Published: July 26, 2011
Words: 117,412 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781465853271

Short description

This is the memoir of an American who spent 2009-2010 with his family in Tyr, Lebanon near the border with Israel. Become an armchair expat as he shares his experiences of anti-American bias and the chances of a war with Israel constantly looming. You will be fascinated to walk through Tyr vicariously, and troubled as you realize what lurks below the surface there also lurks here and everywhere.

Extended description

Lebanon may not receive the most news coverage, but this book will make you think it should. It was written by an American during the year 2009-2010, when his wife took a job working for an NGO near the border with Israel. Since his wife had the job, and his son went to school, the American would take lengthy walks daily through the nearby city of Tyr, observing and experiencing the locals, the expatriot international community, Hizbullah, historic sites, and the Mediterranean Sea in ways he had never encountered before.

His memoir, A Year in Tyr, is the result. It is a fascinating yet troubling record of one American’s sojourn from the good life, to anxiety over anti-American bias, to dread of war with Israel, which seems to loom as a very real possibility at all times among those who live in southern Lebanon. Told with warmth and humor at times and very tough talk at others, A Year in Tyr is sure to get people talking about something Margaret Atwood raised when she said, “Ther.. (Read more) Lebanon may not receive the most news coverage, but this book will make you think it should. It was written by an American during the year 2009-2010, when his wife took a job working for an NGO near the border with Israel. Since his wife had the job, and his son went to school, the American would take lengthy walks daily through the nearby city of Tyr, observing and experiencing the locals, the expatriot international community, Hizbullah, historic sites, and the Mediterranean Sea in ways he had never encountered before.

His memoir, A Year in Tyr, is the result. It is a fascinating yet troubling record of one American’s sojourn from the good life, to anxiety over anti-American bias, to dread of war with Israel, which seems to loom as a very real possibility at all times among those who live in southern Lebanon. Told with warmth and humor at times and very tough talk at others, A Year in Tyr is sure to get people talking about something Margaret Atwood raised when she said, “There is just one race -- the human race -- and we are all members of it.” This book is a wake-up call on that very subject.

This is the second release by the author, Eric Jonas Swensson. His first book was Kinderbeten, an historical work. He had planned to use the year in Tyr to do more historical research in his field, but he found the subject of Lebanon and its present-day politics right in his face and very compelling.. So will you.
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Tags

women, democracy, peace, religion, bible, israel, memoir, jesus, war, freedom, american, christian, islam, america, muslim, united nations, syria, usa, israeli intelligence, quran, arab, women and islam, hijab, islamic extremists, israel palestine palestinian hamas, lebanon civil war, lebanon, hizbullah, freedom of speech, saladin, crusaders, freedom of choice, islam v christianity, israeli, burka, arab middle east, islam and christianity, freedom of religion, israeli defense force, freedom of expression, sunni, tyr, arab spring, tyre, israel and palestine, arab israeli conflict, islamophobia, flotilla, american abroad, islam and divorce, islam and women, shiites, maronites, islamic jihad, 2006 war

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Reviews

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Review by: Marcela Whelan on Jan. 06, 2012 :
An interesting personal account from a unique perspective. Even without the photos in the book, Tyr is illustrated in vivid detail - the roads & road-users, the shopkeepers, the ancient structures are described with such detail that you can feel the sun's heat beaming down on each scene.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Elias Bejjani on Sep. 19, 2011 : (no rating)
It is a great book. I enjoyed reading it and would like to see all those in the West who are interested in the Middle East's history, cultures, traditions and politics to do so. The book is rich in a great deal of information
Elias Bejjani
Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Advocate
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: stephen "steve" q shannon on Aug. 24, 2011 :
Strikes me as personal, candid, engrossing, plenty of fun, scary, and spiked with fascinating history I won't get any other way.

Slog...good crossword word, but not appropriate. Instead you have chosen an episodic approach that says to me..."Reader, be patient, if this segment of the book does not interest you, there's surprise and cunningness just ahead in the next few pages or less." No slog here!

Oh yes, for me you paint word pictures, a special gift. Causes me to want to be by your side despite the uncertainties and "masks" you encounter hour to hour.

Could this be the first in a series? You've shown you can narrate with crisp sentences and light hearted dialog?
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

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