Two hundred and fifty delicious, authentic recipes that showcase the vibrant flavors and healthful variety of vegetarian Middle Eastern cooking Vegetarian Dishes from Across the Middle East--originally published in 1983, out of print for 20 years, and previously unavailable in North America--now reappears as the appeal of vegetarian and Middle Eastern cooking continues to grow.

Author Arto der Haroutunian wrote 12 cookbooks that share with readers his thorough knowledge of and love for Middle Eastern food and of the peoples and cultures from which it developed. Here are dishes from as far west as Albania and as far east as Iran, with tastes from everywhere in between.

Everyday favorites like hummus, tabouleh, Braised Mushrooms, and White Beans in Olive Oil
Fragrant soups and stews, from Lentil Soup ("The most popular and ancient") to refeshing Orange and Lemon Soup
Healthy appetizers and salads, including Eggplant and Avocado Dip, Stuffed Tomatoes, and Spicy Beat Salad
Kookoo and eggeh, the frittata-like baked omelets popular across the Middle East Bread and
Pastry recipes, from lavash and pita to baklava and Date and Walnut Cakes
Sweets and holiday treats like Saffron Pudding, Banana Ice Cream, and Rose Petal Jam.

Touch centers on a girl, the youngest of nine sisters in a Palestinian family. In the singular world of this novella, this young woman's everyday experiences--watching a funeral procession, fighting with her siblings, learning to read, perhaps falling in love--resonate until they have become as weighty as any national tragedy. The smallest sensations compel, the events of history only lurk at the edges--the question of Palestine, the massacre at Sabra and Shatila. In a language that feels at once natural and alienated, Shibli breaks with the traditions of modern Arabic fiction, creating a work that has been and will continue to be hailed across literatures. Here every ordinary word, ordinary action is a small stone dropped into water: of inevitable consequence. We find ourselves mesmerized one quiet ripple at a time.

Renowned Middle East expert Vali Nasr's bestselling The Shia Revival profoundly transformed the debate about the Iraq War by unveiling how the Sunni-Shia rift was driving the insurgency. Now, in Forces of Fortune, Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world -- a new business-minded middle class - that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.

His groundbreaking analysis will utterly rewrite the wisdom about how the West can best contend with the threat of Islamic extremism, as well as about what we can expect from the Muslim world in the future. The great battle for the soul of Iran, the Arab world, Pakistan, and the entire region will be fought not over religion, Nasr reveals, but over business and capitalism

.With a deft combination of historical narrative and eye-opening contemporary on-the-ground reporting from his constant trips to the region, Nasr takes us behind the news, so dominated by the struggle against extremists and the Taliban, to introduce a Muslim world we've not seen; a Muslim world in which the balance of power is being reshaped by an upwardly mobile middle class of entrepreneurs, investors, professionals, and avid consumers -- who can tip the scales away from extremist belligerence. His insights into the true situations in Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the crucial bright spots of Dubai and Turkey provide a whole new way of thinking about the troubles and prospects in the region.

Drawing on his in-depth knowledge of the Muslim world's tortured history, he offers a powerful reassessment of why both extremism and anti-Americanism took hold in the region -- not because of an inevitable "clash of cultures" or the nature of Islam, but because of the failure of this kind of authentic middle class to develop in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, largely due to the insidious effects first of colonialism and then of top-down dictatorial regimes, often supported by the West. He then shows that the devoutly Islamic yet highly modern Muslims of what he calls the "critical middle" -- in Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, and the stealth force behind the extraordinary growth of aggressively capitalist Dubai - are finally the middle class the region has desperately needed. They are building a whole new economy-- as the middle classes did in both India and China - and their distinctive blending of Islam and capitalism is the key to bringing about lasting reform and to defeating fundamentalism. They are people in the region the West can and must do business with...

Forces of Fortune offers a transformative understanding of the Muslim world and its possible future that is sure to spark lively debate and to play a vital role in bringing about a sea change in thinking about the conflict with Islam.

A revealing account of how Israel's booming arms industry and apartheid South Africa’s international isolation led to a secretive military partnership between two seemingly unlikely allies. Prior to the Six-Day War, Israel was a darling of the international left: socialist idealists like David Ben-Gurion and Golda Meir vocally opposed apartheid and built alliances with black leaders in newly independent African nations. South Africa, for its part, was controlled by a regime of Afrikaner nationalists who had enthusiastically supported Hitler during World War II.

