This excellent review of our relationship with Israel explains a great deal about how and why we find ourselves the enemy of so many people in the Middle East. Our unqualified backing of Israel has led to disaster.
Sadly, support for Israel is seen by many Jews as a litmus test for a person's views on Jews - and is the reason why so many Jews who oppose Israel's policies have been called "self-hating" Jews. There is little doubt that the organizations that Israel has set up to influence American policy has fostered this idea. All too many American Jews have bought into this propaganda.
The other reviewers have told you what this book is about so I won't repeat what they have said.
What fascinates me is that you cannot find this book - copies of it are more rare that first editions of "Light In August". Why is that? Why hasn't this book been read, reviewed and studied as should be? Written by one of the few heroes of the Vietnam era who were part of the State Dept, this book has been "suppressed" in the way that almost all books or writers who question our policy toward Israel have been. How can that happen, and why has it happened?

Defines the truth about our relationship with Israel. A whole nation on America's welfare rolls. It is very obvious, that American Middle East policy is formulated and directed from Tel Aviv, where a ruthless ruler, wanted by the World Court for crimes against humanity, is challenged by a Nobel Peace Prize winner. You would never know that by reading the daily distortions, served by the American media. Magnificent book, equalled only by Liberty, ...

"The Passionate Attachment" is an in depth study of the relationship between the United States and Israel. The title is derived from George Washington's warning against "Passionate attachments" with foreign nations. Such attachments result in:

"Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists...It leads also to concession to the favorite nation of privileges denied to others, which is apt...to injure the nation making the concessions...by exciting jealousy, ill will, and disposition to retaliate in the parties from whom equal privileges are withheld...It gives to...citizens (who devote themselves to the favorite nation) facility...to tamper with domestic factions, to practice the arts of seduction, to mislead public opinion, to influence or awe the public councils."

The authors then proceed to explain how the relationship between the United States and Israel violates Washington's warning and proves all his predictions of the consequences of a "Passionate attachment."

The first section of the book covers the history of the relationship from the foundation of Israel in 1947 to the date of writing in 1992. The Balls explain how the inordinate influence of Israel began when a politically weak Harry S Truman capitulated to Israeli pressures to ensure Jewish support in the crucial 1948 election.

The only President who seems to have earned the respect of the authors is Dwight D. Eisenhower who, unlike Truman, owed no political debt to Jewish voters and who was sufficiently rich in political capital to permit an adherence to a principled policy.

Beginning with the Kennedy administration, the Balls indicate that American administrations have repeatedly sacrificed American interests on the altar of Israeli demands. Among the low points of the relationship was the 1967 attack by Israeli forces on the USS Liberty, a U. S. Navy intelligence ship whose existence threatened Israeli plans to occupy the Golan Heights before international pressure could force a cease-fire. Rather than responding to this attack on the U.S. Navy as it would if directed from any other quarter, the Johnson administration wrote it off as a case of mistaken identity. In subsequent administrations the retreat from principle has continued.

The authors illustrate how, as the relationship developed, supporters of Israel were able to create the illusion that Israel served as a valuable American asset the Cold War struggle against Soviet expansionism. The authors explain how the Coalition which won the Gulf War proved that Israel's days as a strategic American asset, if they ever existed, were over.

Much attention is devoted to the relationship between Israel and its Arab neighbors. It is refreshing to read an analysis of the recent history of the Middle East which is not filtered through Israeli apologists. The authors explain the background of developments in Israel and the Arab portions of Palestine. The Israeli policy of national expansion of military conquest, the expulsion of Arabs from conquered land and the colonization of those who have remained under the Israeli yoke are explained in detail. Acts of Israeli terrorism against Arabs are given due attention, despite the record of Israeli denials which are routinely accepted in American circles.

An eye-opening chapter is devoted to the strong influence of Jewish pressure on American politics and how it is reflected in American foreign policy toward Israel and the Arabs.

Particularly timely chapters are the ones on the neglected American-Arab relations and "Terror and Reprisal" against America and Israel. The moral and financial costs of the Passionate attachment are followed by recommendations directed to both the United States and Israel on ways to advance the interests of each in the Middle East.

