The Middle East is such a multi-faced region with such a rich historical legacy that even people who strive to be well-informed cannot help but feel bewildered at its cultural, political, and religious complexity. Given the blustering aggressiveness of the post-September 11 U.S. policy toward the region, however, Americans owe it to themselves to become far more familiar with the complexities of the Middle East than has been our wont up to now.

Popular magazine articles that attempt to "explain" Islamic rage as the result of a "fear of modernity" or "jealousy of the west's freedoms" may as well bear a stamp proclaiming their authorship by the "Ministry of Propaganda." As an alternative, I recommend Professor Cleveland's textbook, which serves as a brief but remarkably thorough introduction to the history of this volatile part of the world.

No, the book does not cover Afghanistan or Pakistan, but clearly political currents in these nations are closely linked with what has transpired in Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and the rest of the Middle East proper. At the heart of the current crisis is, of course, the Israeli-Palestinian condundrum, and here the author's explanations and analyses are clear, balanced, and incisive. His discussions of the evolution of Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the background *and consequences* of the 1991 Gulf War are also invaluable. In his recounting of the Iranian revolution, Cleveland offers a fascinating analysis of the apparent Islamicist rejection of "modernity," showing that those in the Middle East who reject the West do not crave a return to the ancient past, but instead wish to follow a modernization pathway that is guided by indigenous cultural principles, including the precepts of Islam.

Perhaps most impressive, however, is what Cleveland has to say toward the end of the book regarding the dangers of an overly intrusive and domineering presence in the Islamic Middle East by the lone remaining planetary superpower, the U.S. He does not prophesy the recent terrorism that has afflicted this country, but he does criticize the U.S. for policies that seem to rely more upon aerial bombardment than careful diplomacy. The application of Cleveland's conclusions to a reevaluation of the likely long-term consequences of "America's new war" is not a comforting process, but it's one that perhaps more Americans need to undertake.

I have lived in the Middle East for several years. This book is by far the BEST I have ever read at explaining "why" to many of the problems that we face today. It is not a cheerful book to read, in fact it almost makes one ashamed. It definitely made me ask "why is it that so very few people in the United States have NO clue as to the history in this part of the world?" This is a book that should be read by politicans and those in the news media. It is incredible that with all the news coverage since 9/11 that there has been so little attempt to learn, understand, and accept responsibility for the shameful and self-serving roles that Britian, France, and the United States have historically played and continue to play in molding this part of the world to fit the needs of the west. This book should be required reading for President Bush and his staff. At the same time I wish those at CNN, FOX, and the other news organizations would read the book as well. How can we call ourselves a "free country" when we don't take responsibility or are even taught about our role and motives in the history of this part of the world? We ARE a great country, but I am appalled that so many Americans (my friends and family included) could be in favor of a war without even the slightest understanding of OUR role in creating much of the current mess. I will "require" this book as reading for any of my friends and family who want to discuss the issues of this part of the world. It's a shame that I can't require it to those in the news media and government. The lack of historical understanding by the American population is truly frightening. If you can only read one book about the Middle East, this is the book to read. If you can read two, then read Thomas Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem" as well. It is very rare to find balanced/honest accounts of Middle East history. Why?

The first thing that might come to a student's mind with a history textbook would be the words: tedious, dull and unexciting. And do not worry because Cleveland possesses none of these negative qualities. Cleveland covers every topic on the modern Middle East to Oslo agreements and Muhammad Ali in Egypt. The book explains the history of a foreign culture and region that many people do not understand and he writes it in an easy to read format. I promise that it will not be the most exciting book in the world to read, but it will offer you knowledge on the Middle East that only a few actually understand and know. I am a history major at Indiana State University and took a course on modern Middle Eastern history taught by Robert Hunter that wrote "The Palestinian Uprising: A War by Other Means."

I considered Cleveland's textbook on the Modern Middle East a great source of history. After reading this book, I guarantee that you will better understand the present-day crisis in the Middle East than over ninety-five percent of the people in the United States.

This is a great book and I highly recommend it for everyone striving to know about the Arab media from an objective perspective. The book will inform you about the Arabs' struggle for freedom of speech through an unbiased Arab network that is not subject to the control of any government. The authors have succesfully portrayed the true picture of the Arab media scene through Arab eyes.

All the reviews I've read for this book have been unequivocally complimentary. One newspaper said it should be required reading for Bush's entire cabinet! Quite bold, but rightly so. After reading this book, I came to the realization that everything Al-Jazeera is courageous enough to air, my own country's media is petrified of. I wonder why our government is so afraid of a democratic Arab world? While the dozens of titles coming out on the Middle East are regurgitating the same history and concepts, this book is a refreshing new look at a MODERN Middle East, not a primitive and orientalized one.

