CROSSING MANDELBAUM GATE : COMING OF AGE BETWEEN THE ARABS AND ISRAELIS, 1956-1978 PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Kai Bird | 424 pages | 15 Mar 2011 | SIMON & SCHUSTER | 9781416544418 | English | United States Crossing Mandelbaum Gate : Coming of Age Between the Arabs and Israelis, 1956- 1978 PDF Book Kai Bird, takes on many challenges at a young age - most have had a great education. I wished more historians would write like well informed journalists. They settled in a small house, where young Kai could hear church bells and the Muslim call to prayer and watch as donkeys and camels competed with cars for space on the narrow streets. Already have an account? A powerful and unflinching book. In , they also won the Duff Cooper Prize. See full terms and conditions and this month's choices. And yet, when Tom Segev came to the conclusion that there is viable partner for peace today, Kai seems to dismiss Segev. Hiar learning. Finally, Morris implies that because as a teenager I once wrote a high school paper propounding the case for a binational state that I still favor a single state solution. To quote media literary critics--a great read!!! Morris himself found, I struck this quote from the paperback edition to be released next month. Namespaces Article Talk. As the author amply shows, her can- do attitude was daunted at times by racism, leaving her wondering if she was good enough. Frantzman Latest Webinars Seth J. Once I started the book, I did not want to stop. Review Posted Online: Dec. Is the Saudi Gender Gap Narrowing? Yes, two Jews were killed on April 15, —and subsequently there were deadly riots in Jaffa. Jul 31, ! I took my account of these incidents from Mr. I took my account of these incidents from Mr. I'm grateful to the author for much of what I learned about the Palestinians and how they feel about what has happened in Israel--but I wonder 1 why the author chose not to explain what happened to the Jewish inhabitants of the Old City in Jerusalem after the UN cease-fire and 2 how he totally dismisses the complicity of the Palestinian Arabs, especially the Mufti, and the Germans. Bird grew up in various Muslim countries his father was a diplomat and was extremely sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Crossing Mandelbaum Gate is his compelling personal history of growing up an American in the midst of three major wars and three turbulent decades in the Middle East. As the son of an American foreign service officer the author spent his youth in Jerusalem, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon. Defeating Arab Modernity. Crossing Mandelbaum Gate : Coming of Age Between the Arabs and Israelis, 1956-1978 Writer Apr 16, Jennifer rated it it was amazing. Jul 31, ! Rating details. If it weren't that I had to read it for a book club, it would have gone back to the library after 50 pages. I didn't think the author was very clear about the history and he spent lots of space honoring his parents writings regardless of the value of the letters. Claiming to be concerned about his Christian friends in Egypt, he glosses over once-thriving Coptic communities in Egypt, now in decline. Morris finds this effort to understand the motives of a Palestinian hijacker uninteresting and perhaps illegitimate intellectually. Would there have been an Osama Bin Laden? And I cited Mr. It seems like a small point, but I refer Mr. We will never know the truth, but we do see the consequences of what happens when decisions are made to stick with what you know instead of seeing how events will play out. We are made by history. In September , he was the featured speaker at Carleton College's opening convocation in Northfield, Minnesota. Hiar learning. Over the last three decades Mr. That insight offered in the "Black September " chapter and the last chapter, "The Hebrew Republic" are all that make the book worthwhile, in my opinion. Sign Up for Forthcoming Webinars. I am a firm believer that we need to deal with the facts on the ground today to address and resolve the conflict; however, understanding the history and perspective of the other side is important to understand those on the other side and their motivations. A superlative book: part middle east primer and part personal memoir, this book filled in my knowledge of such events as Saudi history, the Jordanian civil war, the pan-Arab regime of Nasser, and political currents in the newly formed nation of Israel. Archived from the original on June 9, Some parts of it were over my head, but I was definitely motivated to keep reading. Kai Bird has written with empathy and insight in a fine scholarly but easy readable language. The Birds experienced the Middle East at a more innocent time. He also has a unique perspective on Arabs in general. But then you should not expect your children to understand what democracy is. Goldmark, his mother-in-law, being unable to reclaim her lost home in Graz, just as Dr. A most worthwhile read and highly recommended to anyone else who wishes to increase their knowledge of the Middle East. Home Page World Coronavirus U. The loss of the Mandelbaum Gate is a symbol of the failure on both sides to maintain a constructive dialog among all of the members of the larger Palestinian - Israeli community. The Hebrew republic. Aug 24, Janet rated it it was amazing. But I presume Mr. On the lookout for your next book to read, but not sure where to start? What set Ames apart from his peers was his extraordinary ability to form deep, meaningful connections with key Arab intelligence figures. Some chapters particularly his in-law's history are more approachable and faster read. It seems to me that Jerusalem still has that character. So he probably in a better position to understand Arabs and present their perspective to an English speaking audience than most. Most secular young Israelis do not wish to fight and die for the security of the Jewish Diaspora in New York or London. Foreign Service officer Kai Bird is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist, best known for his biographies of political figures. Definitely worth the read. Morris might have been generous, thoughtful and understanding. Next Infographic: New Survey of Palestinian opinion. For all the history and research he put into the other parts of his book, this was extremely disappointing. This outlier brought to the White House a rare mix of humility, candor—and unnerving self-confidence that neither Washington nor America was ready to embrace. Your First Name. Crossing Mandelbaum Gate : Coming of Age Between the Arabs and Israelis, 1956-1978 Reviews Read more Bird experienced the Arab world at a distance, mostly from inside the cloister of American diplomatic compounds and expatriate schools. After graduation from Carleton, Bird received a Thomas J. Download as PDF Printable version. There is, for example, the almost gushing portrayal of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Egyptian dictator who, despite some sharp political instincts, brought systemic corruption and cronyism to the civil service and led his country to spectacular military failure. I was hoping for more personal experiences but nonetheless a very informative book about the Middle Eastern conflict. So did his American friends. The various organizations and individuals who attempt to bridge this gap of communication and empathy between the Arabs and Israelis of present-day Israel, among whom Kai Bird is prominent, have to be the most courageous of people in the region. Books by Kai Bird. Morris to disagree that the June War was ultimately a disaster for both the Arab world and Israel. He also spent a year at University in Beirut. Trivia About Crossing Mandelba This book is part memoir, part journalistic piece, and I found the two parts complemented each other. Claiming to be concerned about his Christian friends in Egypt, he glosses over once-thriving Coptic communities in Egypt, now in decline. What an amazing life story and insight into the history of the region from a keen prospective. Although I did know some of the background of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, he definitely filled in much for me. This being the Middle East, however, each decade was punctuated by at least one major crisis. I think the implications of this simple observation are obvious. While Kai Bird's book does lean in certain directions throughout the book, his experience as an American child of Arabists who grew up in various parts of the middle east and eventually married a Jewish American woman whose family had its own experiences with the shoah, bolstered by histor Prior to a recent trip to the middle east, I skimmed online reviews and shelves looking for a book that would provide as objective as possible perspective on the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians. All Rights Reserved. Kai Bird is a person who grew up the son of parents who worked in the Foreign Service who were assigned to many different assignments throughout the Middle East and India. His book describes Maadi as 80 percent Jewish until the s when most of them left. Trouble signing in? The cycle of lost wars,missed opportunities at constructive dialog will continue until both sides recognize their common human dignity. Return to Book Page. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. And because I disagree, he has persuaded himself that my critical, revisionist narrative—much of which is borrowed from his own revisionist school—is somehow insidiously facilitating the very dark outcome he fears.