But after Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories in 1967, the country found itself estranged from former allies and threatened anew by old enemies. As both states became international pariahs, their covert military relationship blossomed: they exchanged billions of dollars' worth of extremely sensitive material, including nuclear technology, boosting Israel's sagging economy and strengthening the beleaguered apartheid regime.

By the time the right-wing Likud Party came to power in 1977, Israel had all but abandoned the moralism of its founders in favor of close and lucrative ties with South Africa. For nearly twenty years, Israel denied these ties, claiming that it opposed apartheid on moral and religious grounds even as it secretly supplied the arsenal of a white supremacist government.

Sasha Polakow-Suransky reveals the previously classified details of countless arms deals conducted behind the backs of Israel's own diplomatic corps and in violation of a United Nations arms embargo. Based on extensive archival research and exclusive interviews with former generals and high-level government officials in both countries, The Unspoken Alliance tells a troubling story of Cold War paranoia, moral compromises, and Israel's estrangement from the left. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Israel's history and its future.

In this riveting account of U.S.-Arab relations, award-winning author Ussama Makdisi explores why Arabs once had a favorable view of America and why they no longer do. Firmly rejecting the spurious notion of a civilizational clash between Islam and the West, Makdisi instead demonstrates how an initial zealous American missionary crusade was transformed across the nineteenth-century into a leading American educational presence in the Arab world, and how the advent of the idea of Wilsonian self-determination, amidst wide-scale Arab emigration to the United States, further bolstered a positive, foundational Arab idea of America. However, a series of subsequent political turning points—beginning with the British and French colonial partition of the Arab world in 1920 and culminating in the U.S.-backed creation of Israel in 1948 at the expense of the Palestinians-systematically alienated Arabs from America.

Drawing on both American and Arab sources, Makdisi brings to the fore for the first time a wide range of hitherto marginalized Arab perspectives on their multifaceted cultural and political encounters with America. Unearthing this neglected history puts current politics and Arab attitudes toward the United States in a crucial historical perspective. By tracing how American missionaries laid the basis for an initial Arab discovery of America, and then how later U.S. policy decisions fueled anti-Americanism, Makdisi tells a powerful historical tale brimming with contemporary relevance.

Following in the footsteps of Sir Richard Burton and Lawrence of Arabia, Hugh Pope presents his modern-day explorations, mined from more than three decades, of the politics, religion, and aspirations of Muslim peoples to show how the Middle East is much more than a monolithic "Islamic World." An Oxford-educated scholar of the Middle East and acclaimed former foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, Pope has lived and worked in two dozen countries throughout the region. In eighteen revealing chapters, he delves into the amazingly varied cultures ranging from the south of Sudan to Afghanistan and from Islamabad to Istanbul.

His probing and often perilous journeys--at one point during a meeting with an al-Qaeda missionary, Pope is forced to quote Koranic verse to argue against his own murder--provide an eye-opening look at diverse societies often misportrayed by superficial reporting and "why they hate us" politics. With intimate and personal anecdotes arising out of experiences from war fronts to bazaars to the palaces of kings, Pope weaves a rich narrative that embraces art, food, poetry, customs, and the competing histories of the Middle East.

Merging the traditions of the classics Balkan Ghosts and From Beirut to Jerusalem, Dining with al-Qaeda illuminates an infintely complex part of the world. With U.S. foreign policy aiming to engage more construvtively with Muslim nations, this lyrical book of adventures collects some of the truly important untold stories of our times.

The story behind Israel's assault on Gaza, by acclaimed Ha'aretz journalist. Israel's 2009 invasion of Gaza was a vicious act of aggression that left well over one thousand Palestinians dead and devastated the infrastructure of an already impoverished enclave. In this searching examination of Israel's policies, award- winning journalist Gideon Levy shows how the ground was prepared for the assault and documents its continuing effects.

From 2005-the year of Gaza's "liberation";-through to 2009, he tracks Israel's abandonment of the pretense of diplomacy in favor of a policy of provocation and raw military power, with the ultimate aim of denying Palestinians any chance of forming their own independent state. Punished by Israel and the Quartet of international powers for the democratic election of Hamas, Gaza has been transformed into the world's largest open-air prison.

