Crossing Borders: An American Woman in the Middle East
and
Writing Off the Beaten Track: Reflections on the Meaning of Travel and Culture in the Middle East
Having shared experiences in two of the three countries Caesar writes about, I thought both books provided insight that would be useful to anyone new to the region-particularly women.
5 comments:
I read and enjoyed her first book. They are an unusual book in the genre of ME travel, but since we also share a background in literature and are both teachers, I related better than the average person probably did.
BTW... she is still on the faculty list at AUS.
VS
It would be interesting to chat w/ her sometime!
I tried reading, _Off The Beaten Track_ and found it hard to read - not smooth, and gave up on it within the first 50 pages. I thought it was stilted, very aloof and boring. I did not relate to it at all. May I add that two of the best books I have ever read about the mid-east are: _Expats, Travels in Arabia from Tripoli to Tehran_ by Christopher Dickey and _Sandstorms, Days and Nights in Arabia_ by Peter Theroux. Also another, _Arabia, a Travel Through the Labyrinth_, by Jonathan Raban. All 3 give you a flavor of various parts of the Mid-East, including the Emirates. They are entertaining. Sorry I just thought Caesar's book was a slog.
I'll check out those recommendations, VB. I think Caesar's books got a similar review to what you've given them!
I have all 5 of these books on my shelves actually. I think CG and I related better to Caesar's books because we share many of her experiences.
I particularly enjoyed Dickey's book and knew some of the people he met and talked about.
VS
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