Andrew Arsan

The book is amazing - it explains pretty much every aspect of contemporary Lebanon, from politics to private life. It was written before the 2020 Beirut explosion, but you can learn why this calamity would not be so surprising to the Lebanese. You can also see why the collapse of its currency was just a matter of time. Highly recommended.

This is the best book available in English covering the recent history of Lebanon. However, too often the adjective rich clichés of Neo-Marxism clutter the text. It's hard not to feel that the author disdains Lebanese culture, and there's little in the book to explain why the author is attracted to the country. From the evidence of the text, he doesn't like the place. The population is held at arm's length, the people observed but not understood.