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Rating: 
Summary: A remarkable anthology
Review: Edward Said's writings pertaining to Palestinian and Near Eastern affairs are always well-written, deeply insightful, and immensely compelling. This collection of writings, primarily dealing with the emergence of a Palestinian self-consciousness, was authored of the course of nearly thirty years. Not only does it provide a uniquely valuable historical catalogue of Said's thoughts upon Palestinian issues, it traces well the Palestinian self-view. Edward Said is, to my mind, one of the most truly complete thinkers alive today...his thoughts, be they upon literary criticism, culturalism, politics, or ethnography, scintillate...this collection is no different. For those wanting a, albeit ocassionally caustic, tracing of the Palestinian self-view and world-view of them, this stands as a superior resource.
Rating: 
Summary: He misses not a single cliche
Review: It is easy enough for a celebrity columnist to throw together his entire output of op-eds and other short pieces over 25 years, label them 'essays' and present the results as a consistent narrative, but for this type of enterprise to succeed the author needs to exercise rigorous control over the quality of the output. Said has not done this, and thus has produced an incompetent, mean-spirited and frequently abusive collection. The consistent theme running through the book is the cliche that the troubles of the world may be attributed to the United States and Israel. In the interests of maligning the world's leading democracy, there is no tyrant so base that Said will fail to enter a plea of mitigation for him. Said even applies his balm to Saddam Hussein, whom he describes - in a sort of obligatory throat-clearing - as 'deeply unattractive ... has suppressed personal freedoms' (you don't say), but cannot avoid blaming the United States for. Apparently, Saddam is 'neither mad nor ... an unlikely figure to emerge out of the desolation that has characterized recent Arab history.' And who is responsible for the desolation? Well, here comes the 'radical chic' catechism of the supposed iniquities (including, in reality, many noble and humanitarian acts, such as the defeat of a murderous thugocracy in Grenada and the institution of free elections there) of the US, faithfully trotted out. This type of thing is both a feeble substitute for serious political analysis and a deeply patronising approach to the non-western world. Contrary to Said's sly anti-Arab insinuations, the rulers of Iraq, Iran, Syria and the other nightmare states are free agents perfectly capable of making their own independent decisions; unfortunately, unlike the statesmen of the US, Europe and Israel, they exercise their choice to persecute and execute their political opponents, oppress women and homosexuals, and foment terrorism. If the political analysis of the book is weak, the style is turbid and tendentious. Said appears to be insecure about his own intellectual status, because he repeats the word 'intellectual' like a mantra and expounds his views not through exegesis but by abuse. He hurls imprecations at, among others, an astute journalist, Thomas Friedman, and an outstanding Middle East scholar, Fouad Ajami, as 'belong[ing] to the genre of celebrities'. ... In truth, Said's political writings in this book are little more than an attitude furiously held to: before you start reading, you know with complete certainty what view he will enunciate. One dispiriting example will suffice. Rather than engage in a serious critique of, or display a proper moral revulsion at, terrorist violence, Said propounds the - if you will excuse the metaphor - exploded notion of a countervailing 'state violence' that dwarfs 'private violence'. I can recommend as a succinct and eloquent refutation of this undergraduate notion Conor Cruise O'Brien's 1978 book _Herod: Reflections on Political Violence_. The violence (let us purposely call it 'force', to denote its legitimacy) of the democratic state may be applied imprudently or even immorally on occasion, but it is open, accountable, and - by the nature of the democratic process - limited in scope and target. The violence of the terrorist is indiscriminate.... Said doesn't get this, but the critical reader will - and will therefore find a better book than this to occupy him.
Rating:
Summary: Possession
Review: It is remarkable how relevant these essays seem still, even as they lead up to the era of the Oslo process, in the frozen present since 1967, or 1948. Sorting out the myths of the Arab-Israeli conflict can be a full-time job, and that's the problem. Said's witnessing of the issues since 1967 has always been one component of the unfolding tragedy. The Arab-Israeli conflict sometimes seems in a time warp, and the relevance of these essays endures, whatever one's perspective. Said's acerbic commentary seems to hover over the decades, and his personal account, to start the book, is a permanent record of those who endured the juggernaut.
Rating:
Summary: An Important Voice
Review: Thank God for Said. He explains so eloquently the Palestinian cause in a way we never hear from the maintream media. This collection of essays, though 400 pages, hangs together very well.
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