No comments about Continent of Mothers, Continent of Hope: Understanding and Promoting Development in Africa Today.

No comments about South Africa Pocket Map (Collins).

No comments about Travels from St. Petersburg in Russia, to Diverse Parts of Asia: Volume 1.

5 comments about Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Westerners (The Interact Series).

1. Margaret K. Nydell has recast this cross-cultural guide to getting along with Arabs in a new light in the midst of the war on terror. In so doing, she navigates sensitive territory, a no-man's land stuck between understanding another culture, and becoming an apologist for its negative behaviors. Properly executed, cross-cultural guides enhance one's awareness of the vast cultural gap between social norms and customs. Occasionally this volume lapses into cultural generalities, but that's inevitable when you're trying to explain norms of some 20 diverse Arab countries. Understanding Arabs will help you do just that, and although it may not shed a lot of light on the current conflict, it's very timely. We from getAbstract highly recommend it to anyone who wants a better understanding of Islam and Arabs. As Nydell says in her introduction, seeking understanding should not be confused with appeasement.



2. I first learned to fall in love with the Arab people through this book. As I delved into Islamic and Arabic culture studies, I came across Understanding Arabs, and was fascinated by what I found. A culture that put the group over the individual, that valued honor so highly, that had no word or concept for privacy (not as it is defined in American culture) . . . The more I read, the more God put them on my heart, and the more my heart became one with the Arab people, for here I found a culture so like my own. Over the years, in further reading and further experience, I've learned a lot more beyond Nydell's terse etic generalization of Arabic culture, but most of what she shares is accurate, and limited enough to be a very easy read, while making you pant for more. She writes with a Semitic style, sharing stories which illuminates the people far more than dry text. Come and read this book, and see for yourself the beginnings of a love affair with the Arab people.



3. This book is two books into one. The first book is essentially how to get along in Arabic countries. The second book is on geopolitics.

   When the author writes about Arabic social customs and misunderstanding between Arabs and Westerners, she is more often than not right on the mark. The two populations are obviously very different in their overall behavior and approach to many aspects of life. In a sense it is an extrapolation of the North/South behavioral axis you find in many countries. If you meet a Northern French or Italian, he typically will be more reserved, more serious, and somewhat introverted than his Southern counterpart who will be more joyful, louder, extrovert. The North/South behavioral axis is not so pronounced in the U.S., as it is in many European countries. In any case, take this North/South axis and compound it several times, and you get an idea of the gulf between the typical Western behavior and the Arabic one. The author does an excellent job at explaining the differences between these two cultures. And, the information she imparts on this subject is truly useful for anyone traveling, working, or living in Arabic countries.

   When the author shares her opinion about geopolitics, she is on quick sand. Her views on this subject are full of fallacies, contradictions, and errors. The author has no credentials and knowledge to support any of her subjective opinions. After all, her academic background is as an Arabic teacher. She has no academic degree in political science, international economics, demographics, or any other relevant discipline. And, it really shows. Had she stuck to Arabic customs, her book would have been so much better.

   There are many authors who will shed much light on the subjects of Arabs, Islam, and their relationship to the Western World. Some of the luminaries in this field include Bernard Lewis, Samuel Huntington, Thomas Friedman, and Robert Kaplan.




4. I came to this book hoping to receive insight into the mindset of those responsible for 9/11. In a way, it was billed that way to me. But the closest UNDERSTANDING ARABS comes to answering the question Why? is that many Arabs feel the US backing of Israeli boarders is in direct conflict with US reasoning behind going into Iraq in 1991 to enforce the boarders of Kuwait. According to UA, a 2001 poll of various Middle Eastern countries indicate 90% of residents feel the Palestinian issue is among their top three concerns. Unfortunately, this issue is not looked at in depth, no doubt because the author is not qualified to comment.

   According to the author, "Arabs will rarely admit to errors if doing so will cause them to lose face. To Arabs, honor is more important than facts." Additionally, "In arguing the Palestine issue...they (Arabs) often placed the greatest emphasis on the suffering of individuals rather than on points of law or recital of historical events." For someone who is trying to assist the lay person in understanding Arabs, this does not do much to portray Arabs as rational. Much of what I've mentioned was sprinkled in between Arab complaints that they are maligned and vilified in the media.

   By contrast Arabs do not like being judged by Westerners. However, whereas the US makes a big deal of separating church and state, Arabs, fundamentally believe the two cannot be separated, and the religion of choice is Islam.

