Synopses & Reviews
This wild and comic tale of Middle East misadventure is "a very funny and frequently insightful look at the world's most combustible region. Fearlessness is a valuable quality in a travel writer, and Mr. Horwitz...seems as intrepid as they come". (The New York Times Book Review)
Review
"Horwitz's book better captures the point of view of the average person and covers more territory." Library Journal
Synopsis
"A very funny and frequently insightful look at the world's most combustible region."--The New York Times Book Review
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
With razor-sharp wit and insight, intrepid journalist Tony Horwitz gets beyond solemn newspaper headlines and romantic myths of Arabia to offer startling close-ups of a volatile region few Westerners understand. His quest for hot stories takes him from the tribal wilds of Yemen to the shell-pocked shores of Lebanon; from the malarial sands of the Sudan to the eerie souks of Saddam Hussein's Iraq, a land so secretive that even street maps and weather reports are banned.
As an oasis in the Empty Quarter, a veiled woman offers tea and a mysterious declaration of love. In Cairo, "politeness police" patrol seedy nightclubs to ensure that belly dancers don't show any belly. And at the Ayatollah's funeral in Tehran a mourner chants, "Death to America," then confesses to the author his secret dream--to visit Disneyland.
Careening through thirteen Muslim countries and Israel, Horwitz travels light, packing a keen eye, a wicked sense of humor, and chutzpah in almost suicidal measure. This wild and comic tale of Middle East misadventure reveals a fascinating world in which the ancient and the modern collide.
"As a document of the cultural impasse that brought on the war, this is unsurpassed."--Village Voice
"High-spirited and entertaining."--The New Yorker
"A timely and incisive insider's description of the mysterious Arab World . . . Tony Horwitz is an ideal guide for American Reader."--Chicago Tribune
Synopsis
"A very funny and frequently insightful look at the world's most combustible region."--The New York Times Book Review
NATIONAL BESTSELLER Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Tony Horwitz's 1991 classic account of his travels across the Middle East and through the Arabian Peninsula, now in eBook for the first time.
With razor-sharp wit and insight, intrepid journalist Tony Horwitz gets beyond solemn newspaper headlines and romantic myths of the 1990s, to offer startling, honest close-ups of the Middle East. His quest for hot stories takes him from the tribal wilds of Yemen to the shell-pocked shores of Lebanon; from the sands of the Sudan to the souks of Saddam Hussein's Iraq.
Careening through fourteen countries, including the Sudan, Iraq, Israel, and Afghanistan, Horwitz travels light, packing a keen eye, a wicked sense of humor, and chutzpah in overwhelming measure. This wild and comic tale of misadventure reports on a fascinating world in which the ancient and the modern collide.
About the Author
Horwitz is the winner of the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting.