Read, Listen, Watch

Staff Picks and Suggestions

A List for Americans: Some Recent, Some Classics About the Middle East and Afghanistan

I’m an American citizen and thus far, my travels, sadly, have been limited to Western countries and cultures. Before 9/11, I’d had an inkling that trouble was stirring in the East. It wasn’t entirely surprising to me when the towers came down, but it was a painful moment of history to witness. So I stepped up the pace on my reading, since physical travel to some of these troubled regions of the East is not feasible. As I went about reading up on the areas I had heard about in the news, I found some pretty surprising subtleties that a 2-minute sound bite on CNN just can’t convey. A lot of these resources are available in Snell Library. Next time you have some time between classes, check one of the following out. Please add to this list in your comments, I look forward to discovering new sources of debate and knowledge. The Prince of the Marshes: and other occupational hazards of a year in Iraq DS70.65 .S74 2006 The Places in Between DS352 .S74 2006 by: Rory Stewart A British diplomat of Scottish descent and a former fellow of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Stewart wrote engaging accounts of his work in Iraq and travels through Afghanistan. The Prince of the Marshes documents the challenges of his year as a deputy governor of the Iraqi province of Maysan and Senior Advisor in the province of Dhi Qar following the invasion of Iraq in 2003 by coalition forces, as a new democracy struggles to gain hold in the war-torn nation. The Places in Between is a travelogue that takes place after the fall of the Taliban regime, Stewart writes of an incredible journey by foot through some of Afghanistan’s most isolated regions. The great war for civilization : the conquest of the Middle East DS62.8 .F53 2005 Pity the Nation: the abduction of Lebanon DS87 .F55 1990 by Robert Fisk A decorated journalist for the British newspaper The Independent, Fisk weaves detailed and insightful story lines in The Great War to produce a rich account of Western involvement in Middle East affairs through the decades. Pity the Nation remains one of the most cited and respected works documenting the tragedy of Lebanon’s descent into civil war. The Satanic Verses PR9499.3.R8 S28 1989 Haroun and the Sea of Stories PR9499.3.R8 H37 1990 Shalimar the Clown: a novel PR6068.U757 S47 2005 by: Salman Rushdie Rushdie, a British writer born in Mumbai, India, spent nearly a decade in hiding for his work The Satanic Verses, a satirical work perceived to be an irreverent depiction of the prophet Muhammad, for which the Ayatollah Ruhollah Komeini of Iran issued an edict of fatwa. Despite protests and controversy, Rushdie is recognized as an author who excels in the portrayal of connection, disruption and migration between the East and West. Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a charming fable of a young boy’s experiences in the battle between a democratic society and one ruled by a demagogue. Shalimar the Clown is a stunning and emotional account of the title character and his descent into madness and revenge in the war torn region of India, Kashmir. A Mighty Heart: the brave life and death of my husband, Danny Pearl  PN4874.P37 P43 2003 by: Mariane Pearl Mariane Pearl, a French freelance journalist, writes her account of the events during her husband’s kidnapping and murder in Pakistan. A touching tribute to Daniel Pearl, former writer for The Wall Street Journal, A Mighty Heart also details the challenges facing government and law enforcement officials in Pakistan, as well as the complex relationships entrenched in the political and religious movements of the country. Infidel  DJ292.H57 A3 2007 by: Ayaan Hirsi Ali In her account spanning several cultures and countries of Africa and the Middle East, Hirsi Ali writes about her experiences as a Muslim woman, her flight from an unwanted and arranged marriage and her entry into politics in the Netherlands. A remarkable journey through countries and minds, Infidel is a controversial and thought-provoking work, worthy of consideration in the ongoing discussion of how to integrate Muslim and non-Muslim cultures. The Cairo Trilogy: Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street,  DJ292.H57 A3 2007   by: Naguib Mafouhz Winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature, Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz weaved an intricate story of a family living in 1920s Egypt. The smallest detail brings to life the internal conflicts of family men quoting the Qur’an by day, indulging in the wordly pleasures of a city by night, and the women surrounding them. With subtlety, the reader is taken through Egypt’s political transitions from 1917 colonial rule to nationalism and Nasser in the 1950s. Shoot an Iraqi: art, life and resistance under the gun  N7269.B55 A2 2008 by: Wafaa Bilal A diary of an unusual art project in Chicago, in which Iraqi-born artist Wafaa Bilal lives in a gallery for 31 days. During this time online users could watch his every movement, chat or take shots at the artist via a remote-controlled paint gun. 60,000 shots are fired in the course of the work and an account of Bilal’s experiences in Iraq, refugee camps and his emigration to America, leaves the reader questioning the line between art and life. Palestine: peace not apartheid   DS119.7 .C3583 2006 by: Jimmy Carter An engineer of the 1978 Camp David Accords and 2002 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Jimmy Carter has written a controversial and thought-provoking argument on what he considers to be the main obstacles to the establishment of a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Countless will question his interpretations of history, nevertheless his writing is a valuable addition to the current debate. Night  D810.J4 W65 2006 by: Elie Wiesel An unforgetable, slim volume of Wiesel’s experiences in concentration camps during World War II. Hard won lessons and meditation on the nature of man under duress and essential reading for those considering the debate of the Palestinian/Israeli conflct.

