This book is extremely gripping,well written,and an easy read. I didn't know much about the history of the region in question, but after I was done with this book I walked away a knowledgeable man.

The first 20 pages of the book talks about the history of this region starting from the early 1900s. This is the only part that required some re-reading, to get a firm understanding about who was in conflict with whom and for what reason, before I could continue reading. From there on Friedman recites anecdotes from the years he was stationed in Beirut and Jerusalem. In particular, his description of the way the system works and the nature of people from these different cultures/religions/regions is very interesting. In general, Friedman's stories are well told and give a vivid picture of the events that took place during the period he was there.

I felt the authors opinions and analysis were fairly unbiased, considering he's a Jew. This book definitely got me obsessed with a few things, for one I enjoyed it so much that as I approached the end I didn't want it to get over! and I've spent countless hours staring at maps of this region while reading this book ... I'm sure you'll do it too.