Kanafani, Ghassan. Men in the Sun. Lynne Rienner Publishers; Boulder, CO, 1999. Ghassan Kanafani’s 1962 work Men in the Sun features three Palestinian refugees of different generations en route to what they believe will amount to relative freedom and prosperity in Kuwait. Many Palestinians have sought lives beyond the refugee camps, some attaining prominence as advocates in Europe and the Americas, but Kanafani’s protagonists lack such lofty ambitions. The aging Abu Qais, frustrated Assad and …showed first 75 words of 832 total…

…showed last 75 words of 832 total…the context of Arab political and social divisions. The message is not an implicit exoneration of Israel, of course, but it dismantles the starkly bipolar structure in which the conflict is often presented. The ongoing political and military crises (and increasing American involvement) make this book relevant not only for students of Middle Eastern studies, but for all politically conscientious people who seek a plurality of views with regard to conflict in the Middle East.