As everyone has seen Al-Jazeera logos on Western TV stations after September 11's tragegy when they played Bin Laden videos, people have yearned to know more about this controversial Arabic satellite channel. El-Nawawy & Iskandar's book is not only the first on this station, but I think is also a very balanced, comprehensive and interesting read. It covers the role of the media in the Arab World, and the view of Al-Jazeera through Western eyes. I recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about the important role of media in creating democracy and better understanding the views of Arab civil society.

An extraordinary book. Yossi Klein Halevy is a deeply religious American-born Jewish journalist and Israeli citizen who has lived in Israel for almost twenty years. This book is written as a personal spiritual journey, in which Halevy attempts to experience and understand Islam and Christianity by joining in their rituals of worship. Despite the personal nature of the subject, his historical, political and social commentary are invaluable for those who wish to understand the Middle East conflict today. In a world where hatred is running rampant, he sends a message that solutions can only come through understanding, not violence.

Author Yossi Klein Halevi, the son of a Holocaust-survivor, grew up in New York and immigrated to Israel in the early 1980s. A religious Jew and a journalist, Halevi describes his encounters with various Sufi Muslim sheykhs and Christian monastics in Israel as he searches to understand the spiritual insights that each have and to connect through the common experience of the one God's presence. If a book can be a prayer then this would probably qualify, as Halevi shows how religion can be a source of love and healing when we learn to respect and even love the different ways that different faiths relate to God. Halevi is an excellent writer and he avoids unrealistic optimism by detailing his own vascillation between religious hope and love on the one hand and a mix of anger and fear of political realities on the other. I heartily recommend this book to anybody interested in achieving a true peace in the Middle East.

I work on promoting Mideast peace at an organization called Israel Policy Forum in Washington, DC. So I see all the literature. And I'm not easily impressed.
But this book approaches perfection. And I'm not just talking about the writing, which is superb.
I am talking about a book which miraculously appeared at a time we most need it. Following the 911 attack, an atack committed in the name of Islam, we have Yossi Klein Halevi, writing from Jerusalem, who explains, who shows, Islam's other face. This author, a devout Jew, demonstrates that Judaism/Christianity and Islam, at their best, are the same and that to fill one's heart with the true message of one, is to know and be all three.
(The corollary, of course, is that the fanatics in all three faiths are the same as well. Isn't it amusing how a Jewish extremist, clothed in black, disdaining women and all who represent the "other" does not recognize his twin in the other faiths, and vice versa. If the extremists would meet each other, they would realize that they are one and the same. Maybe we can get to peace that way!)
This book shows that there is a way out of the current horrors by reaching out and finding those aspects of each faith community that are common to all three. It understands that, in the Mideast, the seculars cannot make peace without the people of faith. Halevi shows the way. This book is a gift to us all.

i would just like to say that east of the sun & west of the moon is a wonderful book. i am 16 years old and i have had this book since i was in first grade. the little boy i babysit for begs me to read this book to him every time. it is a wonderful story and the art in this book is beatiful. it's definetley a book that your children will remember and love.

My new wife and I recently moved into a new apartment in Seattle. While unpacking we came across a hard cover eddition of East of the Sun and West of The Moon. It is probably one of the most cherished books of my childhood and I can not wait to read it to children of my own. The illustrations are so unique and fantastic that we have decided to buy a paperback eddition so that I may frame some of the Illustrations. It is a shame to have such wonderful artwork confined by a cover, but a joy to flip through the pages in awe of each image.

This is one of my favorite children's books of all time. I first recieved East Of The Sun And West Of The Moon when I was eight years old. The elementary school I went to had "Author's Day" once a year, and that was the year I met Mercer Mayer and fell in love with his books.
East Of The Sun combines mesmerizing artwork with intriguing story-telling, making it a great book for children who don't like to read or get bored easily. Mayer creates a world that triggers the imagination. This book actually made me want to become an artist.
I hope my children and yours will enjoy it as much as I do

A fascinating read for any -woman-we Western women are so lucky. I just recently read a new book called "Single in Saudi" by Genia that gives a different perspective on life in Arabia. The young woman in this book got away with all of the things the Princess could not. Both books are a must read for the liberated woman

These books never cease to amaze, enlighten, sadden, and thrill me. I finally bought the Trilogy set after borrowing the three individual books from friends. I cant get Princess Sultana out of my mind and I am empowered to help the plight of women in Saudi Arabia. I recommend this book to every sex and race, as it will open your eyes to issues that are so topical in current events today with war looming in the Middle East.

