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<book id="3559">
  <title><![CDATA[From Beirut to Jerusalem]]></title>
  <isbn><![CDATA[0385413726]]></isbn>
  <isbn13><![CDATA[9780385413725]]></isbn13>
  <work>
  <best-book-id type="integer">3559</best-book-id>
  <books-count type="integer">11</books-count>
  <default-description>This extraordinary bestseller is still the most incisive, thought-provoking book ever written about the Middle East. Thomas L. Friedman, twice winner of the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting, and now the Foreign Affairs columnist on the op-ed page of the &lt;i&gt;New York Times&lt;/i&gt;, drew on his ten years in the Middle East to write a book that &lt;i&gt;The Wall Street Journal&lt;/i&gt; called &quot;a sparkling intellectual guidebook... an engrossing journey not to be missed.&quot; Now with a new chapter that brings the ever-changing history of the conflict in the Middle East up to date, this seminal historical work reaffirms both its timeliness and its timelessness. &quot;If you're only going to read one book on the Middle East, this is it.&quot; -- Seymour Hersh</default-description>
  <id type="integer">304487</id>
  <media-type nil="true"></media-type>
  <original-language-id type="integer" nil="true"></original-language-id>
  <original-publication-day type="integer" nil="true"></original-publication-day>
  <original-publication-month type="integer" nil="true"></original-publication-month>
  <original-publication-year type="integer">1989</original-publication-year>
  <original-title>From Beirut to Jerusalem</original-title>
  <rating-dist>total:2197|5:770|4:945|3:408|2:62|1:12|</rating-dist>
  <ratings-count type="integer">2197</ratings-count>
  <ratings-sum type="integer">8990</ratings-sum>
  <reviews-count type="integer">3161</reviews-count>
  <text-reviews-count type="integer">324</text-reviews-count>
</work>

  <average_rating><![CDATA[4.09]]></average_rating>
  <ratings_count><![CDATA[2033]]></ratings_count>
  <text_reviews_count><![CDATA[298]]></text_reviews_count>
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3559.From_Beirut_to_Jerusalem]]></url>
  <authors>
        <author id="18675">
      <name><![CDATA[Thomas L. Friedman]]></name>
      <role><![CDATA[]]></role>
      <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18675.Thomas_L_Friedman]]></url>
      <average_rating><![CDATA[3.65]]></average_rating>
      <ratings_count><![CDATA[17371]]></ratings_count>
      <text_reviews_count><![CDATA[3044]]></text_reviews_count>
    </author>
      </authors>
  <reviews start="1" end="20" total="3161">
    <review id="4160613">
  <user id="173140">
    <name><![CDATA[Brendan]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[New Orleans, LA]]></location>        
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    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>4</votes>
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  <read_at>Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Aug 06 12:10:58 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Dec 28 22:55:32 -0800 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[If you're sick and tired of what a pedantic wind-bag Thomas Friedman has become since his stupid 'lexus &amp; olive-tree' epiphany, take a trip back to when he was less pedantic, less wind-baggish, and could make a point without the use of a dozen unnecessary, self-aggrandizing anecdotes.<br/><br/>Fro...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4160613">more...</a>]]></body>
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</review>
    <review id="3662620">
  <user id="228754">
    <name><![CDATA[Dave]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Brooklyn, NY]]></location>        
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    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Jul 27 12:37:01 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jul 28 00:36:31 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A very insightful book that tells the story of two different cultures at odds, not just with one another, but with themselves.  He draws parallels between these two disparate societies by focusing on each one's search for identity.  In addition to the politics, greed, and the arrogant assumption tha...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3662620">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3662620?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="1207246">
  <user id="84437">
    <name><![CDATA[Carli]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[New York, NY]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/84437-carli?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon May 14 13:22:24 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon May 14 13:24:55 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I'm not a huge fan of Friedman lately, but this book is great. I thought the section on Beirut to be more autobiographical in terms of relating directly to his experience as a journalist there. Meanwhile, the Jerusalem section seemed more broad. I can't help but wonder (I'm sure I can read his NY Ti...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1207246">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1207246?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="47708622">
  <user id="2059153">
    <name><![CDATA[Noah]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2059153-noah?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Feb 27 12:28:37 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jul 01 16:00:04 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I am woefully ignorant of most of the conflicts in the Middle East, and even though the information in this book is pretty dated, it offers a useful window into the dynamics in Lebanon and Israel.  Friedman writes with restraint and insight, and has some truly great pieces of analysis, like the chap...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47708622">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47708622?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="41636751">
  <user id="1817661">
    <name><![CDATA[Loralee]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1817661-loralee?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Jan 02 14:03:08 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jan 02 14:34:11 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book follows Friedman's career as a journalist as he was stationed first in Beirut, Lebanon and then in Jerusalem during the 1980's. He shares many antidotes and gives us his perspective of the Mid-Eastern conflict. He arrived in the Middle East during the middle of Lebanon's civil war. He shar...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41636751">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41636751?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="75885468">
  <user id="13779">
