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kbooch3's review against another edition
5.0
this book came highly recommended to me from a friend, and she was right on point with her glowing assessment. this book chronicles the travels of an american journalist throughout the middle east during the late 80's and early 90's, in the time right before the gulf war exploded, and the global climate of the world was forever changed. i found myself laughing out loud as often as i was nearly moved to tears; horwitz has any easy writing style which kept me hooked. this is fabulous book, even if you're not interested in the middle east or travel writing.
tylerpearson's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.25
kevindern's review against another edition
Interesting and sometimes entertaining.
bobbo49's review against another edition
4.0
Although now 20 years old, and thus historically somewhat dated, Horwitz's first-person accounts of a journalist's travels through the Middle East in the 1980s-early 1990s is perceptive, often amusing, and well-written. He captures Cairo (the only locale I have visted) perfectly, and I have to believe he does the same with Baghdad, Tehran, Yemen, the Persian Gulf, etc. A great snapshot of time and place.
b0okcupidity's review against another edition
4.0
I can strike 'see the cradle of the world' off my bucket list. In all honesty, it was only there as a fanciful thought in the first place. Experiencing the sands of the ancient, seeing the ruins of Babylon, touching the wailing wall, being jostled in an open air market steeped in centuries of tradition? Sounds pretty inspiring.
The reality is that I'm not made of the brave, and my adventure gene doesn't function as well as it did when I was much younger. Even then, I was only cautiously excited about things far out of my comfort zone.
But, I can read. I can live vicariously. I can be moved by others courageous leaps of faith, and sometimes, insane decisions.
Enter Tony Horwitz.
Baghdad without a Map was the selection for this month's bookclub otherwise it wouldn't have landed on my nightstand. It took me about 18 days to work my way through it and not because it was boring or uninteresting (it was the complete opposite), but because I would be motivated to seek more information about the locations that Horwitz landed.
This book reads like a travelogue but with a journalistic bent. Horwitz, living in Cairo as a freelance writer while his wife, Geraldine Brooks, is on long assignment, shares his experiences as he travels to find 'the story' that can get him paid.
His travels and experiences leave out few places. From Libya to Iran, from Lebanon to the Sudan, Horwitz writes about civil war, famine, police states, belly dancing, and bitter strife with a certain amount of scholarly curiosity all while profiling some everyday people along the way. And while he lambasted some areas for their backwards and illogical government, he exuded a calm that was sometimes baffling.
While the book is cleverly put together by drawing out all the caricatures and lighter fare early on in places like Cairo and Yemen before delving into war torn areas in Iraq, Sudan and Lebanon, I had to wonder at the actual order of his travels - they aren't dated.
For example, taking a harebrained risk of driving the most unreliable vehicle I'd ever heard of into the mountains of Yemen to talk to arms dealers (remember, this is 1990. No cell phones or other means of emergency communication) might have been less risky to him if he did that AFTER surviving shelling and other close encounters of war. But that's just a theory of mine.
Because this was chosen by our history buff in bookclub, I expected it to be all dry, text book like history, and it wasn't. I'm reading more Horwitz, that's for sure.
The reality is that I'm not made of the brave, and my adventure gene doesn't function as well as it did when I was much younger. Even then, I was only cautiously excited about things far out of my comfort zone.
But, I can read. I can live vicariously. I can be moved by others courageous leaps of faith, and sometimes, insane decisions.
Enter Tony Horwitz.
Baghdad without a Map was the selection for this month's bookclub otherwise it wouldn't have landed on my nightstand. It took me about 18 days to work my way through it and not because it was boring or uninteresting (it was the complete opposite), but because I would be motivated to seek more information about the locations that Horwitz landed.
This book reads like a travelogue but with a journalistic bent. Horwitz, living in Cairo as a freelance writer while his wife, Geraldine Brooks, is on long assignment, shares his experiences as he travels to find 'the story' that can get him paid.
His travels and experiences leave out few places. From Libya to Iran, from Lebanon to the Sudan, Horwitz writes about civil war, famine, police states, belly dancing, and bitter strife with a certain amount of scholarly curiosity all while profiling some everyday people along the way. And while he lambasted some areas for their backwards and illogical government, he exuded a calm that was sometimes baffling.
While the book is cleverly put together by drawing out all the caricatures and lighter fare early on in places like Cairo and Yemen before delving into war torn areas in Iraq, Sudan and Lebanon, I had to wonder at the actual order of his travels - they aren't dated.
For example, taking a harebrained risk of driving the most unreliable vehicle I'd ever heard of into the mountains of Yemen to talk to arms dealers (remember, this is 1990. No cell phones or other means of emergency communication) might have been less risky to him if he did that AFTER surviving shelling and other close encounters of war. But that's just a theory of mine.
Because this was chosen by our history buff in bookclub, I expected it to be all dry, text book like history, and it wasn't. I'm reading more Horwitz, that's for sure.
ralswoods's review against another edition
5.0
Very clear and entertaining narrative about the Middle East in the 80s/90s! This book was not only fascinating, but also a good way fo wrap my head around a different part of the world and elements that make it what it is today.
crystalisreading's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book a long time ago, but I remember loving it. The author participates in his travels and in the activities of the people he meets with great interest and enjoyment. He is always trying something new and learning from it. His reaction to scantily clad Israeli women after months of being in modest Muslim countries is memorable. Definitely worth a read, even if it may be a bit outdated. it's a delicious slice of travel history.
suzmac's review against another edition
4.0
Perspective of the early 1990s is all the more interesting for its pre-Iraq war era context. Readable, eye-opening, amusing accounts of Cairo, Tehran, and Beirut among other places and peoples, as well as the "worst" city in the world. I especially enjoyed the paths between the well-known cities and the people found there. In part it's a pleasant read because of the occational press pool and Westerners' comments. The author was brave as well as reckless. A woman would never have been able to make such a trip in male-centric Saudi Arabia. Indeed it whets the appetite for something more substantial.
bmwpalmer's review against another edition
5.0
What a lovely book this was! Simply a joy to read. I was wary at first because it's a good twenty years old (when he talks about the Persian Gulf War, he means the one between Iraq and Iran), but really, how much has changed in the Middle East when it comes to stuff like baksheesh and run-down infrastructure? The parts I loved best were the parts about places I've lived and traveled, but really, the whole book is fascinating. It reminded me of Robert D. Kaplan Lite - all the quirky travel experiences without the grand political commentary. This is the kind of book I'd like to write someday.