I'm trying very hard to figure out how I can review this book without coming across as an ignorant, bubble-headed liberal or a rabid racist. Hmmm... I don't think it's going to happen. North of South, by the late Shiva Naipaul, is essentially a travelogue of a trip to parts of Africa in the 1970's, specifically Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. Welded to the descriptions of people and scenery are sharp observations on class, racism, government and colonialism. Naipaul's eye misses nothing during his travel, and his anecdotes are both humorous and sad. It was interesting to see that this guy is the brother of V.S. Naipaul, who recently won a Nobel Prize for Literature. Anyway, this book is not going to be found on the syllabus of any black studies classes anytime soon.

North of South reveals Africa in all of its glory: degenerate, corrupt and lazy. What really stands out is how Africans have taken Western ideas and applied them to their own situations, often with laughable results. Take the case of Tanzanian Socialism. Naipaul can barely contain a chuckle at the absurdity of this situation. Almost everyone he meets praises the administration, but almost no one has any true sense of what it's all about (to be fair, the same could be said for most nations). The corruption is truly astonishing. Bribery abounds everywhere, especially at border crossings, where tourists are routinely harassed and threatened with imprisonment if their papers aren't in order. A story in which Naipaul is conned when he gets a shoeshine is a good example. Not only does the guy ruin his shoes, he tries to overcharge him in the process. Naipaul constantly has to shell out the bucks to get even the most basic services, if he gets them at all. Hotels are run down traps, prostitution is epidemic, and beggars and the unemployed are everywhere. The few situations where something actually works are attributed to the presence of white expatriates, and even here there is the danger that the black government will step in at any minute and expel the whites.

Probably the most bothersome aspect of this book, and one that costs Naipaul a star in my review, is the bias Naipaul shows in regards to the "Asian" population in Africa. The "Asians" are actually of Indian descent, as is Naipaul. Naipaul reveals that Africans are prejudiced against these Indians and he seems to take it personally (what a surprise! Blacks can actually be racists!). Much time is spent on this problem and it opens Naipaul up to charges of retaliatory prejudice. Naipaul is much more effective when he shows how both blacks and whites have their racist attitudes, and how both races have been brought down together through the process of colonialism.

This is an obscure book that probably will never get much attention in the politically correct atmosphere of America. If you want to make a liberal's head explode, buy this book and tuck it into their stocking next Christmas. If you need a break from the multicultural crowd, this is the book for you.

This is still the saddest, funniest, TRUEST book on Africa ever written. The humor is piercing but compassionate, the glimpse it provides into "emerging" Africa is dead on.

The book's humor will make you laugh a little uneasily, like the best of satire. A wonderfully detailed vision of Africa.

Of all Horne's French histories, this is probably the most epic. The bleeding sore that was French Algeria led to the collapse of the Fourth Republic and almost led, on three separate occasions, to a right-wing military takeover of all metropolitan France. On the other side, the ruthlessly bloody tactics of the Algerian nationalist party, FLN, make the Viet Cong look chivalrous by comparison. There are many memorable characters in this story, including the pied noir supporters (Massu, Soustelle), the French Army leaders (Challe, Salan), and the Algerian leaders (Abbas, Ben Bella, Boumedienne). But the giant of the Algerian story is and will remain General Charles De Gaulle. His political comeback in 1958, during which he founded the Fifth Republic and made his historic address ("Je vous ai compris!") to the pied noirs, bisects the whole narrative: this book falls cleanly into two sections (before and after May 1958), and De Gaulle's leadership in extricating France out of this morass was and remains monumental.

I take issue with the reader who compared The FLN to the Taliban. If anything the French were more like the Taliban--their use of torture was routine and people could hear the screams of prisoners from police stations every day.
The tragedy of North Africa and the Mid-East after colonial rule is the failure of the secular regimes and the rise of a retrograde Islam. What that area needs now are more people like Nasser or Ben Bella though hopefully with a broader vision of democracy. The alternative is Bin Laden and the Taliban. Any brutalities committed by the FLN (and there were many) pale in comparison to the French many of whom fresh out of German concentration camps apparently brought what they had learned from their captors. French colonialism in Africa was second only to Belgum in its ferocity racism and pure cruelty. That was then--what happens now is anybody's guess.

