Travel to Middle East

Baghdad without a Map and Other Misadventures in Arabia

Format: Paperback
Author: Tony Horwitz
ReleaseDate: 01 January, 1992
Publisher: Plume
Rating:

Best "travel" book I've read
That was back in 1996. I first read this book for a class I took my senior year in high school. I still have this book on my bookshelf. At least once a year, I still take it down to read a couple chapters or more. Every time I read it, I rediscover a part of the book that I find hilarious. How many books have you read can make you laugh ten years later? Few if any I imagine.

Tthis book is what inspired me to go to Yemen. After reading the 2nd and 3rd chapters (both of which are in Yemen), I knew I would have to visit one day. Took me a few years to get there, but I did it.

Lastly, even though this book was published in 1992 and many of the chapters are from events in the 80s, I can say from personal experience that a lot of what takes place in this book STILL goes on in the Arab world. As the proverb says, "The more things change, the more they stay the same. "

This is a must-read for anyone even remotely interested in the Middle East. .

One of the funniest books I have ever read. The Middle East with all its craziness.
Mr Horrowitz captured the essence of what it's like to live in countries where time has no value and common sense is on a break. As someone who has lived and worked in several of the countries described in this book, I cannot say enough good things about it. In our UN compound in Sudan, we tried to read the chapters about Sudan aloud, but we were laughing so hard, tears came down our eyes. His attempt to travel from Cyprus to Beirut was so honest and poignant. I have made that same journey myself and I can tell you that there was no exaggeration in the frustration and helplessness one feels trying to make it to Beirut, a city that can be so beautiful, yet so leathel. You also have to read his account of his meeting with Khaddafi, a meeting that turned into a circus, again quite typical of the crazy colonel who rules Lybia. Those who have been to the Middle East will just looove this book and find it hilarious. Those who are unfamiliar with this region ought to purchase a copy, fasten their seat belt and prepare for an unforgettable ride, filled with humor and contradiction. The Middle East is a crazy place and this book truly captured that, with no judgment and a lot of heart.

Fabulous
He describes customs through the eyes of someone who has no idea what's coming his way and takes all his misadventures in stride. Tony Horwitz' adventures in the Arab countries are told with such humor that it is impossible to put the book down. Everyone who has - or doesn't have - interest in that part of the world should read this book and learn from it, especially now that the United States is entrenched in war and reconstruction in several countries. Generally, we think we can understand the Arab cultures by acknowledging that there are different ways of dressing and different foods. Most people don't grasp the very fundamental differences that set us at odds with people from that part of the world. Horwitz bridges that gap with humor and insight. My favorite chapters are those about Yemen, the birthland of Osama Bin Laden. No one should ever be tempted to measure that beautiful land by the standards of the Western world.

This book is a fabulous read.

Related products:
click image or link for details on these Middle East travel books.

	One for the Road: Revised Edition
	Cold Beer and Crocodiles: A Bicycle Journey into Australia (Adventure Press)