    <name><![CDATA[Khaya]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Israel]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13779-khaya?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>3</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="israel" />
        <shelf name="readablenonfiction" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[People with a serious interest in understanding the Middle East conflict]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Oct 27 08:16:41 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Nov 05 08:47:56 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[According to one cynical goodreads  reviewer, <em>From Beirut to Jerusalem</em> offers some insight into “two sets of idiots killing each other over a piece of dirt.”  My instinctive reaction when I read this was to feel sorry for this reviewer who clearly doesn’t know what it means to have a homeland,...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75885468">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75885468?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="36827989">
  <user id="1041716">
    <name><![CDATA[Michael]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1041716-michael?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Nov 03 10:24:14 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Nov 03 10:26:15 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Friedman was a NY Times bureau reporter in Beirut (during the Civil War) and Jerusalam (during various wars and conflicts). Although Friedman can be a blowhard who relishes his near-miss war stories a bit too much (one thinks of an old patrician Brit reminiscing about Hunting Tig-ahs in In-jah), thi...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36827989">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36827989?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="62335819">
  <user id="2341684">
    <name><![CDATA[David]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2341684-david?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jul 06 09:26:29 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jul 06 09:31:12 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I checked this book out from the library and was not able to finish it as there were many others reserving the book after me. I am seriously considering buying the book and marking it up.<br/><br/>This book is fantastic for anyone wanting to better understand the conflicts of the middle-east. In j...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62335819">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62335819?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="49731703">
  <user id="164002">
    <name><![CDATA[Joseph]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Ann Arbor, MI]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/164002-joseph?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Mar 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Mar 18 20:19:03 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Mar 28 10:53:27 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[These days, Friedman is possibly the single worst prose stylist with column space in a major newspaper.  But before self-aggrandizing anecdotes, painfully mixed metaphors, and banal truisms were added to his arsenal, he wasn't half bad.  And here, he's damn good.  Dealing with the Middle East, he we...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49731703">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49731703?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="48953894">
  <user id="537621">
    <name><![CDATA[Kinga]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Portland, OR]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/537621-kinga?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Feb 22 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Mar 11 14:06:11 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Mar 11 14:15:03 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[It was soo cool to read.<br/>Finally, a perspective on the Middle East Conflict that is as  unbiased as an American Jew living in Beirut during the 1980's can possibly make it. <br/>As a reporter for the New York Times and as someone who regularly interviewed PLO leaders - it was in his best interes...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48953894">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/48953894?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="49698742">
  <user id="1273795">
    <name><![CDATA[Sarah]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Philadelphia, PA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1273795-sarah?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue May 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Mar 18 14:44:20 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jun 18 08:15:40 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[So I am pretty sure I've lost this book, or it was somehow taken from me.  As a result, this review's going to be incomplete, but hopefully to the point.<br/><br/>I've heard a lot about Friedman's writing, its pedantic or sometimes simplistic nature.  I didn't always find that to be the case in hi...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49698742">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49698742?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="39349474">
  <user id="66632">
    <name><![CDATA[Matt]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[New York, NY]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/66632-matt?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Feb 13 21:35:17 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Dec 04 23:27:53 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Feb 13 21:35:17 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Friedman's book is easily one of the best primers on the history of the conflict in the mideast.  I have mixed feelings about Friedman as a columnist, but this book is built on his time as a journalist in the region - first as a reporter in Beirut, then later as bureau chief in both Beirut and Jerus...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39349474">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39349474?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="38013334">
  <user id="1383849">
    <name><![CDATA[Patrick]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Boston, MA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1383849-patrick?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Feb 17 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Nov 17 21:51:34 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Feb 17 20:28:09 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[As Friedman, succinctly puts it, this book is about: Friedman's &quot;journey between the Beirut and Jerusalem worlds, and how he understood the events and the people whom he met along the way. On one level, it is about a young man from Minnesota who goes to Beirut and confronts a world for which no...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38013334">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38013334?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="22759807">