I first discovered these books when I was in the 7th grade when the first book PRINCESS, was required reading in my literature class. It was the only book that was equally loved by the males as well as the females in our class. From that time, I have followed the story of Sultana, a Saudi Arabian princess who has struggled for her entire life against male domination. After 9/11, the entire world looked at Saudi Arabia with new eyes and for the first time, news reports gave credibility to Sasson's books about the women of Arabia.

For several years I have been wishing to see a set of these books and finally, it has happened! Yes!

If anyone is interested in understanding the real workings of Saudi Arabia and why so many radicals come out of that country, the Princess books answers many questions.

These three books are not only educational, but highly entertaining. You laugh, you cry, you seethe, you rejoice, all in the course of reading one book. A night of entertainment doesn't come any cheaper than the price of one book!

I recommend these books to any reader, young or old, male or female.

Recently I was having dinner over a friend's house and the side dish being served was Brussels Sprouts. I never liked them as a child and the thought of eating them now, as an adult, was just as appealing as it was back then. Not to insult my host, I tried some. To my amazement, I LOVED them! I had to have the recipe (Caper Lemon Brussels Sprouts). The delicious side dish comes from the Junior League of Oakland - East Bay's cookbook, California Fresh Harvest, A Season Journey Through Northern California. The book contains recipes of Northern California's famous delicacies including Dungeness Crab, Cioppino, Butternut Squash Soup with Sage, Sizzling Shrimp, Goat Cheese Tart with Lavender Honey, Asparagus and Bell Pepper Risotto, and Mediterranean Penne Pasta to name a few. There are also many recipes for chicken, beef and lamb to give some variety to your usual dinners. The book even gives you menu ideas taken from recipes in the book for such special occasions such as Valentine's Day dinners and Mother's Day Brunch. The main body of the book is split into four main parts, Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter, containing menus, recipes and commodities in each section. The recipes are dishes you would find in the best restaurants but so easy to make even the most inexperienced of cooks, such as I, can make them. Moreover, the recipes do not contain those hard to find ingredients that you need to travel the world to find! I have not tried any of the desert recipes yet but they look awesome. I love the book so much I bought one for my mother and sister-in-law. This is one cookbook that does not just sit in my kitchen for looks

I originally received this cookbook as a gift. I was so delighted with it, I subsequently ordered four additional copies to give as gifts. The recipients are still thanking me! First, the recipes are creative and delicious -- fully enhancing the flavors of bountiful, diverse, fresh ingredients found in the San Francisco Bay Area and Wine Country. (It's hard NOT to eat well in this region!) Second, the cookbook itself is uncommonly successful in evoking this spectacular setting with gorgeous photos, sidebars of interesting sidetrips, local restaurants and wineries, and mind-boggling facts regarding the abundance of local agriculture. Food preparation tips, background information on local food and wine festivals/events, and delicacies such as Meyer Lemons are also highlighted. While it's fun to simply browse through this beautiful cookbook, it's even better to sample the Junior League's trade-mark "home cooking with flair." Full menus are offered here. My personal favorites are the Baja Guacamole, Savory Polenta w/Asiago Cheese, Garlic-Roasted Chicken, Pork Tenderloin w/Apricot Ginger Sauce, and Cherries & Berries Compote w/Crispy Puffed Pancake. The Chocolate Caramel Shortbread Bars are worth the price of admission all by themselves! I'm not surprised this cookbook is winning national rave reviews and awards. They are very well deserved! It is so beautifully rendered, it puts most commercially-produced cookbooks to shame.

This beautiful cookbook is organized by season, with four fresh produce items featured for each season. This allows even the most novice cook to find simple recipes using the freshest of ingredients. This book is a great place to start to add seasonal produce to your menues.

The recipes are not limited to those contributed by Junior League members, but also include recipes from notable California restaurants.

A bonus: this book is so attractive that it could practically be a coffee table book. The photographs and information about Northern California are exceptional.

Do you recall which books had a profound effect on you and still look for the other one yet to come which might still open another crack in the cocoon engulfing you? This can be the one but you will have to be already on the Path on Meditations and Inner work to be able to go through and through clearing the emotions has they come up. definately it's not for the ordinary reader who wants Instant Enlightment ; this book is very detailed as how to Integrate level of feelings one by one until the climax of Integration comes..which needs a super level of awareness for that.I would definately love to do this step one by one integration with John Ruskan in his classes ,but not reading about it. Iam an ordinary reader who has been transformed by books like by Sanaya Roman ,Krishnarmurti,and lately Margaret Paul.