From Gazan families struggling to cope with the random violence of Israel's blockade and its "targeted" assassinations, to the machinations of legal experts and the continued connivance of the international community, every aspect of this ongoing tragedy is eloquently recorded and forensically analyzed. Levy's powerful journalism shows how the brutality at the heart of Israel's occupation of Palestine has found its most complete expression to date in the collective punishment of the residents of Gaza. .

The frontline in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Gaza is constantly reported as a place of violence and terror. Ramzy Baroud's memoir explores the daily lives of the people in that turbulent region: the complex human beings -- revolutionaries, mothers and fathers, lovers, and comedians -- who make Gaza so much more than just a disputed territory. At the heart of Baroud's tale is the story of his father who, driven out of his village to a refugee camp, took up arms to fight the occupation while trying to raise a family.

Part anthology and part travelogue, Translating Libya presents the country through the eyes of sixteen Libyan short story writers and one American diplomat. Intrigued by the apparent absence of 'place' in modern Libyan short fiction, Ethan Chorin resolved to track down and translate stories that specifically mention cities and landmarks in Libya.

The stories trace the influence of the ancient Romans, the later Italian occupation and the current influx of foreign workers from Africa and further afield. The authors open a window on today's Libya - a rapidly urbanizing country with rich oil reserves, recently renewed diplomatic relations with the West and a nascent tourist industry based on its well-preserved ancient cities. This is a unique introduction to a country that has for some time been 'off the beaten path'.

Ami Pedahzur and Arie Perliger, world experts on the study of terror and security, propose a theory of violence that contextualizes not only recent acts of terror but also instances of terrorism that stretch back centuries.

Beginning with ancient Palestine and its encounters with Jewish terrorism, the authors analyze the social, political, and cultural factors that sponsor extreme violence, proving religious terrorism is not the fault of one faith, but flourishes within any counterculture that adheres to a totalistic ideology. When a totalistic community perceives an external threat, the connectivity of the group and the rhetoric of its leaders bolster the collective mindset of members, who respond with violence.

In ancient times, the Jewish sicarii of Judea carried out stealth assassinations against their Roman occupiers. In the mid-twentieth century, to facilitate their independence, Jewish groups committed acts of terror against British soldiers and the Arab population in Palestine. More recently, Yigal Amir, a member of a Jewish terrorist cell, assassinated Yitzhak Rabin to express his opposition to the Oslo Peace Accords. Conducting interviews with former Jewish terrorists, political and spiritual leaders, and law-enforcement officials, and culling information from rare documents and surveys of terrorist networks, Pedahzur and Perliger construct an extensive portrait of terrorist aggression, while also describing the conditions behind the modern rise of zealotry.

A devoted son of Holocaust survivors and ardent critic of Israeli foreign policy, the polarizing American political scientist and author Norman Finkelstein has been called a lunatic and self-hating Jew by some, and an inspirational revolutionary by others.

Exploring the deeply complex issues at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, American Radical is the insightful and enraging documentary that follows Finkelstein around the world as he attempts to negotiate a voice among his impassioned critics and supporters. Uncompromising even in the face of his recent denial of tenure at DePaul University, Finkelstein is revealed as a complex and supremely lonely figure whose self-destructive nature often undermines his academic credibility.

A guaranteed argument starter, this potent documentary plunges viewers into the psychological and intellectual underpinnings of a vitriolic personality.

"For us, Finkelstein is the consummate documentary subject: a complex firebrand, principled to the point of self-ruin, at the apex of several of the world's largest conflicts. A man who has never been asked to appear on mainstream American television, but who regularly appears - always creating controversy - in the international media. At once anti-hero, clown, and merciless scholar, Finkelstein creates as many storms as he enters. And to what end? When radicals collide, does it create understanding? Some would argue that it sometimes does. Others would claim that Finkelstein's principled but too often bitter advocacy does much to discredit the cause of a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Audiences can decide for themselves."

-Directors David Ridgen & Nicolas Rossier

Women across the Arab world are redefining their role as leaders in Islam. Veiled Voices investigates the world of Muslim women religious leaders through the eyes of three women in Lebanon, Syria and Egypt. Filmed over the course of two years, Veiled Voices reveals a world rarely documented, exploring both the public and private worlds of these women.

