Page 91 - October Sun Rays_Oct 2015

News from the SC Stacks
By Nancy Davis
When I don’t know what or why
about a given current event but
want to be informed, reading a
variety of viewpoints is a good way to learn. Israelis, Palestinians, and the Struggle for
At this time, I don’t always understand
what motivates various factions in the
Middle East to do what they do, so I am
reading books to get some background
on the history, geography and culture of
countries located in this turbulent area.
You will find many of these books in the
library in Dewey 950.
I recently read “Infidel,” the autobiography
of Ayaan Hirsi Ali. This remarkable
woman has survived many difficulties
to become an outspoken freedom fighter
for Muslim women and Islam reform. She
has received many human rights awards,
but she also constantly needs a bodyguard
for protection from Muslim extremists.
She has also written “The Caged Virgin,”
and more recently “Nomad: From Islam to
America.” Be sure to read the introduction
in “Nomad.” Other books about the lives
of Middle East Muslim women and how
they cope: “The Dressmaker of Khair
Khana” by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon;
“Honor Lost: Love and Death in Modern-
Day Jordan” by Norma Khouri; “Kabul
Beauty School” by Deborah Rodriguez;
and “Gathering Strength: Conversations
with Afghan Women” by Peggy Kelsey.
The fortitude and perseverance of these
women is inspiring.
Thomas Friedman is a well-known
journalist and historian and author of
many very readable histories. His account
of the history and politics of the Middle
East is “From Beirut to Jerusalem” and is
“Gathering
Strength”
by
Peggy
Kelsey
ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG
on my short list of books to read. Another
well-written and balanced account is
Anton La Guardia’s “War Without End:
a Promised Land.” Walid Phares explores
the agendas of both sides in “The War
of Ideas: Jihadism Against Democracy;”
and Peter W. Galbraith describes the
strategies behind the Iraq invasion in “The
End of Iraq: How American Incompetence
Created a War Without End.” Each of
these authors writes with the authority of
years of experience in Middle East history,
politics and religion.
For more personal accounts, read “My
Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy
of Israel” by Ari Shavit, who writes
about the history of Israel using diaries,
interviews, letters and documents; “Tea
With Hezbollah: Sitting at the Enemies
Table, Our Journey Through the Middle
East” by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis
is an account of their interviews and
discussions with Arab sheiks, ayatollahs
and even Osama bin Laden’s brothers; and
“The Prince of the Marshes and Other
Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq”
by Rory Stewart, a British diplomat who
was appointed deputy governor of the
remote marsh regions of southern Iraq.
A somewhat different story, “Looking for
the Afghan” by Richard Loseby, is his
personal quest to find his friend.
Also worth noting: “Because They Hate:
A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns
America” by Brigitte Gabriel; “The
Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the
Extremists” by Khaled Abou El Fadl;
“The Shia Revival” by Vali Nasr; and
“The War
of Ideas”
by
Walid
Phares
Nancy is the representative for the
Sun City Texas Library. Questions?
Email [email protected]
with “Library Column” in the
subject line.
“The Much Too Promised Land: America’s
Elusive Search for Arab-Israeli Peace” by
Aaron David Miller.
After reading some of these books, you
should feel much smarter and better
informed when you encounter a similar
topic in conversation, on television or in
the newspaper.
DID YOU KNOW…?
Our most recent count on August 4, 2015,
showed a total of 10,672 books, 883 audio
and videos, and 45 magazines on library
shelves. This does not include materials
taken out of the library. On the same
date, we recycled 900 books, 38 audio and
videos and 55 magazines. These numbers
are for a two-week period. The recycled
materials are given to various charitable
organizations.
“My
Promised
Land”
by
Ari Shavit
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