Cain's Field by Matt Rees (2004)
Read: February 2011
I've read two of Matt Rees' books before - he writes the Yussef Omar detective novels. Scotty got me this for my birthday and I was really pleased when I opened it as you know I enjoyed his other books. Then Scotty pointed out that actually this was really difficult for him to get a copy of as it his first book, an academic text that is out of print- wow!
The full title is Cain's Field - Faith, Fratricide and Fear in the Middle East, and it was written by Rees at the end of his time in the region as a journalist. Rees has a huge insight in to the region from the time spent here and it seems that he concentrated his time on speaking to every day people on either side of the conflict - listening to the real stories of people on the ground. The book is split in to two sections; Isreal and Palestine. The stories that form the different chapters show the conflicts within each territory, rather than between them.
It is a truely fascinating and enlightening book I feel. Rees obviously knows the area and it's people well by the way he can weave their narratives together to form the different chapters. Each chapter is firmly set within a side (Isreal or Palestine) but contains two or more stories that show the conflicts that people are fighting internally. These conflicts are leading to hate, violence, distrust, death and destruction. And so from that sense it is a very sad book. Rees however manages to, through these stories, deomstrate that the way forward in the region, that has the most chance of success, is to first address these internal conflicts. How can two countries come to agreement when they cannot agree within their own walls?
I learnt a lot reading this book and I do feel that I have learnt more about the area; not simply learning an author's views. I hope my trust is not misplaced (and have no reason to think it might be) but the time Rees has spent in the area as a journalist gives me the confidence that these narratives represent a truth about the region. Maybe not the only truth, but definitly a truth and in all cases the stories need to be heard as they represent real people living through this.
Read: February 2011
I've read two of Matt Rees' books before - he writes the Yussef Omar detective novels. Scotty got me this for my birthday and I was really pleased when I opened it as you know I enjoyed his other books. Then Scotty pointed out that actually this was really difficult for him to get a copy of as it his first book, an academic text that is out of print- wow!
The full title is Cain's Field - Faith, Fratricide and Fear in the Middle East, and it was written by Rees at the end of his time in the region as a journalist. Rees has a huge insight in to the region from the time spent here and it seems that he concentrated his time on speaking to every day people on either side of the conflict - listening to the real stories of people on the ground. The book is split in to two sections; Isreal and Palestine. The stories that form the different chapters show the conflicts within each territory, rather than between them.
It is a truely fascinating and enlightening book I feel. Rees obviously knows the area and it's people well by the way he can weave their narratives together to form the different chapters. Each chapter is firmly set within a side (Isreal or Palestine) but contains two or more stories that show the conflicts that people are fighting internally. These conflicts are leading to hate, violence, distrust, death and destruction. And so from that sense it is a very sad book. Rees however manages to, through these stories, deomstrate that the way forward in the region, that has the most chance of success, is to first address these internal conflicts. How can two countries come to agreement when they cannot agree within their own walls?
I learnt a lot reading this book and I do feel that I have learnt more about the area; not simply learning an author's views. I hope my trust is not misplaced (and have no reason to think it might be) but the time Rees has spent in the area as a journalist gives me the confidence that these narratives represent a truth about the region. Maybe not the only truth, but definitly a truth and in all cases the stories need to be heard as they represent real people living through this.
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