Although it was one of the deadliest counter-insurgency campaigns in history, costing over 1 million lives, English-speaking writters tend to overlook the war in Algeria. Alistair Horne's book fills that gap with a masterful narrative that weaves quotations, statistics, and analysis in a readable, journalistic style. The author balances the full horror of the conflict - massacres, razzias, torture, mob-violence - with the war's political dimension. The war in Algeria nearly cost France its democracy. An embittered, defeated military twice mutinied against a corrupt and cowardly civil authority. It concluded with De Gaulle's return (deus ex machine). The entire government resigned to make way for "le grand homme." The National Assembly granted him dictatorial powers. In a display of self-restraint all too rare in history, De Gaulle used his power to re-write the French Constitution (a dramatic improvement) and restore peace. An astute reader will be struck by the similarity between the ruthless F.L.N. and our present enemies, the Taliban. The book vividly demonstrates what can happen when civil and military authorities collide, and each decides to take matters into its own hands.

This is a great cookbook, with anecdotal information that makes it feel like you're sitting down with the authors over hot Turkish coffee, reminiscing about their travels.

Each recipe has the country/ies of origin, and what it's called in Arabic (which could come in very handy next time you're in a Middle Eastern restaurant!). The instructions are clear, and it has a great index.

My one complaint is that it has only a few photos. I like to know what it's supposed to look like when I'm trying a new recipe. I know that's not a deterrent for many cooks, but for those of you like me, that is a drawback. The varied selections and the cultural tidbits between the covers more than make up for that lack, though, and I recommend this cookbook heartily.

What I liked about this book is the fact that many Arabic complicated dishes were simplified, and it encouraged me to cook many dishes that I like but thought would take me a lot of time!

What I did not like is the fact that the writer has generalised the Marocan cuisine for the whole of North Africa or the Magreb. The Couscous is a Berber dish, the Berbers live all over Tunisia, Marocco and Algeria, this is why couscous is found in all those countries. Couscous is NOT a Marocan dish that is popular in Algeria and Marocco ad the author claims. Also the Tunisian Tajin has nothing to do with the Marocan Tajin, I think the author has never had a Tajin in Tunisia and he used a Marocan recepie and claimed it to be a Tunisia dish.

I hope those 2 mistakes will be rectified in the future edition, and I would welcome the author in Tunis and introduce him to the Tunisia cuisin which will make his book more complet!

Other than that, I highly recomend this book.

This is an amazing book! I have been able to recreate dishes that I ate as a child. There are excellent traditional recipes for Lebanese, Egyptian and Palestinian/Jordanian food. Also included are several versions of the same recipe with regional differences which is a rare treat for those with more experience and knowledge of middle eastern food. A must have.

This is the third in the series of adventure tales centering on Anton Rider, a gypsy-raised Brit who makes a living taking sports on safari. He has two upright sons and a separated wife, Gwenn, who has a terminal addiction to lovers who are losers. His friends include a likeable, devious and over-sexed dwarf, a German soldier with one foot, and an ancient Englishman. All these exotic characters are found in exotic locales along the Nile in 1939-1942 as Rommel advances toward Egypt and the British fight desperately to halt him. This, of course, involves Anton, who always finds trouble, and his military-age son Wellington. Gwenn is keeping company with a detestable Frenchman; the dwarf is calculating how he can get even richer with the war The greatest part of the book, especially toward the end, is devoted to war in the desert. The descriptions of the war are a little confusing. More explanation as to why, for example, the Foreign Legion is clinging so desperately to a particular patch of sand would be useful. Courage abounds in this novel; fear is not so evident -- and more would be welcome in a dramatic sense. Likewise, the hardships of heat and thirst in the desert don't seem to be exploited as effectively as they could be. But this is a good adventure tale, better written than most, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Liked this even better than WRH. Just great adventure writing, set in North Africa. One of the best novels I've ever read. Combines action with romantic setting and atomosphere. Extremely well crafted and written.