The stories featured in the film give insight into how Muslim women are now increasingly willing to challenge the status quo from within their religion, promoting Islam as a powerful force for positive transformation in the world. Each triumphs over difficult challenges as they carve out a space to lead-both in Islam and in their communities.

"I found myself being drawn into their lives and stories. The movie certainly offers a rare glimpse into the lives of Muslim women leaders. At times it surprised my own pre-conceived ideas about the women." - Safiyyah Surtees, Muslima Media Watch

"The film, the first of its kind...is not to be missed by any who wish to enter the world of contemporary Islam with its lively gender dynamics being refashioned under our very eyes." - Margot Badran, author of Feminism in Islam: Secular and Religious Convergences

What faultlines lie within the Egyptian political system? Who will succeed Mubarak? Bradley explores the possibilities and dangers of the ensuing poltical changes in Egypt. While a revolution may not be immenent, Bradley gives the reader a clear overview of challenges and danger the regime faces.

Want to know more about Egypt? Add "A History of Egypt: From the Arab Conquest to the Present by Afaf Lutfi Al-Sayyid Marsot and learn more!

In 2004, the FBI raided the Masjid As-Salam, a working class mosque in Albany and arrested two of its members on charges of supporting terrorism. Dr. Ahmad's extensive research reveals how the raid and ensueing legal battle were part of the large battle to advance the post-9/11" war on terror" and intimidate the Muslim community. Part of the proceeds go to help the work of the Aref Education Fund.

Don't forget to also purchase Waiting for Mercy (a DVD exploring the entrapment case)!

A collection of photographs produced by the children of the Lajee Center for Refugees in Bethlehem, Palestine. Hearbreaking, powerful, and creative, the work shows the ideals and goals of youths who have for three generations been refugees within their own land. A portion of the proceeds go towards the activities of the Lajee Center for Refugees.

Click to add the beautifully illustrated childrens book by the Lajee Center "The Boy and the Wall"!

Yemen rarely hits major headlines but it is becoming a larger player in the constantly shifting political scene of the Middle East. Clark through a series of visits to the nation between 2004 and 2009 presents well researched and riveting account of the hopes and perils of this increasingly unstable state.

Want to know more about Yemen? Add Motoring with Mohammed: Journeys to Yemen and the Red Sea by Eric Hansen to your order.

"Better than any other book, 'This Time We Went Too Far' shows how the massive destruction visited on Gaza was not an accidental byproduct of the Israeli invasion but its barely concealed objective." - Raja Shehadeh, author, Palestinian Walks For the

Palestinians who live in the narrow coastal strip of Gaza, the December 2008 Israeli invasion was a nightmare of unimaginable proportions: in the 22-day-long action 1,400 Gazans were killed, several hundred on the first day alone. More than 6,000 homes were destroyed or badly damaged. The cost of the destruction and disruption of economic life, in one of the world's poorest areas, is estimated at more than $3 billion.

And yet, while nothing should diminish recognition of Palestinian suffering through these frightful days, it is possible something redemptive will emerge from the tragedy of Gaza. For, as Norman Finkelstein details, in a concise work that melds cold anger with cool analysis, the profound injustice of the Israeli assault has been widely recognized by organizations impossible to brand as partial or extremist.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the UN investigation headed by Richard Goldstone, in documenting Israel's use of indiscriminate and intentional force against the civilian population during the invasion (100 Palestinians died for every one Israeli), have had an impact on traditional support for Israel. Jews in both the United States and the United Kingdom, for instance, are beginning to voice dissent, and this trend is especially apparent among the young.

Such a shift, Finkelstein contends, can result in new pressure capable of moving the Middle East crisis towards a solution, one that embraces justice for Palestinians and Israelis alike. The seeds of hope were thus sown in the bitter anguish of Gaza. "This Time We Went Too Far", written with Finkelstein'’s customary acuity and precision, will surely advance the process it so eloquently describes.

Norman G. Finkelstein's books include Beyond Chutzpah, The Holocaust Industry, A Nation on Trial and Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict.

"(Finkelstein's) place in the whole history of writing history is assured."; - Raul Hilberg, author, The Destruction of the European Jews

A former Peace Corps Volunteer's riveting nonfiction narrative delivers a captivating tale of dire hardship, faith, and human courage in Morocco.