Good Movies, Even Some Great Ones

Snell Library has an impressive selection of DVD’s, and the DVD section is undeniably something that has improved over the past two years. I mean this in an entirely physical sense: the DVD’s, VHS’s and the books on movies have wisely been integrated together, in to a well-organized cinema-in-general section, which spans most of the PN call numbers on the third floor shelves.

Since there are not many good video stores in Boston, and not many cheap or nearby Movie Theaters, Snell Library is the best place here to rent a DVD. Since you can stop at the Library to rent a DVD, it is also advisable that you rent something that is not the standard fare you will be finding at the LOEWS by Boston Common, or in a Blockbuster; I am aware that I am speaking largely to Cinema Studies Majors and Minors with this suggestion, but so be it. I would recommend a good Japanese film such as Ugetsu (1953). Ugetsu is for anybody who is interested in Film History, Japanese History, or just Beauty. It was directed by Kenji Mizoguchi, a nowadays seldom- mentioned Japanese filmmaker who turned out a prolific amount of work that was once regarded as some of the best stuff Cinema had to offer. Ugetsu has some of the most graceful, eye-pleasing Black-and-White imagery that can be found in Japanese Cinema, and is one of the few films to my mind that succeeds as a strange blending of several different genres; it is an Adventure story, a Ghost story, a Tragic Love story, a Period/Costume piece, and occasionally a dark comedy.

Don’t be afraid by the age of the film: it has been restored to a crisp image by the Criterion Collection, and is very well subtitled. See it while you can.

King of the Delta Blues

Robert Johnson………..the Complete Recordings

If you want a free lesson in blues and soul music, get this NOW.  You don’t even have to buy it; it’s available on the second floor at the SNELL Library.  Robert Johnson is the king of the delta blues.  The man single-handedly started Rock N Roll with these songs, and has inspired some of your favorite bands, bands like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Eric Clapton, Cream, and the list goes on and on.

I forget where I first heard Robert Johnson, but I remember when I bought the complete recordings, mainly because I was never the same.  I mean, THIS IS IT!  This is what music is all about, a man pouring his soul out just in his words and his guitar.  While each song sounds eerily similar to the last, there is a nice variation in the lyrical content, and the moods of the albums are just………….almost creepy.  There’s an amazing vibe that is captured on these recordings and as far as I’m concerned, it’s a must listen for any music fan.

