Product Description The perfect introduction to contemporary Arab culture for those who want to understand today's headlines and the complex events playing out on the world stage. From the rise of fundamentalism to the historically uneasy relationship between the Arab World and the West, Margaret Nydell has expanded her highly respected book to bring today's complex issues into clearer focus. This fourth edition of "Understanding Arabs" introduces the elements of Arab culture and Islam in an evenhanded, unbiased style. The book covers such topics as beliefs and values; religion and society; the role of the family; friends and strangers; men and women; social formalities and etiquette; and communication styles.
popular w/ Coalition forces in IraqOctober 13, 2008 This book circulated (dog-eared) among my rank-peers in Baghdad in 2007. It was highly-regarded among us and was considered recommended reading for new replacement officers. We craved such insights, and the book was confirming of some of our observations.
Great textbookSeptember 30, 2008 This book is a great textbook. It is written in a way that's enjoyable to read & easy to understand. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to travel to the Middle East or even wants to understand more about the culture and customs in the Arab world. My professor, who lived in Egypt for several years, has only disagreed with the author on very few occasions. I wish all textbooks were this easy to read!
Love this book!April 6, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book IS THE DEFINITIVE resource in educating the Western Mindset on how best to PRACTICALLY wrap oneself effectively toward relating with the Middle Eastern Mindset. A quick read, table of contents easily listing topics of interest, and practical tips on how to deal with prospective day-to-day interactions with an Arabic person in their home country.
Understanding the differences: here's where to startApril 19, 2007 3 out of 4 found this review helpful
You will find this to be one of the very best overviews of the main values and ideals that westerners find unusual or uncomfortable. This book gives tremendous help to move beyond "this is wrong" towards "this is different."
Helped an American wife of an ArabJanuary 14, 2007 11 out of 13 found this review helpful
I'm an American Christian woman, and I've been married to an Arab Muslim man for the last four years. This book caused some light bulbs to go off for me. It clarified past events that were puzzling to me.
It's a well written book that clearly hopes to offset the bad press that Arabs have been getting these past few years. However, the author is fair in her assessments of those areas in which the West and the Arab world need to make changes to improve relations and, perhaps, prevent another 9/11. It's an even-tempered discussion.
It includes wonderful summaries of Arab countries, including economic, political, and religious information about each country. A great resource!
