. Initially the reading is very slow. The first couple of chapters in particular are buried in what I would call ‘religious boilerplate’ language. However, if you read on, some very interesting perspectives emerge.

Voice of Hezbollah, The Statements of Sayed Hassan Nasrallah
Edited by Nicholas Noe
Speeches by and interviews with Nasrallah between 1986 and 2005. Nasrallah is a savvy strategist and tactician with a clear sense of purpose. Nasrallah is quite well educated, and would probably have gone on to become an Ayatollah had not the Lebanese Civil War intervened and duty to country called him home. He started in the Revolution in his early 20s, by taking a fiercely radical stance, but he has moderated his agenda over the years. Like him or no, he’s a formidable force in the affairs of Lebanon, and his following extends beyond the borders of his homeland.