Review by Choice Review
Gelvin (UCLA; Divided Loyalties: Nationalism and Mass Politics in Syria at the Close of Empire, CH, May'99, 36-5243; The Modern Middle East: A History, 2005) has crafted a critical, objective, and sophisticated analysis of the century-long conflict over Palestine. He judiciously challenges the superficial but widespread mythologies of both Israelis and Zionists, and Palestinians and Arabs. He argues that the struggle is essentially "a dispute over real estate" "by two nationalist movements." This is not a text for true believers of any perspective, but is "for students and general readers who wish to understand the broad sweep of the history of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle and to situate it in its global context." This Gelvin does admirably well. This is a superior work for all libraries, and especially for serious readers and undergraduate college classes. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All general, public, and undergraduate collections. B. Harris Jr. Occidental College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
