http://www.goodreads.com/user/updates_rss/807243 en-US Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:45:23 -0700 60 http://www.goodreads.com/ 200 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo.gif 35121796 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:45:23 -0700 Review30196054 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30196054 An Israeli in Palestine: Resisting Dispossession, Redeeming Israel (Paperback) by Jeff Halper
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]]> 35121655 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:43:53 -0700 Review30195933 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30195933 to: Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival (Paperback) by Joe Simpson
This is one of those amazing stories of survival through sheer perseverance, faith and "inner voice" -- as well as of true friendship. I don't know -- actually, I doubt -- if I would have the inner fortitude that Joe Simpson had "when the chips were down." But nonetheless, this surely is a story that restores one's faith in human nature. ]]> 31106170 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:36:43 -0700 Review27086946 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27086946 to: Tragedy in South Lebanon: The Israeli-Hezbollah War of 2006 (Paperback) by Cathy Sultan
This book tells the story of the most recent Israeli war on Lebanon through on-the-ground, personal stories. I think this is perhaps the best way for this kind of history to be taught. Stats are hard, cold and impersonal. Stories rubs your face in the true cost of war. ]]> 33656415 Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:59:24 -0700 Review29065231 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29065231 The Post-American World (Hardcover) by Fareed Zakaria
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> 33656371 Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:58:54 -0700 Review29065194 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/29065194 Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (Hardcover) by Barbara Kingsolver
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> 29898091 Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:58:21 -0700 Review26142240 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26142240 to: On the Hills of God (Hardcover) by Ibrahim Fawal
This is a novel about the creation of Israel, written from the point of view of a Christian Palestinian family evicted from their home just after the UN partition. There were many times when I thought the novel was a bit amateurishly written, the story seemed rushed or the charcters speaking lines like puppets. However, it's ending was powerful and rang true, and I'm glad I read it. The author was clearly drawing on both formal and family history. ]]> 31106052 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:25:24 -0700 Review27086856 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/27086856 to: Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil (Hardcover) by Deborah Rodriguez
I loved this book. It shows a side of Afghanistan that you don't get in the papers, which make you think that it's ALL doom and gloom there. Plus, what woman isn't a little intrigued by an American woman marrying a former Afghan warlord? The only mixed feelings I have are the reports that came out later of the author fleeing the country after feeling threatened by that romantic husband. Plus, the Afghan women she helped felt abandoned and used. In a way, though, that continuation of the story sounds like a dose of realism that makes the story ring even more true. Meanwhile, it is apparently being made into a movie starring Sandra Bullock. Great choice, and I plan to see it!
]]> 29898007 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 20:39:03 -0700 Review26142179 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26142179 to: After The Wall: Confessions from an East German Childhood and the Life that Came Next (Hardcover) by Jana Hensel
I had an au pair who grew up in East Germany, then moved to the West, and I remember her telling me that she missed how the East took care of its residents. The West, she said, seemed rather cold and uncaring in contrast. That would be a surprise to many people who think Communism was all bad. Jana Hensel's book is indeed unique in focusing on the transition required of that generation. But what I found very sad was the sense of loss, confusion and abandonment felt by her parents' generation. And how distanced she felt from them. ]]> 25754900 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:12:38 -0700 Review22895082 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22895082 to: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time (Paperback) by Greg Mortenson
This is definitely one of the most inspiring books I have ever read. And it makes me feel like I haven't done enough with my life! (As well as to give money to Greg Mortenson's organization.) What Greg has done despite his limited means to help the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan is amazing. I hope I can do something that is just a very little bit like it in the West Bank, my focus of interest. ]]> 28028763 Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:20:06 -0700 Review24669477 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24669477 to: Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market (Paperback) by Eric Schlosser
This is a fascinating examination of three types of "underground" markets in the U.S.: marijuana, immigration and pornography. Schlosser examines each in minute detail, painting a fascinating picture of these complex worlds, while questioning why we just don't embrace them. I learned a lot. One clear conclusion: We should decriminalize marijuana! ]]>