25 & Trying

The Media Relations of Hezbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday

Best Book Cover in a long time...

I have to say, Neil MacFarquhar’s title and book cover made me laugh out loud in the bookstore. Normally, that never happens. I want to almost swear that it never has. I think that part of his appeal is just the sheer wit that he brings to the table. It draws the reader in – and makes us want to sit down and stay.

MacFarquhar is the best man for this particular job. He grew up in Libya, bearing witness to a rocky and interesting revolution. He remained protected on a compound for oil company workers, and rarely ventured out into the “real world” of the Middle East.

This book explores his journeys across his journalistic life – and across the different worlds of the Middle East. It is, by far, the most unique book I have read on the region. Having studied the Middle East and its people for a long time, I was excited by a book that could lend me some perspective on dynamics aside from terrorism and the veil. Digging beneath the surface – while still remaining genuine – his work explores nearly every nation in the Middle East.

He has a few focus areas – including freedom of speech and the ability to question government across different countries, drawing particular attention to Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt. The most interesting part of this discussion for me is the author’s ability to show and not tell. It is nonfiction with an element of literature involved. He writes about activists, poets, and political figures that have all contributed to the underground culture in many of these nations.

One of the best things about this book is that it inspired me to read MORE about the Middle East. His shortened bibliography in the back of the work made me excited about how much has been written on this region, and how much more there is to learn.