Download PDF An Arabian Journey One Man Quest Through the Heart of the Middle East Audible Audio Edition Levison Wood Tantor Audio Books

Product details Audible Audiobook Listening Length 8 hours and 53 minutes Program Type Audiobook Version Unabridged Publisher Tantor Audio Audible.com Release Date February 5, 2019 Whispersync for Voice Ready Language English, English ASIN B07N967JYX

An Arabian Journey One Man Quest Through the Heart of the Middle East Audible Audio Edition Levison Wood Tantor Audio Books Reviews

• Travel writing at its best - a contemporary view of life around the edge of the Arabian peninsula
• While not as fluid or adventurous as his other works, still a fine read nonetheless. Tackling the subject of the Middle East from western eyes bent on objectivity was no easy task.
• As a fan of Wood's previous books, I found this one a bit different. Instead of the usual physical dangers posed by the elements, terrain, and fauna he encountered along the Nile, in the Himalayas, and in Central American rain forests, the risks posed in his latest adventure were caused by bullets, roadside bombs, and the headsman's sword. Traveling both on foot and aboard a camel, a fishing boat, a taxi, and, at one point, a tank, he followed the tracks of previous intrepid Western explorers such as T.E. Lawrence during his circumnavigation of this land of deserts, genies, and magic carpets. His interactions with the rag-tag protagonists in many of the disputed areas he traversed give a truer picture of the volatile situations in the region than nightly news reports often biased by political agendas. As usual, the book is enhanced by his color photographs and a map of his itinerary. Anyone trying to understand the modern enigma surrounding the cradle of civilization should find this book interesting.
• Levison Wood is a masochist of first order. But the best kind, the highly entertaining kind. The guy walks places (places one wouldn’t really walk or even think of walking) and then writes his walking adventures down. I loved walking the Nile with him, well I sat here, he walked, I read about it, fun was had by all. And the man is no stranger to some seriously inhospitable and difficult to navigate environments, but he might have outdone himself with this trek. Notice this book isn’t titled Walking the Arabia but an Arabian Journey, since some cars or other quadrupedal modes of transportation were utilized. Some places you just can’t walk, though the man tries. Arabia (a destination name far dreamier than Middle East), it seems holds a special sort of appeal to the author, it isn’t his first journey there, but this one was undertaken is such a dangerous time to be in the region. Nevertheless, he perseveres and even manages to hit every target he sets out for himself and this book is a result. And it’s good, but was it worth risking his life for…I’m not sure. It’s enlightening, because it offers perspectives of regular people caught up or stuck in irregular circumstances. At times it’s practically war reporting. And Wood stays notably unbiased as a reporter trying to present as many varied perspectives as he can from many different sides. But it doesn’t really teach a reader who isn’t familiar with the region’s complex politics all that much and it doesn’t really offer enough to change or make up minds. I’m relatively knowledgeable on the subject, having read up on it, taken a class on it and regularly following the news and reading articles, so I suppose I expected or was hoping for more…more to learn. But where the book may not explain the situation to those outside of the know, it certainly does a great job of humanizing it, which is no small feat for such a foreign (to westerners) culture. The thing is though you just can’t help thinking that there is a streak of masochism or some sort of obsession behind Wood’s travels. I’ve encountered a version of this in myself in my need to finish every book, no matter how crappy that book may be. But Wood, of course, takes that to an entirely new level. Although he does seem to come to a sort of realization during this trip that maybe his extreme traveling days are over, but time will tell. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds another wild and crazy journey to undertake in a near future. The man is, after all, obsessed. This book is good, very good (it’s only some historical facts short of great) and I’d definitely recommend it to all the armchair travelers out there. Disappointingly, hugely so, the ARC version had no photos and his books always have photos, so that won’t be available until the print version. Just so you know.
• A great travel story. This is the second book I have read of this author's journeys, and love the way he mixes facts with his own personal observations and questions and it is beautifully descriptive as well.
  It was nice to see these Middle Eastern countries, as peoples homes, and see how daily life is for them, and not just the images we see on TV these days. We were able to meet through him, some very interesting characters who guided him through these countries.
  The adventure has an easy flow as he goes through sometimes very hostile situations, whether it is Warring parties or stretches of deserts that need to be crossed.
  He circumnavigation the Arabian Peninsula, taking in thirteen Middle Eastern Countries, starting in Northern Syria to Lebanon, following at times the footsteps of past explorers whom he revered.
  He came very close to ISIS fighting, he had tea with Hezbollah, and one of his only ways out of one place, had to cross pirate-infested waters in a wooden dhow. He meets his parents and friends in Bethlehem, for Christmas, before going to his last destination Lebanon.
  I am looking forward to reading more of his books.
  I would l like to thank NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for an ARC of this book.
• I love any true or mostly true travel story. This was an informative read with interesting facts. It's well written and researched. The characters are likeable and engaging. Overall it's a good read. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
• This is an excellent addition to Wood's journeys. He offers an eye-opening view of the current life in the Middle East as well as the history of exploration in this area. I enjoyed reading about the author's trials and tribulations as he attempts to travel around and through war zones and meet locals.