  <user id="935997">
    <name><![CDATA[Maya]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/935997-maya?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Apr 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu May 22 11:34:00 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Apr 17 11:33:45 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[It's so informative, it's like eating the New York Times archives. Great fiber. I highly recommend this book if you want to start understanding the conflicts and connectedness of Middle East. <br/><br/>Also- I do not think Friedman's ultimatum prescription as offered by the Israelis unilaterally, ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22759807">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22759807?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="19630193">
  <user id="784089">
    <name><![CDATA[EJ]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/784089-ej-johnson?utm_medium=api]]></url>
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    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[serious foreign policy studiers]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[MJ]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Sep 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Apr 07 06:12:39 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Sep 18 08:25:43 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Like MJ said this book took longer to read then most. I almost quit midway through because I was getting bored. But I am glad I finished. Thomas Friedman was a reporter in first Beirut and then Jerusalem for about a decade 1979 to 1988. It was very interesting to get first hand accounts of what was ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19630193">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19630193?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="14935870">
  <user id="885754">
    <name><![CDATA[Nate]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Gilbert, AZ]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/885754-nate-cooley?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2002</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Feb 08 15:08:46 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Feb 08 15:09:10 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I was first attracted to Friedman by reading &quot;The Lexus and the Olive Tree,&quot; which was a fantastic book on its own. I then became more interested in his articles in the New York Times. However the book that started it all, &quot;From Beirut to Jerusalem&quot; always seemed to elude me even...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14935870">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14935870?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="8178728">
  <user id="339495">
    <name><![CDATA[Ted]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Alexandria, VA]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/339495-ted-sullivan?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[everyone interested in the Middle East]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Oct 24 09:33:23 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Oct 24 09:50:00 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book covers events in Lebanon, Israel/Palestine between 1979 and 1988 through the lens of the New York Times award winning journalist Thomas Friedman.  When a friend told me about this book, my initial reaction was that it was written about a period that took place over two decades ago and that...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8178728">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8178728?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="7291325">
  <user id="82370">
    <name><![CDATA[Omar]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/82370-omar?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Oct 04 22:24:01 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Oct 06 18:29:22 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[While I disagreed with many of Mr. Friedman's conclusions this was such a great work at explaining the Lebanese civil war in the context of the greater Middle East.  Journalists, much better than arm-chair academics, can explain to us the world that they witness with their own eyes.  Friedman's work...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7291325">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7291325?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="6522220">
  <user id="25108">
    <name><![CDATA[Andy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[New York, NY]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/25108-andy?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="geopolitics" />
        <shelf name="nonfiction" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Feb 24 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Sep 20 19:52:17 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Feb 24 15:21:47 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I don't consider myself adequately informed about Middle Eastern politics; this book therefore served as a great introduction to one of its most important facets, the relationships between Israel, the PLO, Lebanon, and Syria over the last quarter century. Friedman is informative and written for the ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6522220">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6522220?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    <review id="6144801">
  <user id="374866">
    <name><![CDATA[Freddie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[New Delhi, India]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/374866-freddie-benjamin?utm_medium=api]]></url>
  </user>
    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <sell_flag>false</sell_flag>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="all-stars" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Sep 13 08:35:22 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Sep 13 13:19:27 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I doubt there is anyone living or dead who can explain the middle east conflict to any person of any age as clearly as Thomas Friedman can. This book just goes to show his ability in doing the same. In addition to being a good read filled with Friedman-esque metaphors, the book is a first hand exper...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6144801">more...</a>]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6144801?utm_medium=api]]></url>
</review>
    </reviews>
</book>
</GoodreadsResponse>