Initially, I did not think that a book written in the mid-1980s would be a useful in the fast-changing topic of the Middle East. This was written before the Oslo peace process and before the first Palestinian Intifada, remember. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find this gem in the library. Visual poetry is the best description I can think of - beautiful photos from the lens of the Swiss master Jean Mohr document Palestinian reality on every page. The photographic narrative is intertwined with a poetic elaboration by Edward Said (in my opinion the best I've seen of his writing). So much information is there, but also so much is left unsaid - for us readers to think about and visualize. Though some of the events in Middle East history may appear absurd, after reading this book it all starts to fit together and make sense. Even events taking place afterwards like the Intifada makes sense after understand the context the this book paints with such wonderful clarity. More books like this are desperately needed!

Initially, I did not think that a book written in the mid-1980s would be a useful in the fast-changing topic of the Middle East. This was written before the Oslo peace process and before the first Palestinian Intifada, remember. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find this gem in the library. Visual poetry is the best description I can think of - beautiful photos from the lens of the Swiss master Jean Mohr document Palestinian reality on every page. The photographic narrative is intertwined with a poetic elaboration by Edward Said (in my opinion the best I've seen of his writing). So much information is there, but also so much is left unsaid - for us readers to think about and visualize. Though some of the events in Middle East history may appear absurd, after reading this book it all starts to fit together and make sense. Even events taking place afterwards like the Intifada makes sense after understand the context the this book paints with such wonderful clarity. More books like this are desperately needed!