Allah's Garden focuses on a Moroccan doctor's 25-year detention by a militant group in prison camps within the Sahara Desert.

This plight is interwoven with the author's own engaging travelogue while in the North African region.

A facintating work that explores the often neglected War in Western Sahara.

Kurdistan is an invisible nation, and the Kurds the largest ethnic group on Earth without a homeland, comprising some 25 million moderate Sunni Muslims living in the area around the borders of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Through a history dating back to biblical times, they have endured persecution and betrayal, surviving only through stubborn compromise with greater powers. Yet, like the Basques in Spain and the Chechens in Chechnya, they have yearned for official statehood—and in the denouement of the conflict in Iraq, they could take a giant step toward that goal. But will they?

As Quil Lawrence relates in his fascinating and timely study of the Kurds, while their ambition and determination grow apace, their future will be largely dependent on whether America values a budding democracy in the region, or decides to yet again sacrifice the Kurds in the name of political expediency. In any event, the Kurdish north may well prove to be the defining battleground in Iraq. At this extraordinary moment in the saga of Kurdistan, informed by his deep knowledge of the people and region, Lawrence’s intimate and unflinching portrait of the Kurds and their heretofore quixotic quest—their deep history mingling with the controversy and complex realities of the present—offers a vital and original lens through which to contemplate the future of Iraq and the surrounding Middle East.

John L. Esposito is one of America's leading authorities on Islam. Now, in this brilliant portrait of Islam today-- and tomorrow-- he draws on a lifetime of thought and research to provide an accurate, richly nuanced, and revelatory account of the fastest growing religion in the world. 

Here Esposito explores the major questions and issues that face Islam in the 21st century and that will deeply affect global politics: Is Islam compatible with modern notions of democracy, rule of law, gender equality, and human rights? How representative and widespread is Islamic fundamentalism and the threat of global terrorism? Can Muslim minority communities be loyal citizens in America and Europe? The book also turns the mirror on the US and Europe, revealing how we appear to Muslims. 

Recent decades have brought extraordinary changes in the Muslim world, and in addressing these issues, Esposito paints a complex picture of Islam in all its diversity-a picture of urgent importance as we face the challenges of the coming century.

Informed by a deep knowledge of Algeria and Algerian history, these accessible essays guide the reader through the extraordinary politics of the drama in all its complexity.

Set in the streets of Amman. Follow Abu Raed - an elderly airport worker masquerading as a airline captain –as he inspires a gang of poor street children to with colorful tales of his “travels” around the world. A moving cinematic masterpiece winning the 2008 Sundance Audience Award for Foreign Films and wide acclaim worldwide. Pair this with Ali Zaoua- the Prince of the Streets – a film about Morroccan street children for only $35 (a retail value of nearly $45) plus shipping.

"A Humanistic Triumph..." Stephen Farber - The Hollywood Reporter

"A Jordanian Hero with the Spirit of Charlie Chaplin" - Mark Jerkins - NPR

Winner of 27 Festival Awards,
Washington Post Critics Pick

The quintessential immigrant tale, journey with Muna – a single mother from Palestine – who travels with her son Fadi to begin a new start in America. Set to the backdrop of the Iraq war, they face the complexities and tribulations of a new life in this heartwarming drama.

Official Selection at Sundance Dramatic Competition, Directors Fortnight

Winner- Pipresci Prize at Cannes 2009

The only writer to win the highest awards for literature from both the PLO and the Israeli government by a Palestinian Israeli. This modern classic explores the frality of Palestinian life by a man who attempts to avoid politics only to get sucked in as first a "terrorist" and then an "Israeli collaborator". Having served as a member of the Israeli Knesset, Emile Habiby draws from his own frustrations as a Palestinian politician in the absurd politics of the Israeli Knesset

.The author's own anger and sorrow at Palestine's tragedy and his acquaintance with the absurdities of Israeli politics (he was once a member of Israel's parliament himself) are here transmuted into satire both biting and funny.

The much awaited 4th installment of the Omar Yussef Mystery starts with a trip to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Upon arriving Omar Yussef discovers the beheaded body of one of a Palestinian boy. When his son is arrested as a suspect, Omar Yussef must prove his innocence. Haven't read the Omar Yussef mysteries?

