aprilbosworth's review against another edition
3.0
An extremely well documented book about history that I knew little of. It is a rather academic type history book—objective, documented facts. Yet the language is not overly complex or inaccessible. And the telling of the history does not seem to be overly biased. I chose this book as it seems to be one of few histories of the founding of the state of Israel that is not told exclusively from a Jewish perspective. The text seems to present an objective view including both Arab and Jewish motivations and happenings.
At first I thought that the organization was going to be too complex to follow, but it turned out to be a good structure that helped me make sense of a complex and previously unknown situation.
I am still marveling at dynamic population changes in the area of Palestine from before WWI through the end of WWII.
I'm not sure I would call it a compelling read, but with a little innate curiosity about the region and history, it didn't lull me to sleep.
At first I thought that the organization was going to be too complex to follow, but it turned out to be a good structure that helped me make sense of a complex and previously unknown situation.
I am still marveling at dynamic population changes in the area of Palestine from before WWI through the end of WWII.
I'm not sure I would call it a compelling read, but with a little innate curiosity about the region and history, it didn't lull me to sleep.
mparisinou's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent! The best exposition of the history of the Palestinian issue that I've read to date. Well documented and dispassionate in-depth analysis. Very readable even if a bit dry. But that's the price you pay for the lack of sensationalism.
tanyarobinson's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book because I wanted to understand the roots of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and I finally found the answers to my questions in the last third of the book. The first few chapters helped me recognize the disproportionate weight given to the Jews' biblical claims to the land when measured against those of the Arabs. What I found less interesting, however, was the center bulk of the book, which focused on the makeup and administration of Ottoman-era Palestine. While it appeared to be based on solid research, to me it didn't as relevant to the current crisis, and therefore less interesting. I would have rather read just excerpts from "A History of Palestine." By the way, Graham Harman is the translator. The author of the book is Gudrun Kramer.
More...