Bartle Bull is a great storyteller. The characters we first met in The White Rhino Hotel and further enjoyed in A Cafe on the Nile are back. The setting is now Cairo and Northern Africa as the Nazi juggernaut (in the person of the surprisingly admirable Rommel and his Afrika Corps) prepares to capture Cairo, to thereby control the Middle Eastern oilfields, and to gain an unsurmountable advantage in winning the war. Anton Rider, now older and more battered; Gwen, his estranged wife now in a liaison with another despicable cad; Wellington, their older son, discovering love and heroism for the first time; and, always, the enigmatic Goan dwarf, Olivio Alavedo are all back to further work out their lives in this grand historic context. As always, the reader cares about the characters, is caught up in the fast-paced plot and is swept up in a powerful narrative. If you like adventure and care about good writing, read this series!

There are times when the monotony of the vegetable world seriously impedes my overall desire to do anything with them beyond a simple salad.. While I have had this cookbook, the vegetables that I once deemed as boring and simple were given a new and interesting life. The book turns many vegetables into tasty treats that anyone would find palatable. The books lack of pictures for the appropriate "presentation" of the dishes is its only downfall, which is made up by its cultural emphasis and the way the food tastes after it is made.

This is a wonderful book not only for the recipes but for the insights in to the part food plays in the everyday lives and culture of the people of the Middle East and North Africa. Salloum gives a brief history of most of the dishes and places them in geographical and cultural context. I enjoyed reading it as much for the delicious food as the explainations. My only criticism would be that there are no pictures in the book so a novice cook like myself has little idea of how to serve the recipes. A minor quibble... it is a lovely book and has delicious, tasty recipes.

i enjoy the fact that this book covers wide variety of tastes&Cultures throughout the world&has many great&exciting things for me too eat.I enjoy trying different Vegetarian foods&this Books adds another direction of choices.

This book is the second of five (so far) from the Osprey's Men-At-Arms Series on "German Army". The other four are:-

MAA 311 The German Army 1939-45 (1) Blitzkrieg;

MAA 326 The German Army 1939-45 (3) Eastern Front 1941-43;

MAA 330 The German Army 1939-45 (4) Eastern Front 1943-45;

MAA 336 The German Army 1939-45 (5) Western Front 1943-45.

These books basically cover the German Army uniform and rank insignia of specific time and place during WW2. Each book includes 30 to 40 b/w photographs of German soldiers in different types of uniform. There are also 8 pages of colour-plates in each book depicting the uniforms in colour. Since I own all five books, I observed that the drawing skill of Stephen Andrew improving gradually over the years.

These books are by no means a comprehensive account of the uniform of the German Army during WW2. However, the contents(text, photos and colour-plates) are excellent source of reference materials for modelling enthusiasts focusing on WW2 German Army.

This review applies to all five books.

This work is a splendid example of the new emphasis of the publisher on producing comprehensive works in a handy cheap format compared with the earlier broad brush treatments which covered too much in too little detail.
The new emphasis is on sets covering various national armed forces in as much detail as is available, consistent with the current purpose of the works in the series, which have evolved from an original emphasis on serving the military miniature maker market into works intended to enlighten the general reader in enough detail to satisfy the merely curious and to point the way to further reading.
Most of us, including myself, have little need for, or the patience to read, voluminous studies, often in foreign languages, covering many eras and nations. My main interest is in the US forces, their allies and their enemies in the twentieth century.
That said, these works should be purchased as presented, in sets within the series. Since they are produced as a set, the volumes cover only relevent parts of the general history and the clothing and individual equipment is covered as it appears in each period. The French Army, US Army, British Army, and Italian Army series all have three volumes, covering the major theatres and time periods of the war. The German set has five.
The German Army set should be read in conjunction with many other individual volumes covering their allies and opponents and the other German fighting forces such as the Waffen SS, and the Parachute units, which were part of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe.
If you want an introduction to the fascinating variety of clothing and equipment of the forces covered, this set is for you.