This book is both edifying and shocking. It is edifying in that it presents a different views of the state of America's role in Middle eastern affairs that that to which we are normally exposed. This book is shocking in that it shows millions of Americans and several administrations as subordinating American interests to those of Israeli in the determination of American policy. This book is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the truth about American Middle Eastern policy.

I have read this book for like 4 times...and each time i find out something new that i have not noticed before.
Haykal was in a position to get so much information,and he has a way to put such information in a valuble book.

if you are ready to be neutral,then go ahead and but this book cause then you will know the meaning of secret channels.

Mohammed Heikal is the type of journalist whose inner circle of friends includes emperors, kings and heads of states, in addition to lessor, yet very powerful global figures.

With a powerful analytical mind, a penetrating insight and, a fluent pen, Mohamed Heikal draws on his years of deep, deep connections with the most influential to focus our attention on how Palestine was ignominiously sold out by a pack of vain parvenus with Whom the Arab nation had to content with having at the helm of its political destiny.

Secret Channels gives us a stupendous insight into the vanity, narcissism and cowardice of the frail characters that led the Arab nation through an era that will live in infamy for a long, long time to come.

Mohamed Heikal, hated and despised by the dwarfs of his contemporaries, and hailed by the great pears of his caliber, continues to fascinate the reader with graceful literary eloquence, and a sense of appreciation for the entertainment value of the news.

It is refreshing to find somebody who tells the other side of the story. No wonder the book is out of print.

Phil Borges presents, through the medium of photography, a project that brings attention to the situation in Tibet. Both stylish and yet sensitive, Borges uses an extensive cross section of subjects to accomplish this. He brings to the project, like I mentioned above, an extensive cross section not just of subjects but locations as well that exemplify the phenomenal complexity and diversity in that country. An example is the portrait of Yama, which caught my eye, who could be any child in any place in the world. I might be waxing "noble savage" here but does she not deserve a childhood just like any child in the globe? With text from such notables as Nobel Peace Laureates like Elie Wiesel and His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso - the book is a sure hit and a must for every home. Not to be outdone are other contributors who themselves are "heavy hitters" in the discourse of Tibet and Tibetan issues - Robert F. Thurman and the late Galen Rowell. Phil Borges presents us with nothing less than a tour de force of visual stimulation coupled with profound text and a stylish presentation. A keeper that will stand the test of time.

Miguel Llora

Each of these faces is pure incarnation of a human feeling...from joy to worriness, from amazement to pride.Some of these people will haunt you for long after you turn the last page (See little 4 year old Pemba's eyes...) Sent the book to friends overseas...just the kind of work you want to share with your closest ones.

Phil Borges amazing photography, accompanied by words from the Dalai Lama make this book not only beautiful to look at, but inspiring as well.

Some people search for deep truths in church, some in books and some in meditation. Jerry Ellis seeks his truths on foot, on long, mostly solitary walks on trails laden with personal and historical meaning. In his 1991 book _Walking the Trail: One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears_, he traced the deadly march that his Cherokee ancestors were forced to make, and in the process deepened his connection with them and their world. In his newest book, _Walking to Canterbury_, he sets off to rediscover his English roots by retracing the 60-mile path from London to Canterbury walked by thousands of pilgrims in medieval times, and immortalized in Chaucer's _Canterbury Tales_.

I found _Walking to Canterbury_ captivating. From the start, it's clear that Ellis' quest is both personal and spiritual. Through his eyes, the English landscape becomes vividly alive, small events such as finding a scallop shell lost by some long-dead pilgrim take on deep significance, and every encounter is charged with psychological depth and spiritual meaning. Anyone who seeks or has experienced moments of great clarity and connectedness will recognize the place Ellis writes from, and admire his ability to snare some of that ineffable and evanescent magic and share it with his readers.

Ellis also does a seamless job of weaving a great deal of history into his narrative. Along the way we not only learn a lot about Ellis and the people who share bits and pieces of his journey with him, but many fascinating details about how people in medieval England lived, loved, and saw the world a millenium ago.

As storytellers have known at least since Homer's time, a journey is a ripping good way to tell a story, and a natural, perhaps primal metaphor for life itself. In _Walking to Canterbury_, Ellis proves himself both a gifted storyteller and a worthy guide.