“Rees tells this grim story with skill, specificity and richly detailed descriptions of people and places.... Offers a vivid portrait of Palestinian life today.”-The Washington Post

"Omar's probe of a West Bank ruled by political intrigue, religious hatred, and militia thugs lets ex-TIME Jerusalem bureau chief Rees make the Mideast conflict personal."-Entertainment Weekly

Acclaimed journalist Eric Margolis outlines the current hostilities between the Western and Muslim worlds and offers an honest and provocative blue print for resolution. A comprehensive and clearly written perspective on a many times overly simplified issue; Margolis provides an essential addition to studies on American-Islamic relations.

American Raj also discusses such topics as:

• Understanding why there is so much anger against the west in the Muslim world
• Why al Qaeda is so popular and can it be defeated
• How each conflict in the Muslim world feeds on the others
• How oil drives western policy in the Muslim world.

FINALIST IN 2009 GOVERNOR GENERAL'S AWARD FOR NON FICTION

The grandson of an eminent ayatollah explains the modern contradictions of today's cosmopolitan yet authoritarian... Highly readable with side anecdotes - a fun yet essential read to understand US-Iranian relations today. New preface analyses the Iranian mood after the explosive 2009 presidential election.

"Hooman Majd is a stylish and engaging guide through the by-ways of Iranian life. Leading us from seminary to opium den to the presidential compound, his wry sense of humor makes this book a pleasure to read.” -Gary Sick, Ph.D., senior research scholar at Columbia University and member of the National Security Council staff under presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan

"Illuminating... Captivating... A discerning guide to a complex country." - The Christian Science Monitor

A meticulously researched work on the purpose, efficacy, and consequences of the "West Bank Barrier"- expected to be completed in 2010. The author not only addresses the effects of the "West Bank Barrier" on Palestinians, but its' impact on the future of the greater Middle East. Filled with interviews from Israeli officials and architects to ordinary Palestinians who deal with its' effects daily, a well-rounded snapshot on an increasingly dire humanitarian situation.

"Superb...Backmann's book demonstrates a relentless continuity of Israeli purpose, now cemented by a fence."--Roger Cohen, The New York Times

“René Backmann has followed all aspects of this battle engrained in the hills of the West Bank. He has met with those who are building the wall and those who feel its effects. He has heard the arguments of its defenders and spoken with those who resist them.”--Le Monde

Told with empathy and great brilliance, esteemed historian Eugene Rogan follows the modern Arab experience from its roots in centuries of Ottoman domination to the present day struggles faced in the post-9/11 world. Highly acclaimed and exquisitely researched, it is both lively and highly informative for general readers new to the subject and scholars alike.

Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies, Columbia University"A masterful, thorough, and well-written survey of the entire sweep of modern Arab history. Full of lively vignettes but comprehensive at the same time, this book will be of great interest both to general readers and students of the Arab world.”

Avi Shlaim, author of The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World “Eugene Rogan writes about the Middle East with exceptional empathy, wisdom, and insight. His book is a landmark in scholarship on this complex and controversial region. Western scholars have written extensively about the Middle East but mostly from the outside looking in. The Arabs often feature in their accounts as mere driftwood on the sea of international affairs. Rogan, by contrast, has narrated the history of the region over the last five centuries from the inside looking out. He tells the history of the Arabs from their own perspective, using an impressive range of Arabic sources. It is a fascinating story and in Eugene Rogan it has found its most gifted chronicler.”

A unique anthology of fictional monologues following Egyptian taxi cab drivers as they traverse the hectic Cairene streets in their search of economic prospertity and human dignity. Part poetry, part oral history Al Khamissi provides an illustrative glimpse of the standard Egyptian man of the street trying to make ends meet.

"But instead of weaving together a well-defined narrative or adventure, Khamissi produced a series of vignettes of different drivers experiences, in an attempt to capture the broadest possible picture of the other side of Egyptian politics. (...) His unlikely approach, lucid prose, and rare insight into popular perceptions make Taxi perhaps the most interesting of the works that chronicle the social and political transformations Egypt has undergone during the past five decades. (...) Taxi's brilliance is that it captures the point at which cabs cease to be just a means of transportation and instead become a space for debate and exchange, at a time when all other public spaces, including the street itself, had become inaccessible under the brutal force of the police state." - Omayma Abdel-Latif, Foreign Policy