This was a fascinating travelogue set in the Middle East. It is a journey into the past that provides a backdrop for the present situation in that area. The insights that the author derives are insidious and intelligent and the overall style is fluid and journalistic.

Very well done. Recommended. ( )

[Strange Lands and Friendly People] by [[William O. Douglas]]

William O Douglas, justice of the Supreme Court, was appointed by appointed by Franklin Roosevent in 1939 and served until 1975. His 36 year 209 day term is the longest on record. [Strange Lands and Friendly People] is his record of his late 1940's travels to Greece, Azeerbaijan, Persia (its name then0, Lebanon, various Arab tribes, Israel and India. It's a wonderful time-capsule view of an area that was relatively unknown to Americans at the time.

One sign of the times in which the book was written is his frequent analysis of how Russia is doing with converting the people he is visiting to communism. He, however, had a broader mind that many in that era. For example, he says:

"We in America are apt to think that the world is choosing sides between private enterprise and communism. Vast portions of the world--notabl the Middle East and Southeast Asia--feel no such compulsion. They seek solutions best suited to the genius of their people. Their way will not necessarily be our way when it comes to economic organization. This does not mean it will be any the less devoted to democratic standards or any the less respectful of human rights and the dignity of man."

At the end of the book he outlines several mistakes he believes America has made and characteristics which he thinks American foreign policy should have. I can only say I wish it had been so. ( )

Travel/Middle East