Robert Adler, author of _Science Firsts: From the Creation of Science to the Science of Creation_ (John Wiley & Sons, September 2002).

This is a fun little book, which reminds me of On the Road by Jack Kerouac in an odd sort of way. Laced with detailed history of the Middle Ages in England, as well as modern characters with compelling stories, ranging from sacred to sexual, this journey delighted me with the very first step out of London. Ellis has an keen ear for language and a better ear for irony and humor. Most of all, the book is a unique way to look at the past while embracing the present. I suspect this will begin to appear on many required reading lists for high schools and colleges. Highly recommended.

Walking to Canterbury took me down a historical road I didn't know existed. I had avoided Chaucer in college, thinking that his tales were totally fiction. It turns out, however, that he based his stories on real pilgrims. Chaucer had lived in Kent, where Ellis' journey takes his readers. The book and adventure sparkle with interesting characters and Ellis has a way of making them leap off the pages. One jumped right into my lap and...well, that's another tale. If you like history, adventure, people and want to forget the routine of the modern world for a while, read this book.

Though I stumbled upon the novel by accident, I must admit this book was well worth finding. The stories were simply written but were almost deceivingly fully loaded-- full of conflicting values, political ideology and agendas, and societal turmoil. The compilation of separate women's lives, so different from one another, but joined together by a common thread, hearkens back to a similar style of tale-telling found in many other cultures, such as Amy Tan's novel 'The Joy Luck Club' and the popular film 'How to Make an American Quilt'. Rather than choosing to write a politicized essay or thesis which reaches only a certain segment of the educated and politically literate population, Parsipur chooses to write fiction, laced with raw truths and posessing a clear agenda.

Such tales are typical of the kind that are passed down from generation to generation in order to educate the young about their society's morals or possible pitfalls that may entrap those who stray from the accepted norm. This is not dissimilar from urban legends that adults in American society pass amongst themselves or the fairy tales laced with truths that young children are told before bedtime.

Sometimes the most volitile information is passed down and understood by the most simple or innocuous means, and I think that is a conscious choice that Parsipur has made with this book. She chooses to uncover the double standard that both male and female society is guilty of upholding, the notion of virginity (and the understanding of what it is and what it means), and socially-sanctioned ideas of morality, mortality, violence, and inter-gender relationships through stories that allow the reader to look at how different women deal with the society that they live in.

Because Parsipur does not clearly lay out a list of evils that Iranian society proportedly commits, nor does she specifically glorify other elements of her society, her writing raises many more questions for the reader to ponder. By making the problems personal for each woman, some of the issues that a reader would initally consider black and white suddenly turn grey, which in turn, leads to a greater depth of meaning in her work.

In sum, I was very impressed by the book's simplicity, and appreciative for the brief glimpse through the window to Iranian society that it offered.

I am an avid reader of literature of the Middle East and I found Dr. Talattof and Jocelyn Sharlet's translation of Parsipur's Women Without Men to be a delightful read. I have suggested it to all my friends in Princeton and beyond. It is one of those books that reads quickly, but stays on the mind a long time. Parsipur touches upon issues that are of interest to men and women, 'Easterners' and 'Westerners' alike.

I am a casual reader of literature from the Middle East and I have found a particular delight in this translation by Dr. Talattof's of Sharnush Parsipur's book, Women Without Men. I have suggested it to all my friends in Princeton and beyond.

Very well written book with lots of good hikes. Great when you are looking for someplace new to walk. Descriptions are clear and accurate. I haven't gotten lost yet!

If you are poor with directions like me, this is an excellent book. I bought it in anticipation of the upcoming hiking season, vowing (YET AGAIN) I was going to hike with my kids this Spring. I found the book informative, to the point, and very easy to follow. I never realized what wonderful treasures we had available to us in the greater Cleveland area. What a great read!

