Arab and Jew

August 5, 1986
The Jew, in the Arab stereotype, is a brutal, violent coward; the Arab, to the prejudiced Jew, is a primitive creature of animal vengeance and cruel desires. There is remarkable symmetry in these images, as Shipler

David Shipler has updated ARAB AND JEW, his Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the Middle East, to include the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unlike other authors, Shipler focuses on people and events, not just politics. Because it contains many Hebrew and Arabic names and ethnic terms, ARAB AND JEW could be difficult to read. The language does not deter Robert Blumenfeld, whose performance demonstrates his fluency with the languages and the inflections critical to them. Blumenfeld's tone is also ideal, mixing just the right amount of emotion and intensity and giving credibility to people and events, regardless of ethnicity. ARAB AND JEW remains one of the most comprehensive treatments of the Middle East, and this performance is a "must" for anyone who wants to know more detail than is typically found in the media. Without obvious biases, the book is both marvelous and infuriating, particularly to people who do not agree with all of Shipler's conclusions. D.J.S. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine