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New November/December Arrivals at Middle East Books and More!
This November and December we have an excellent selection of new books.
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The Movement and the Middle East: How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Divided the American Left by Michael R. Fischbach Stanford University Press, 2020, paperback, 297 pp. MEB: $25. ([link removed])

The Arab-Israeli conflict constituted a serious problem for the American Left in the 1960s: pro-Palestinian activists hailed the Palestinian struggle against Israel as part of a fundamental restructuring of the global imperialist order, while pro-Israeli leftists held a less revolutionary worldview that understood Israel as a paragon of democratic socialist virtue. Michael R. Fischbach offers the first assessment of the controversial and ultimately debilitating role of the Arab-Israeli conflict among left-wing activists during a turbulent period of American history.
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Syria After the Uprisings: The Political Economy of State Resilience, by Joseph Daher, Haymarket Books, 2019, paperback, 386 pp. MEB: $24. ([link removed])

Syria has been at the center of world news since 2011, following the beginnings of a popular uprising in the country and its subsequent violent and murderous repression by the Assad regime. Eight years on, Joseph Daher analyzes the resilience of the regime and the failings of the uprising, while also taking a closer look at the counter revolutionary processes that have been undermining the uprising from without and within. Through a sharp reconstruction of key historical developments, Daher focuses on the reasons behind the transition of a peaceful uprising into a destructive war with multiple regional and international actors. He argues that other approaches have so far neglected a global analysis of the conflict’s economic, social and political characteristics.
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Iran Reframed: Anxieties of Power in the Islamic Republic by Narges Bajoghli, Stanford University Press, 2019, paperback, 176 pp. MEB: $22. ([link removed])

More than half of Iran's citizens were not alive at the time of the 1979 Revolution. Now entering its fifth decade in power, the Iranian regime faces the paradox of any successful revolution: how to transmit the commitments of its political project to the next generation. New media ventures supported by the Islamic Republic attempt to win the hearts and minds of younger Iranians. Yet members of this new generation—whether dissidents or fundamentalists—are increasingly skeptical of these efforts. Iran Reframed offers unprecedented access to those who wield power in Iran as they debate and define the future of the Republic.

Read a review of a book talk on Iran Reframed in the latest issue of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Here. ([link removed])
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The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution, by Peter Hessler, Penguin Press, 2019, hardcover, 463 pp. MEB: $22. ([link removed])

In 2011, Peter Hessler, an American journalist who has extensively covered China, moved to Egypt with his family. Shortly after arriving, the Arab Spring and Egyptian Revolution broke out. Amid the chaos, Hessler would often travel to archaeological sites at Amarna and Abydosds – a place colloquially named al-Madfuna or “the Buried” – where locals live alongside the tombs of kings. During his time in Egypt, Hessler befriended their Arabic instructor and translator, a garbage collector and a family of Chinese small-business owners. “Through the lives of these and other ordinary people in a time of tragedy and heartache, and through connections between contemporary Egypt and its ancient past, Hessler creates an astonishing portrait of a country and its people. What emerges is a book of uncompromising intelligence and humanity – the story of a land in which a weak state has collapsed but its underlying society remains in many ways painfully the same.”
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Muhammad: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires, by Juan Cole, Nation Books, 2018, hardcover, 326 pp. MEB: $22. ([link removed])

Juan Cole shows how Muhammad came of age in an era of unparalleled violence. The Eastern Roman Empire and the Sasanian Empire of Iran fought savagely throughout the Near East and Asia Minor. Muhammad's profound distress at the carnage of his times led him to envision an alternative movement, one firmly grounded in peace. The religion Muhammad founded, Islam, spread widely during his lifetime, relying on soft power instead of military might, and sought armistices even when militarily attacked. Cole sheds light on this forgotten history, reminding us that in the Qur'an, the legacy of that spiritual message endures.

Read a review of Juan Cole's book in the latest issue of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Here. ([link removed])
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The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin, by Jonathan Phillips, Yale University Press, 2019, hardcover, 478 pp. MEB: $25. ([link removed])

When Saladin recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187, returning the Holy City to Islamic rule for the first time in almost ninety years, he sent shockwaves throughout Christian Europe and the Muslim Near East that still reverberate today. Drawing from a rich blend of Arabic and European sources, Phillips paints a comprehensive account of both the man and legend describing in vivid detail the events of his life and then tracing the aftermath of his actions to the present day. He reveals the personal qualities that explain Saladin’s enduring reputation as a man of faith, generosity, mercy and justice, even while showing him to be capable of mistakes, self-interest and cruelty. The Life and Legend of the Sultan Saladin shows how one man’s life takes us beyond the crude stereotypes of the “Clash of Civilisations” even while his legacy helps explain them.
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A Map of Absence: An Anthology of Palestinian Writing on the Nakba, edited by Atef Alshaer, SaqiBooks, 2019, paperback, 252 pp. MEB: $20. ([link removed])

A Map of Absence presents the finest poetry and prose by Palestinian writers over the last 70 years. Featuring writers in the diaspora and those living under occupation, these striking entries pay testament to one of the most pivotal events in modern history – the 1948 Nakba. This unique, landmark anthology includes translated excerpts of works by major authors such as Mahmoud Darwish, Ghassan Kanafani and Fadwa Tuqan alongside emerging writers, published here in English for the first time. Depicting the varied aspects of Palestinian life both before and after 1948, their writings highlight the ongoing resonances of the Nakba. An intimate companion for all lovers of world literature, A Map of Absence reveals the depth and breadth of Palestinian writing.
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What’s Cooking at 10 Garden Street?, by Felicita Sala, Prestel Publishing, 2019, hardcover, 48 pp. MEB: $14. ([link removed])

Multicultural residents living in an apartment block on Garden Street are cooking up a global smorgasbord. Mr. Ping stir-fries some broccoli, or “little trees” as his nephew Benjamin calls them. Across the hall, Maria and her mother mash avocados with a fork to make guacamole. Mr. Melville raises his knife to fillet a fish for sole meunière. Elsewhere in the building, Josef and Rafik prepare meatballs with turkey, zucchini and feta. Other neighbors are making coconut dal, mini quiches, and baba ganouj. For each spread, author and illustrator Sala renders delightful full-bleed pictures that showcase residents in action on the left and a visual recipe on the right. Each spread has detailed drawings of ingredients followed by easy-to-follow written instructions. With no more than six main ingredients, each recipe features global culinary traditions and fresh flavors. Part cookbook, part picture book, 100% delicious. Recommended for ages 5-10.
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Stories My Father Told Me: Memories of a Childhood in Lebanon and Syria, by Helen Zughaib and Elia Zughaib, Cune Press 2019, hardcover, 112 pp. MEB: $24. ([link removed])

Twenty-five paintings by internationally-renowned Arab-American artist, Helen Zughaib, accompanied by text based on favorite stories told by her father about life in Syria and Lebanon in the 1930s and during World War II.

"Let me tell you a story," Helen's father used to say. What followed were absorbing tales of her father's childhood in Damascus, village life in Lebanon in the late 1930s, amusing relatives, happenings, the traditions of their local Greek Orthodox Church and major events in her father's young life that lead him to emigrate to the United States in 1946.

Helen Zughaib uses folkloric elements and a wide variety of other visual references to express the life and outlook of her family, the village community of her father's young adult life, and her position as an international woman with special insight and empathy for the Middle East and its people.

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