Well, found this most interesting, as I thought I'd find new paths and new directions and that is just what happened. Startled to find things indicated or new things about paths and hikes I was familiar with, already took these and then a new bit of information about them. Unexpected, but nice. Very good style, very personable - voice of the author - easy to read, follow, and enjoy, which I very much have. Helpful and to the point. Like it much. Easy to follow directions, paths, maps, and found it a pleasure to read and use. Half the time I keep it in my car. Real pleased, and have already told any number of friends about it. Thanks.

not just about Budapest but about any city. Passionate, opinionated, deeply in love with his subject, Torok introduces the reader both to the soul of one of the world's most soulful cities and to its haunts, dives, corners, and backwaters. Read it a week before you go, brush up on the way there, immerse yourself in Torok's Budapest, and yopu will experience the city in a way that none of the other available guides can begin to convey. This is , in fact, more than a guidebook, it is a work of travel literature, a genre that has perhaps been subordinated to eensy weensy full color photos and plastic covered pull-out maps. It is almost as much of a pleasure to savor the book's flavor as it is to travel the paths it recommends.

If you are going to Budapest for more than a day, you have to buy this book. I am a bit of a connoisseur of guide books, so I brought a few with me to Budapest. All of them included walks, but only this book had walks that made you feel like you were understanding what makes Budapest tick. All of the guide books talked about what to do, but only Mr. Torok carefully tells you what people in Budapest do, and what tourists in Budapest do. We carried this book around with us everywhere. I also carried the Eyewitness Budapest guide with me for its pretty pictures. If you buy one book, I suggest Torok's guide; and if you buy two, one has to be Torok's guide. Buy a couple books on Budapest, you can always sell it here on Amazon when you get back.

This is one of the best guidebooks I've ever encountered. Not only was it informative and enlightening, but it was extremely amusing and entertaining.

the book is written by an american woman with mideastern roots -- she provides great insight into the traditionals of the bedouin and arab worlds. I read this before I went to Egypt and it provided great foundation for understanding the culture of the town and village. I like her writing style -- she makes anthopological analysis interesting by explaining in the context of her interactions with the bedouins.

I agree with the other reviewers. It was the best ethnography I can remember reading. What struck a chord with me was her description and explanation of the women's submission to the men, that the submissiveness was valuable only when it was voluntarily given. The idea of women being submissive to men is not only Islamic, but exists also in Christianity.

"Veiled Sentiments" is academic. It is the outcome of the author's living in a Bedouin community in northern Egypt (the Western Desert) for two years, a feat of no mean proportions.

Lila Abu-Lughod came to a deep understanding of such aspects of the culture as blood ties, veiling and poetry not only because of her talent and training but also because she has ties to that culture. She calls academics like herself "halfies" because they belong both "inside and outside the communities they write about." She realizes that such a situation benefits them in terms of gathering knowledge within close cultures.

The veiling of women (or rather women's veiling of themselves) is an important topic because of recent events including world politics and of the ongoing research in feminism. It is also important because it is so often misunderstood and so difficult to understand even when it is explained.

After reading Abu-Lughod's renowned (in the world of academics) book, "Veiled Sentiments," I think I have a better handle on veiling than I ever would have had otherwise. It was not easy to absorb the concepts that surround it. That it took ¼ of a 315 page book to do it (a conservative estimate) is a testament to the intricacies of and the psychological motivations behind this cultural /religious practice.

Learning more about veiling alone made this study one well worth reading. But the surprise for both the reader, and-as explained by Ms. Abu-Lughod-the author herself is the discovery of this culture's use of poetry. To take it one step further, the insight into how societies in general (at least ours and that of the Bedouins) similarly use their poetry and relate to it.

Abu-Lughod finds that poetry is used somewhat differently among women in the Awlad ' Ali tribes than it is used by men. Because I am writing my own book of poetry called "Skyscapes: A Woman's View," I was especially interested in this aspect of "Sentiments;" it also was, by the author's own admission, an amazing and important cultural discovery. A group of women in China have their own secret language apart from the men; now this anthropologist brings to our attention how the poetry and veiling customs of these women reveal their emotions and are rooted in the traditions of a society in which they live quite separately from men.

Though this book is not meant for mainstream readers, I hope that many who have no ties to anthropology will make an effort to read it. I believe that women will find it especially interesting but men will also find pertinent information for today's political climate within its pages. No amount of travel could impart the depth of understanding of this culture, and-by extension-similar cultures that this book does.

(Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of "This is the Place..." )

Lacking knowledge of the Architectural issues involved, I had to approach "Athena and Eden" with my experience of ancient and classical Greek literature. I was shocked by the strength and cogency of Mr. Johnson's arguments. Though not yet fully convinced of all of the conclusions Mr. Johnson has reached, "Athena and Eden" has definitely given me some ideas to chew on while Mr. Johnson writes his second volume.

Many near eastern/mediteraenean cultures exhibit shared memories of a common prehistory. From Gilgamesh in Mesopotamia to early tales of Osiris in Egypt, echoes of the Genesis and Flood stories abound. If Mr. Johnson is correct, than Greek mythology is a very twisted (possibly Satanic) retelling of the fall of Man.

As far as particulars--

I found his arguments about the true identity of the Zeus figure extremely compelling. Yet the Athena/Hera division is still a little muddled in my mind (probably more my fault than the author's).

Overall, "Athena and Eden" is a very intriguing book that deserves a lot of attention. It gets my recommendation.

The focus of Greek civilization, the Parthenon captures viewers imaginations even as it conceals its true meaning. In his ground breaking work, Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. author of ATHENA AND EDEN: THE HIDDEN MEANING OF THE PARTHENON'S EAST FACADE demonstrates that when Athena is seen to be Eve, then Greek mythology becomes narrative art. Consequently, the marble sculptures on the east pediment of the Parthenon relate the story of the origin of mankind, matching the Genesis account in detail.

Johnson asserts that scholars have previously been unsuccessful in identifying most of the figures in the east pediment because they have failed to connect Athena with Even and the story of Eden in the Book of Genesis. Through careful research, Johnson demonstrates that we do have the literature and art to serve as a source of reconstruction. Painstaking comparison demonstrates shows that the sculptures of the eastern pediment depict the Garden of Eden, the birth of Eve, the Great Flood. Furthermore, the goddess Athena, whom the Greeks worshipped as the one who brought the serpent's wisdom, is the same person the Book of Genesis calls Eve.

Johnson, a West Point graduate, author, teacher and public speaker based his research on surviving sculptures, the ancient writings of Homer, Hesiod, Pindar and others, plus myths, vase art and the work of numerous experts. His controversial approach will certainly garner attention from all who are interested in the classics, religion, art, and mythology. Indeed, Johnson's unique perspective will provoke avid discussion among academics for years to come, yet is easily approachable by any who hold an interest in our origins.

Athena And Eden: The Hidden Meaning Of The Parthenon's East Facade by author and educator Robert Bowie Johnson, Jr. offers the non-specialist general reader a unique, accessible, and provocative look at classical artwork and human spirituality. Athena And Eden focuses on the majesty of the Parthenon and its mystical connection to the Book of Genesis. Illustrated with numerous black-and-white photographs of Greek artistic treasures, sculptures, and pottery, Athena And Eden is an original, seminal, ground breaking, unforgettable, and highly recommended perspective that will be of particular interest to students of Hellenic art, architecture, mythology, and religion.

Though Ms. Standish's emphasis is on the great state of Maine, cooks from all over New England will recognize the regional recipes in this book as their own. To me, "Cooking Down East" is more than just a cookbook; it is, in written form, how I learned to cook from my mother and grandmother.

When my grandmother died, I was the lucky recipient of "her "secret recipes."(Cooking Down East : Favorite Maine Recipes and Keep Cooking the Maine Way).

Everytime I make the Melt in Your Mouth Blueberry Cake, the Fish Chowder or the Lobster Newburg (the fancy one--of course!), I am momentarily returned to my childhood.

The Red Flannel Hash is pretty terrific, too.

At last count, I had 273 cookbooks in my private collection, but these two are the ones I most often return to when I wish a taste of home. Unlike many others, they seem to spend a majority of the time on my kitchen counter, permanently dusted with flour, stained forever with tiny Maine blueberries.

If you are looking for nothing fancy-schmancy, only exemplary "home-style cooking," then these are the best you will ever find.

Thanks Nanny (and thanks Ms. Standish)

My first edition of this book was given to me by my husband 26 years ago. I have many fond memories of family dinners, deserts and favourite recipes from this book. To me it is a touch of home. Gloria Legere Mainiac in Exile in Washington State.