   I found the section that describes the current socioeconomic conditions to be the most informative. Many of the Arab nations suffer severe poverty. The richest countries tend to be the most authoritarian. (Saudi Arabia and Iraq.) Surprisingly, the author found Iraq to be the most progressive, until recently. (Saddam, progressive?) However, nothing is made of some of the fascist regimes in power in many of the Middle Eastern countries. And there is no mention of the generous US aid heaped on many of these ungrateful countries.

   Generally, there is a sense that if there is to be peace in the Middle East, the United States is going to have to do the lions share of the work. But overall, I was left with a sense that the vast majority of Arabs are good and decent people just looking to make a life for themselves and their families. In spite of some of my comments, this book left me with a positive view of the Arab condition.




5. Without stereotyping, author Margaret Nydell explains some of the major assumptions that undergird Arab beliefs and behaviors. Included are insights into characteristic gestures, expectations regarding male-female relations, religious attitudes, eating, socializing, and family life, among other things.

2 comments about In Secret Mongolia (Mystic Traveller).

1. This book is comparable to the stories told by explorers of the Americas of how hard it was to survive outside of one's own culture in a time without our modern amenities like a phone, a translation dictionary, or a guide to local customs. I read it while I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mongolia in 1996 and it helped me understand how much life had changed there in the past ninety years.



2. This book is one mans recollections of his time spent in Mongolia during the 1920s. Haslund was part of a group of Danes who set out to Mongolia in order to set up a farm in remote Mongolia. During this time period it was similar to the wild west with tribal warlords of various ethnicities as well as communist Russians on one side, and the Chinese on the other.
   
   Haslund recounts his various adventures and interactions with warlords, Shamans, his short stay in a Siberian prison after a case of mistaken identity, dealing with the harsh climate and environment of that part of the world, the setting up of the farm. Lots of great observances of the culture, customs and the nature in Mongolia.
   
   This book reads like a Jack London story except its for real. It really is amazing how tough and self sufficent these guys had to be to pound out an existence in that part of the world. Haslund doesn't slip into any corny tough guy semantics though. He is very matter of fact about the dangers and hardships that he dealt with. To me this book is one of the great unknown books. I currently live in Denmark and I've yet to meet a Dane who has even heard of Haslund or this book.

No comments about Travels from St. Petersburg in Russia, to Diverse Parts of Asia: Volume 2.

No comments about The Kruger National Park: A Social and Political History.

1 comments about Gabon and Equitorial Guinea Map by ITMB (Travel Reference Map).

1. I haven't yet gone to Gabon, but if this map is any indication, I'm going to have a great time.

1 comments about Black Africa Masks Sculpture Jewelry.

1. I found this book in Kampala, Uganda at the start of a binge of collecting Congolese artifacts and fell in love at first sight. The pictures are vibrant (if not always well-labeled); the text tries to explain the significance of the art in the African context, rather than serve to merely catalogue the tribe, the owner, etc. It certainly helped me to love it that much of what I saw was discussed and/or pictured in the book. It goes arm-in-arm with it's companion "Art and Craft in Africa : Everyday Life Ritual Court Art "

2 comments about African Nature Notes and Reminiscences (The Library of African Adventure).

1. I have read plenty of elephant hunting volumes in the likes of Bell, Stigand and several others but this Selous book is different. It's not entirely an account of Selous' adventures with his rifle but rather as the first portion of the book's title suggests, an informative wrap-up of the ways and characteristics of various African game. Selous is a unsurpassable raconteur when it comes to telling of big game, as this book proves. There's a chapter on Selous' search for the elusive inyala antelope, and it is of great interest. A book well worth parting with your cash for. Simply a true must-buy !



2. Frederick C. Selous was one of the giants of Vitorian Africa and in this work, written at the urging of President Theodore Roosevelt, he compiles many of his most keen observations about life and wildlife in Africa. Fascinating not only as a period piece, Selous's thoughts are remarkably prescient about the state of game in Africa even today. Though it was written before the rise of the commercial poaching that has ravaged so much of the continent, the book gives an excellent insight into the need to carefully observe, record, and interpret the ecological signs found in the wild. Clear and lively in style, the tales told within encompass everything from dietary habits of hyaena to the effects of sleeping sickness on agriculture. Especially interesting are the authors remarkably forward-thinking ideas on race relations, ideas that would not become the rule in southern Africa for over 75 years. An altogether satisfying read.