Rating: 
Summary: Well-written and honest, but naive
Review: This book is well-written and, most importantly, honest -- the author doesn't whitewash or hide her feelings, even when they make her look like a flake. It's basically a simple story about what she did, thought, and felt when she was in Israel. People who want real insight into the situation in Israel should look elsewhere, though -- the author herself admits that she knows little, and is sometimes incredibly naive (when she tells terrorists that she is a journalist, they are polite and serve her tea, and she concludes that they're not all that bad). For people who know more about the region, though, this is a fascinating glimpse into a person's life and thoughts, and also provides insight into the rationale of left-wing activists in Israel.
Rating: 
Summary: Especially Relevant right now...
Review: This easy-to-read book packs a wallop Especially Now. IF the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has Anything to do with the Terrorism against the USA, this book shows how that peace was almost attained. That is the true importance of "Coming Home to Jerusalem." It's a book without sentimentality but with a lot of true sentiment. People-to-People Dialogue was, for me, the most moving and now the most important part of this book. I believe strongly that this is an honest account, what ideally belongs under "Conflict Resolution" rather than "Judaica" because the core of Orange's work shows warring opponents as less different than is ordinarily percieved. Ms. Orange's work is especially relevant now when the Jingoism in USA is (understandably, if unfortunately) going full tilt. NOT that I believe we can dialogue with Osama Ben L. But there are many around the world worth talking to-- rather than hunting for more murderous rounds of senseless violence. Were there more Dialogue and less guns and bombs, wouldn't the hard core terrorists have far less support? Think about that and read this book in paperback. 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Naive Can = Insightful
Review: I studied "Coming Home to Jerusalem" in college this past semester. Orange admits to being naive in her book, at least at the outset of her "personal journey." This doesn't make her warm and fuzzy and ignorant. Actually, it is her naivite or initial innocence that gives her an unusually fresh eye to view the peoples of Israel and Palestine. What is best about this book is Orange's emphasis on people, not political leaders, not political pundits. Last week, I saw on video two movies that will make my point. One is called "Leila" about upper middle class Arabs in Iran. The other is "Kadosh" about religious, lower/middle class Jewish Israelis. What was stunning to me was the similarities, not the differences, in these two films--both ironically concern married women who are "barren"--a huge event with disastrous outcomes In Both Cultures). It was then I realized the main point in "Coming Home...": Which is that the peoples of each culture are not so very different. Each focus on family life. Each have religion and in-laws who daily impact their personal lives. Agreed that this is not a history book in the usual sense. It is something more touching, showing how two ethnic groups share more than they know. Who are at war now because they haven't met each other. Isn't that Ms. Orange's entire point? Had the politicians and the media gotten out of the way, people-to-people dialogue would have healed so much that is now missing. I believe Orange's main point about ordinary citizens holds true, even in this worst--one hopes--of times.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: It's so nice to be able to give a rave review. I loved this book because it is not polemic, is easy to read and most of all: I adore the paperback with its beautiful cover and soft feel, what matches what is inside. Ms. Orange has a talent for making politics juicy, for making her life seem so full of adventure. She draws readers in and takes us with her. Orange is respectful of both her readers and her "characters"--so much so that I was sorry, very, when the book ended. A great dramatic tour de force.
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Summary: Border Crossings--Great Book
Review: I love books that cross borders, literal and emotional ones. This book does that and so much more. An American crosses the Atlantic and then goes to Israel, where she, Wendy Orange, then crosses the Green Line that separates Israelis and Palestinians. It is funny, at times, so human all the time and just a wonderful read: hopeful without sentimentality, smart without bravado, gutsy without braggadoccio. I love this book and recommend it highly, along with "Drinking the Sea at Gaza", also by a Jewish woman who crosses one serious border. But that's another story. This one is consistently well-written and to be savored. 5 Stars
Rating:
Summary: Fine Gripping Narrative
Review: As many have said, this reads as much like a novel as it does a non-fiction narrative. I enjoyed every page, every paragraph. We studied this book in my class on Israel at Brandeis. "Coming Home..." went over really well with all of us students in Dr. Gordy Fellman's class. We felt informed, entertained and engaged, especially when Dr. Orange and one of her main characters came to the class to update us on their lives. I just bought the paperback and want to recommend it highly to anyone interested in a good read OR the current middle east. The 1990's are what's covered here, giving a ground for what is happening now. But I take strong exception to the negative comments due to agreeing with those who see how this book's site is being abused for political diatribes. That is off the mark. As many have said, this is not a history book, but a personal odyssey into foreign cultures. If you want the History of the Middle East, go elsewhere. If you want a great read, check out this paperback.
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Summary: thanks to Wendy, I've stopped avoiding news on Israel..
Review: ... and I've watched post-Oslo agreement events w/a broken heart. For decades I've avoided learning about Israel, since the vocal partisans on both sides seemed so one-note and hysterical. Too complicated, too intractable, too difficult to "get". Wendy's book changed me, from an avid reader in international politics who had long avoided learning more about that seemingly permanently at war part of the world, to an inveterate optimist from afar. Her eyes and her ears are sharp, and she doesn't shy from sharing her own fear, love, worry and the evolution of her own understanding and education, with evocative language uncommon in non-fiction -- especially non-fiction on politics! This book has engaged me in the peace process from afar, with nary a reason to care, but that I care anew about the peoples who clearly both belong there.
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Summary: Paperback reads better than Hardcover
Review: I read this book in hardcover and now again in paperback. I love the cover and the easy-to-carry paperback, not true for me of all books. I also really admire the gutsyness of the author, the way she placed herself in confusing, often dangerous situations and then felt and thought her way to a point of view. Ms. Orange is a true soul, what I glean from her words, her attitudes--always fair--and mostly her tenacity, what I find her most sterling quality. Would that more journalists had her passion for justice. 5 Stars.
Rating:
Summary: an eye-opening journey
Review: What a great book! Wendy Orange's Coming Home to Jerusalem woke me up to the complexities of what the nightly news calls the "situation" in the Middle East. Her sympathetic voice alerts us to the many "situations"-- personal, political, historical, religious, ethnic, etc. The intersection of her own personal journey with the larger political one made this book, for this reader, a joy to read and an aid to reflection.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Top-Level Narrative Non-Fiction
Review: I've never written a customer review before but this book begs to be put on your reading list. It's profound yet a page-turner, erudite yet eminently readable, panoramic but not dizzying. Put this on your summer reading list to learn about the Middle East in a most story-like, engaging way. It's full of love for the Mideast, and a fine book for newcomers to the area, yet great for those of us who know Israel and the Palestinian territories well. The reasons for the current war are not spelled out here, but are predicted. The possibilities for a fair peace show up in almost every page. Five Stars for Coming Home to Jerusalem.
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