This work is a splendid example of the new emphasis of the publisher on producing comprehensive works in a handy cheap format compared with the earlier broad brush treatments which covered too much in too little detail.
The new emphasis is on sets covering various national armed forces in as much detail as is available, consistent with the current purpose of the works in the series, which have evolved from an original emphasis on serving the military miniature maker market into works intended to enlighten the general reader in enough detail to satisfy the merely curious and to point the way to further reading.
Most of us, including myself, have little need for, or the patience to read, voluminous studies, often in foreign languages, covering many eras and nations. My main interest is in the US forces, their allies and their enemies in the twentieth century.
That said, these works should be purchased as presented, in sets within the series. Since they are produced as a set, the volumes cover only relevent parts of the general history and the clothing and individual equipment is covered as it appears in each period. The French Army, US Army, British Army, and Italian Army series all have three volumes, covering the major theatres and time periods of the war. The German set has five.
The German Army set should be read in conjunction with many other individual volumes covering their allies and opponents and the other German fighting forces such as the Waffen SS, and the Parachute units, which were part of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe.
If you want an introduction to the fascinating variety of clothing and equipment of the forces covered, this set is for you.

Marvin Jensen's "Strike Swiftly" is a great addition to any library. Jensen shows the people behind some of the great events of the Second World War. As he traces the 70th Tank Battalion from pre-WW II through the end of the war, he honors his brothers in arms, both living and dead, with solid history of events and a more solid account of the people. Inspiring and easy to read, the stories are often humorous and the reader will appreciate the fact that the U.S. Army in WW II was a citizen's army. Jensen details well small unit armor tactics and explains day to day army life. If you like military history and enjoy it from the soldiers point of view, Jensen is right on target!

Jensen's book is a collection of tales, events, and history all sewn together. It read quickly and left the reader wanting to learn more about the experiences of the men of the 70th battalion. It was told from the perspective of those who were truly involved in and affected by the war, not by some staff officer retelling the events from afar. It was warm, engaging, funny, serious, sad, and real. A Great book!

Strategists and historians, writing about World War II, D-Day, the landings at Normandy, and the battles to liberate Europe would do well to read Mr. Jensen's compelling book about the role of the 70th Tank Battalion. As an historian, he has a fine sense of history. As a participant, a fine memory. His account is made vivid and immediate by the accounts of the men themselves, who were responsible for the allied victories. I doubt if you will read better descriptions of the citizen army, trained for the landing, but for little else the men were to encounter on land, than the narratives of these ordinary men from an extraordinary battalion. We have read this book and highly recommend it. Natalie & Norman Friend

I recently took part in an online discussion over the merits of O'Connor and Montgomery and came to the conclusion that my knowledge was lacking on the details of their respective attributes as General Officers in the field, so when I came accross this book I thought "Just what I want".

Once I read the introduction however, whilst assuming the details and history to be correct, what jaundiced my view was that the purpose of the book was to "prove" that Montgomery inherited his good actions from Auchinleck as opposed to 'creating' them himself. This raised the possibility of a 'slant' to the text in order to "prove" the authors contention.

Having said that, I thoroughly 'enjoyed' the read which was most informative.

This book is a study of the leadership of the British army in the desert campaigns of World War II. First published in the 1960's, it caused a stir in its attempt to deconstruct the invincibility myth surrounding Field Marshal Montgomery.
Barnett makes a convincing case. His Montgomery is the villain of the book, a self-serving opportunist whose actual military skills never matched his inflated reputation. Barnett is especially indignant over Montgomery's dishonesty when first assuming command of the 8th Army, namely in taking the credit for much of Auchinleck's work and passing it off as his own. Consequently, there's a palpable relish in the way he describes how the famous Battle of El Alamein was unbelievably almost lost under Montgomery direction, and how the ensuing pursuit to the Tunisian frontier was hamstrung by his hesitancy and conservatism.
Barnett is equally highly critical of Churchill's direction of the war in the Mediterranean, for example with regard to the Greek campaign, which he maintains was based on unsound military strategy and fought by British forces for purely cynical political gain. Meanwhile, O'Connor is lamented as a forgotten hero, victor over a hugely superior Italian army. Ritchie and Cunningham are sympathised with as men hopelessly out of their depth. Auchinleck is the hero of the piece, a towering figure of stoicism and dignity, saviour of the Middle East yet virtually betrayed by his superiors in 1942 with his dismissal and replacement by Montgomery and Alexander. Throughout all this, Rommel flits in and out of the narrative, a genius with almost supernatural ability to prevail against overwhelming odds.
The book is virtually a condemnation of the entire British army officer class in World War II who, with honourable exceptions, are dismissed as good-natured yet plodding amateurs, anachronistic in their thinking and no match for a professional, modern German army. Furthermore, the author asserts that the 8th Army was effectively incapable of ever defeating the Afrika Korps in battle without overwhelming material and numerical superiority, and without the benefit of high-quality intelligence, i.e. the Ultra decrypts.
The case against Montgomery seems so persuasive that it is almost necessary to balance this out and seek an opposing viewpoint in his favour, which can easily be found among his own biographers. Barnett to his credit does note Montgomery's undisputed ability to inspire and raise morale among his troops and does admit that he was not a poor general as such. His huge reputation however warrants the most rigorous and uncompromising examination of his overall record, which Barnett is not afraid to carry out.
The Desert Generals is one of the best books I have read on any aspect of the Second World War. Well-written, reasoned and thought provoking, it will appeal to both the serious student of the period and to those with a more casual interest.

In this book, Barnett again demonstrates a unique ability to dissect high command. Barnett was ahead of his time with his critical analysis of Montgomery. The latest edition includes a section which details the extent to which the allies in North Africa knew in advance what Rommel's moves would be, thanks to ULTRA intercepts. With this additional information, Montgomery's cautious conduct of the campaign in North Africa comes into even greater question. Barnett also details how the British, under O'Connor, were on the verge of driving the Italians from North Africa in 1940, but instead chose to send an expeditionary force to Greece on what was basically a poltical mission masterminded by Winston Churchill. That mission, like Churchill's foray into Gallipoli during the First World War, collapsed and Axis forces were not cleared from North Africa until early 1943. This book is highly recommended for anyone who enjoyed *Hitler's Generals* or *Swordbearers*, both also by Barnett, or anyone interested in the history of the Second World War, North African theater.

G.F. Borden is very familiar with the technical issues of World War II tanks, including the Italian tank that is at the center of the book. However, he never allows his considerable knowledge to detract from the horror of war. Here, he describes the efforts of a tank crew far behind enemy lines to get their captured Italian tank back to safety. His main character, an American who has been fighting fascism since the Spanish Civil War, has no illusions about war. You need not be obsessed with World War II to enjoy this book; it is well-plotted, and the characters are quite believable.

Lost in the desert behind enemy lines,a single tank and it's crew survive by the desperate will of their young commander. The commander is an "idealist", an American volunteer in the British Armored cavalry and at 27 already a veteran--a survivor of the doomed anti-fascist campaign of Spain 1939 which foreshadowed the horrors yet to come. Fierce prose animates the book,with scenes vivid as a heat mirage. A stern,tautly written, compelling novel.

This is an excellant book worthy of a re-read. It portrays Allied and Nazi soldiers not as cookie cutter good and bad guys, but as people with their own virtues and faults. As good a story as Saving Private Ryan.

This voluminous, five volume set, is meant to serve as a comprehensive dictionary of the ancient near east. Though the topics covered are impressive, the main drawback of this volume is the surprisingly small amount of illustrations and pictures that are incorporated in the text. In a work that claims to summarize the archaeology of the ancient near east, the few pictures, plans, etc., seriously lowers the intrinsic value of the encylopedia. This said, nevertheless, these volumes can be used for the convenient summaries of the archaeology of various sites and the basic relevant bibliography.

This thing is simply great - Looks good, nice paper, great content, not overly academic/pretentious in its stile of writing. Also serves as a good read when not looking for specific topics. Im sorry I did not discover that treasure sooner.

This Oxford publication is the Motherload for sites in the Near East. Just about every site, with the exception of those found after 1996-97, in the near east is listed in this beautifully bound set (vol 1-5). It is an excellent source for any Archaeology student researching sites in the Near East. One draw back of the volumes is the lack of diagrams and photo's. However, the volumes are very well written with the student or researcher in prespective. All sites are in alphabetical order, making location a task easy to accomplish. This set is a must for serious students in the field.

(Notice: The above book offered by Amazon.com is just the first of a set of five books. I refer to all Volumes in my review, not just the one book presented above.)