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New January/February Arrivals at Middle East Books and More!
Check out some of our latest books this new year. All books are featured in the Washington Report's Middle East Books Review section of the magazine.
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A Concise History of Revolution, by Mehran Kamrava, Cambridge University Press, 2019, paperback, 192 pp. MEB: $24. ([link removed])

Presenting a new framework for the study of revolutions, this innovative exploration of French, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cuban, Iranian, South African, and more recent Arab revolutions, provides a theoretically grounded and empirically comprehensive demonstration of how revolutions mean more than mere state collapse and rebuilding. Through the examination of multiple case studies, and use of extensive historical examples to explore a range of revolutions, Kamrava reveals the range and depth of human emotion and motivations that are so prevalent and consequential in revolutions, from personal commitment to sacrifice, determination, leadership ability, charisma, opportunism and avarice.
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The Israel Lobby Enters State Government: Rise of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board, by Grant F. Smith, Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy, 2019, paperback, 160 pp. MEB: $13. ([link removed])

The Virginia Israel Advisory Board (VIAB) is presently the only state government entity in the U.S. focused entirely on bringing corporations in from a single foreign country. The book explores how millions of dollars in taxpayer and other state funds are quietly being diverted from multiple sources to establish profitable Israeli companies in Virginia. The corporations are involved in military contracting, food and beverage manufacturing, energy generation, waste management and aquaculture. Smith analyzes how VIAB projects displace workers and put home-grown market leaders out of business. By unmasking Israeli businesses launching operations that VIAB protects under code-names and opaque shell companies to secretly transact business in Virginia, the book exposes the reason behind some of the secrecy—their extensive business dealings in territory illegally occupied by Israel.
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The Management of Savagery: How America's National Security State Fueled the Rise of al-Qaeda, ISIS, and Donald Trump, by Max Blumenthal, Verso, 2019, hardcover, 392 pp. MEB: $23. ([link removed])

Max Blumenthal investigates the real story behind America’s dealings with the world and illustrates how the extremist forces that now threaten peace across the globe are part of America’s imperial designs. Washington’s secret funding of the mujahedin provoked the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. With guns and money, the United States has continuously sustained extremists, including Osama Bin Laden, who have later become its enemies. The Pentagon has trained and armed jihadists in Afghanistan, Syria and Libya and has launched military interventions to change regimes in the Middle East. As a result, it created a fertile ground for the Islamic State and brought foreign conflicts to American soil. Consequently, these failed wars abroad have made the U.S. more vulnerable to both terrorism as well as native ultra-nationalism.
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Rest in My Shade: A Poem About Roots, by Nora Lester and Murad and Danna Masad, Olive Branch Press, 2019, hardcover, 46 pp. MEB: $20. ([link removed])

Millions of people are being uprooted, separated from their families and risk losing their culture as a result of war, poverty, repression and climate injustice. Rest in My Shade is a tool for building understanding, compassion and dialog. It is a moving poem that echoes the love Palestinians have for their olive trees and their deep connection to their land. The authors present a poetic story about displacement, identity and loss recited by an ancient olive tree. Each page is illustrated with olive trees created in various media by 17 Palestinian artists living around the world.
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The Old Woman and the River, by Ismail Fahd Ismail and translated by Sophia Vasalou, Interlink Books, 2019, paperback, 176 pp. MEB: $15. ([link removed])

Written by Kuwaiti author, Ismail Fahd Ismail, The Old Woman and the River was shortlisted for the international prize for Arabic fiction in 2017. After the ceasefire in 1988, the devastation to the landscape of Iraq wrought by the longest war of the twentieth century—the Iran-Iraq War—becomes visible. Eight years of fighting have turned nature upside down, with vast wastelands being left behind. In southeastern Iraq, along the shores of the Shatt al-Arab River, the groves of date palm trees have withered. No longer bearing fruit, their leaves have turned a bright yellow. There, Iraqi forces had blocked the entry points of the river's tributaries and streams, preventing water from flowing to the trees and vegetation. Yet, surveying this destruction from the sky, a strip of land bursting with green can be seen. Beginning from the Shatt al-Arab River and reaching to the fringes of the western desert, several kilometers wide, it appears as a lush oasis of some kind. The secret of this
fertility, sustaining villages and remaining soldiers, is unclear. But it is said that one old woman is responsible for this lifeline.
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Olive Harvest in Palestine: A Story of Childhood Memories, by Wafa Shami, Gate Advertising, 2019, paperback, 31 pp., MEB: $10. ([link removed])

A story about the harvest traditions that have been shared among Palestinian farmers for centuries. The story takes the reader on a journey, starting from how the olives are picked, through how they are pressed into oil, bottled and finally arrive in customers’ hands. Along the way, the reader shares in this festive working atmosphere filled with singing, eating, love and laughter portrayed from the eyes of a child. Illustrations are done by Palestinian artist Shaima Farouki. Recommended for ages 5 to 10.

“Wafa Shami writes a beautiful orchard story of devotion, labor, and harvesting in which nothing terrible happens. Palestinians deserve more days in which nothing terrible happens. Here is life, shining, ripe and succulent, singing of a culture, history, tradition and the dinner table too.” —Naomi Shihab Nye


** Sale on Al 'Ard Black Seed Oil!
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Buy 1, get 1 50% off only until the end of the month or until supplies last!

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