I marvel that John Ruskan's book has not received the attention that it deserves. This book was exactly what I was searching for when it first came out. It is a powerful synthesis of western psychotherapy and eastern energy work, and his self-therapy technique is brilliant. It really works, but it is definitely not for the squeamish. I would highly recommend working with a therapist while you do this work, as it can result in some profound psychic releases. Mr. Ruskan clearly understands the limitation of psychotherapy in its almost exclusive attention to the mental plane. He rightly proposes that it is the body memory that needs to released from traumatic events, and not the mental memory. If you are a Castaneda follower, you will find Ruskan's technique very similar to the Toltec practice of recapitulation. Both will bring about real change in your life, and I assure you that your life will never be boring again.

Having read many self-help books, one tends to become jaded after a while--after all, it seems to work for the writer, but doesn't really work for the reader, right? Not this book. "Emotional Clearing" is the most life-changing book I have ever read to date. The author, John Ruskan, writes in simple terms which, at the same time, seem so important, how can they be this simple? Yet, this book works, his writing works, his method works. Surprise! And, even better, the methods he teaches the reader are easy to do, understand, and continue long after you finish it. That is what sets this book apart from others: the extended use of its methods to accomplish real life change. Warning: After reading this book, never again can the reader in all honesty blame others or even him/herself again! And please don't read it unless you want real change in your life, and don't recommend it to anyone else you don't want to see change. Just keep going along the way you are now and forget this book! I'm glad I didn't

Synopsis: Grace is a little girl who loves stories of all kinds, but especially adventure stories and fairy tales. Grace enjoys acting out the most exciting part in each story, no matter if that part is Hiawatha or Anansi the Spider. When she can, she makes her friends and family a part of her story-plays, but Grace can act out all the parts in a story on her own too. When Grace’s class is scheduled to perform Peter Pan, Grace knows immediately that she wants to fly in the part of Peter Pan. Her hopes are soon dampened, however, by classmates who tell her she’s not “right” for the role of Peter Pan. With encouragement from her Ma, and help from her Nana who takes Grace to see a ballerina from Trinidad, Grace realizes that she can be anything she wants to be. The result is a very amazing Peter Pan.

Evaluation: Amazing Grace is a lovely picture book story that stars a feisty heroine. The watercolor illustrations of Caroline Binch are as vibrant and real as Grace herself, and they reinforce the plot by depicting aspects of Grace’s life with Ma and Nana, and how Grace enthusiastically acts out the characters she loves. The illustrations are particularly effective in communicating the movement and color that characterize the world of Grace’s imagination. Young readers will relate well to both Grace and to her story. Grace is the kind of person that many of us â€"kids and adults alike-- long to be: a fun, take-charge kind of girl who sees life as an exciting adventure. Grace’s story, though simple enough to be told in a picture book, incorporates some traditional plot elements, including a problem for the heroine to overcome and a resolution to that problem. Amazing Grace would be a good addition to Kindergarten through 2nd grade reading curriculum for several reasons. It brings multi-culturalism into the classroom through its dynamic main character. It tells a positive message story about a girl who follows her dreams, without being preachy. And, it includes eye-catching illustrations that bring the heroine and her story to life.

This is a wonderful book for all ages of kids. It is a short story that all children can relate to. We need more books that teach kids that they can do anything they want if they just put their heart and mind to it. Anything is possible and our kids need to learn that more. Thank you for the story.

A child's imagination is one of the purest forms of expression. Author Hoffman has captured that innocence in this superb tale. Grace, like so many youngsters, spends much of her day in the pleasures of "acting out" the characters that populate the pages of the books she reads. She feels that she can do and be anything that she desires. The theme of pursuing one's dreams is the type of message to which all can relate.

As one turns the pages of this beautifully illustrated book, one can enjoy the little girl's imaginary adventures. When Grace learns of the part in "Peter Pan," the reader is able to identify with this as a part of school life. The illustrator has also balanced the classroom with children of varied ethnic and racial backgrounds. This is a plus in the age of being "politically correct."

The language of the book is reflective with the age of the intended reading audience. With a little adult help, the average primary child will "read" this one with great relish.

The resolve of the adults in the family to encourage Grace in pursuit of her dreams is refreshing. Most of us let barriers prevent us from doing the same.

This is one great children's book!