A Season in Bethlehem: Unholy War in a Sacred Place

by Joshua Hammer and Joshua Hammerman

Book Overview

Newsweek's Jerusalem bureau chief Joshua Hammer arrived in the West Bank in October 2000 -- just after Ariel Sharon made his inflammatory visit to the Haram al-Sharif, otherwise known as the Temple... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743244133
• ISBN13: 9780743244138
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 286 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Seasons to Remember

This is thought provoking, courageous journalism! This is a great read, thoughtful, powerful imagery allows reader to make sense of insensibilities, and also makes it difficult to take sides. I saw no signs of favoritism to any involved parties, just a fact filled, well researched account of 40 or so days in what one would have to describe as a crucible. This is difficult to tackle subject matter, thankfully Mr. Hammer had the sense and fortitude to endanger himself and his loved ones in an effort to tell a story that had to be told, and, hopefully, more widely read. I cannot help but to compare Mr. Hammer to Ernie Pyle and his home-spun, natural ability to accurately describe war in its own urgent undertones, making the reader sense the palpable tension that must exist there to this day. I would highly recommend this to anyone trying to understand the nature and history of this conflict, or to university students involved in Mid-eastern studies. ab/

A Daring Journey...

Joshua Hammer goes to a place where most of us would never dare. "A Season in Bethlehem" is an intricately woven passage that takes the reader on an emotional journey delving into the minds, bodies and souls of its characters. Hammer writes, "This is a part of the world where every square foot of land is invested with deep meaning." And it's on that note where the book begins its quest to find reason for the violence and destruction that has brought so much suffering to the people living in the region today. Unlike most articles and material I have read on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, this book brings to the forefront some insight into why and how the chaos exists. The author makes a bold choice to humanize almost every character in this book, whether one considers them good or evil. But it's that choice that makes this book unique, it allows the human story from all sides to unfold. And for some that's a place where most people would rather not go. But if there is ever going to be change, it's a place where we have to go...

Missing the Point

People who complain about bias in this book are missing the point. "A Season in Bethlehem" doesn't aim to judge, but to present the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in all its complexity. The point is that there are no 100 percent good and no 100 percent bad guys here; everyone has blood on his hands. What's interesting about "A Season in Bethlehem" is that the author goes beyond the simple "verities" of this conflict to show the humanity, the complexity, the internal division of the Palestinian side. The book shows us that the terrorists and militiamen, however murderous their acts, are real human beings with complex motives- revenge, religious passion, crazed conviction about the righteousness of their cause. Apparently that's what gets the pro-Israel camp so riled up.

Fascinating stuff

This book is a really good read and remarkably-well researched. As a journalist who covered some of the events described in the account, I was impressed by the level of detail Hammer managed to achieve. The account of the Nativity Church siege in the last chapter is as good as any reporting I've seen from the region lately and it's told in gripping narrative form. Well worth reading.

A gripping story!

What is the Publisher's Weekly reviewer talking about? Joshua Hammer's book is excellent! Just when you think you have read it all and know it all about the Middle East, Hammer comes along with simply a great story about one particular event, the siege of the Church of Nativity. Beautifully told from various perspectives, this gripping narrative shows the drama and tragedy of the overall conflict in a nutshell. Some reviewers might miss clear-cut judgments of "good guys and bad guys" but the fact that Hammer leaves those up to the reader is one of the great strengths of the book. No doubt a must-read!