middle east

Horwitz has delivered another very witty book that also enlightens. I have read his "Confederates in the Attic," an often hilarious writing that delves into the shadow of the Civil War in the current South.

Like "Confederates...," "Baghdad Without a Map" is breezy, funny and illuminating. The author spent three years in the Middle East in the period before the Gulf War. Stationed in Cairo, this free lance writer visited Israel (during the Infatada) Lebanon (during active warfare), Iraq (during its war with Iran), Iran (during Khomeni's funeral), Yemen, the Sudan and The U.A.Emerites and Libya. In each country, he gets off of the beaten track to meet with ordinary people and delve into their daily existence.

What emerges is a picture of life under Islam that as a whole is very much different from that experienced in the West, but one that also varies tremendiously among the individual countries. Each is shaped in a unique way by georgraphy, the relative lunacy of its political autocrats and history. The book serves to highlight some of the difficult problems facing many of the people in the region as well as the basic humanity and hope that can thrive even under trying circumstances.

Horwitz does not laugh at the people he meets, in fact he is quite sympathetic to many of them he becomes acquainted with. However, many of the situations in which they are placed as well as Horwitz's response while diving into very different cultures from his own are often witty and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny in the hands of this skilled observer and writer. This is one of those books that will cause you to chuckle and guffaw even in places of public quiet like the commuter train on which I ride.

His book is fast, very enjoyable and leaves the reader with something of substance after it's finished. A good book.

This is the second time I will be purchasing Baghdad Without a Map to give as a gift. I have also loaned my copy to several friends, who all loved it.

The book is best categorized as travel writing of the personal journal variety. Horwitz fearlessly puts himself in a variety of dangerous, humorous or interesting situations in places around the Middle East. But it goes beyond some travel journals in its insight into the societies he visits, and the people he meets. It is the sort of personal insight that travelers hope to discover on their travels. The sections on Iran were a revelation to me.

Originally written before the Gulf War, it has a final chapter describing his return after the war. Now the Middle East is in the news again, and although Horwitz didn't travel to Afghanistan, his stories are timely once again. Not to mention that the book is a terrific read. Buy it for yourself or as a gift.

Although most of the book takes place at least 10+ years ago, Baghdad Without A Map provides a view of the Middle East (and beyond) that shows how diverse the countries making it up really are. Too often is the Middle East labeled the "Middle East" - it is necessary to get a better perspective on the different peoples that make up this large mass of land.

Highlights include Saddam's oppressive regime - Horwitz expected Baghdad to be a "romantic" place as the cradle of civilization, instead he found what he termed the "saddest" place he visited during his time in the region, as you get a sense for how closed off this country really was. His run-in with an Iranian government-organized protest against the USA, where one protester admits his desire to one day visit Disneyland. His visit to Israel and Palestine (Horwitz is Jewish by the way), where everyone seemed to be in a "bad mood". His qat chews in Yemen. Overall, you can sense the general hospitability of Arab people (as well as Persian) that is overlooked in our media today. Do yourself a favor, open your mind to the Middle Eastern world, and read Baghdad Without A Map.