The Kite Runner

Anyone still remember the days of high school summer reading? Back then reading was about as much fun as watching paint dry…twice. But that wasn’t even the worst part. Perhaps what made reading even more painful was that teachers had a knack for finding the most mundane and obscure piece of literature to give us. We had to read things by people we never heard of. And occasionally, if we’re lucky, we’ll get to read novels by people who were famous. But again, the teachers always pick some piece of literature that no one ever heard of, even though it was by a famous author, to give to us. It was in this desolate mindset that I encountered Khaled Hosseini’s Kite Runner.  I didn’t have high hopes for it. After all, it was summer reading. But Hosseini’s novel definitely has a little bit of magic in it. Because by the end I found myself thinking summer reading can be fun. Weird.

Humor aside, I would like to start again. Ahem.

Rape! Betrayal! Murder! All of them are poignant words that seem more suitable for an adult crime fiction drenching in sleazy characters and vicious crooks than anything else. But instead of dealing with gangsters and double agents, we are dealing with the life journey of one man, Amir, as he traverses the span of not only time but space as well. It all starts in the wealthy suburb of Wazir Akbar Khan, just outside of Kabul, Afghanistan. Amir was living the life that many of us wish we could. Big house, a few servants, and a leisurely childhood spent reading books and flying kites with his best friend and protector, Hassan. It seemed like paradise.

But all is not well in paradise. Hosseini takes us for an exhilarating ride through emotional highs and devastating lows with his unforgettable cast and intense scenes. In case you are not compelled to read this book yet, I would like to show you a bit of what Kite Runner has to offer. I’ll give you a hint; it’s not just about some rich kid flying kites. A point of interest in the book is Amir’s conflicting feelings for Hassan. Although there was a strong brotherly love between them, Amir felt compelled to patronize him from time to time just because he was a Hazara, a type of second class citizen. Will Amir ever find the right balance between dominance and brotherly love? Only by reading will you find out. But I know there are still skeptics out there. Let’s just say that it’s so good that they made a movie out of it. Plus, you’ll find a little bit of everything in this book. If you want action, there’s plenty of it. If you want drama, again, there is plenty of it. Perhaps the only thing you won’t find is a box of Kleenex when you need it most.

Deep Straights: Is there a Solution?

Deep Straights: Is there a Solution?

By Damon Griffin

In Bill Mckibben’s book Deep Economy: the Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, every hot-button issue of environmental and economic decline is touched on: Global Warming, income division, the food crisis, Healthcare crisis, Corporate Lobbying, Globablization and Over-Spending. The book spends a large amount of time talking about the first issue in particular; McKibben’s advocacy of a more homespun, communal approach to managing the economy and everyday life in the United States is framed as an attempt to fix Global Warming more than any others. McKibben’s theories (about how a culture of selfishness and individualism inadvertently leads to environmental damage is well argued and his admonishing views of how the common population simply has the wrong mentality could turn in to condesenscion, but instead provides grounds for optimism. But what is truly an area for debate and controversy in the book is the way it touches on general politics.

The books rhetoric, never explicit, brings to the forefront of one’s mind two words: one is Capitalism, and the other is that always-feared word ‘Socialism.’

Uh-oh. Is McKibben really advocating a Socialist society? He does write of a trip to Cuba, where he advocates their farming system and production of food over the U.S system. One poster on Amazon.com wrote that McKibben is advocating ‘Outright Communism.’ He is not trying to do any such thing, although it could be concluded that his view of the way American society should be is more of a Social Democracy that what we have now: a Capitalist Democracy. McKibben writes that his ideas are not ‘Liberal or Conservative,’ though even he realizes that his idea of a communal, less individualistic society relates to Liberal, Social-Democratic politics, in opposition to the every-individual-for-himself economy we have today, which leans closer to a Conservative, Libertarian model. A blog post does not have much room for an in-depth Political Science discussion, but there certainly is a major discussion Deep Economy can provoke: the upsides of a communal economy and society as opposed to a global, Capitalist economy, and its’ downsides as well. This same discussion could provoke a shallow, misunderstood controversy as well; ‘Socialism’ versus ‘Capitalism,’ ‘Radicalism’ versus ‘The Establishment.’