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Monday, March 21, 2016
Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in A Promised Land by David K. Shipler is an in-depth look at the relationships between the Israeli state and Palestine as well as among the various people groups that live there. David Shipler is an award winning journalist who lived in Israel for several years. This book is based largely on interviews and conversations he had with numerous people while living there and on return trips. Originally written in 1986, this revised and updated edition contains the original text with more current statistics and anecdotes when a significant change has occurred. Otherwise, as Shipler states in the Foreword to the Revised Edition, "the descriptions from the mid-1980s contain many elements of today, and so remain useful as a look at what has been and, probably, what will be. This edition roves back and forth between then and now, for in the Middle East, the past is never past; old wounds never seem to heal." As one reads the book, it is clear what is original material from the first edition, and what has been updated for this edition.
Arab and Jew is a fascinating read. Using historical fact and personal stories, Shipler puts the reader as much in the middle of the conflict as an outsider can be. He thoroughly explains attitudes and prejudices on both sides. I didn't discern a bias toward either side throughout the book. The good and the bad of both are laid bare for the reader to judge. It was mostly easy to follow, though sometimes I got tripped up with all the foreign names. The maps provided at the beginning of the book are helpful for keeping the unfamiliar geography straight. There are several pages of notes and a long index in the back that are helpful for further investigation.
I would recommend Arab and Jew by David Shipler to anyone interested in learning more about the intricacies of one of the most important cultural relationships in the world. I'm sure as in depth as this was, it was just a primer. It is a complex, complicated, intertwined relationship. There are no easy answers, nor should there be when people are involved.
Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
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