Tis was an excellent book that looked not only a the history of Christianity in the Middle East but am how the Christian community has be affected by world events. I learned a lot from this book. The author gave an unbiased account of what she has seen happen over the years. The affects on people, places and the history. The wars have taken a toll not only on the land but on the people. This book gives a different view of some of the oldest religions.

You can read my review at Shelf Awareness here: https://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers-issue.html?issue=1062#m18534

One is unlikely to find a better person than Janine Di Giovanni to author a book on the dwindling population of Christians throughout the Middle East. A reporter who has covered the region from the front lines of conflict for decades, Di Giovanni has personally witnessed this history in the making. As a practicing Roman Catholic, she has a personal consciousness of what the eradication of Christian communities from the part of the world where Christianity was born will mean – the loss and disconnection that will be felt by many. While Di Giovanni draws on the personal relationships she has developed with people in Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Palestine over the last three decades, her reporter instincts come through in the writing. The text is imbued with a compassionate objectivity, not slanted towards any personal message or point of view Di Giovanni herself may hold. While the majority of the local people to whom readers are introduced are practicing Christians, often living in communities of Christians that have been there for generations, we meet those of Jewish and Islamic faith as well. Di Giovanni acknowledges through them, and the book, that many religions have their roots in that part of the world. Particularly with Islam, she takes care to distinguish between the militant fanatics causing so much strife in the region (and responsible for the dispersal of Christian communities there) and the everyday Islamic communities who have lived peacefully next to their Christian neighbors.

A personal challenge for me reading the book was my lack of historical knowledge of the region. I thought I had a basic understanding of the major political shifts and developments in the middle east over the last 40 years simply from being an avid consumer of the news. But the forces driving developments in the middle east, and driving Christians out of the region altogether, are so much more nuanced that the major news stories and reach much farther back than the past 50 years. There are helpful 1 page summaries at the front of the book for each area covered: Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and Iraq. I referenced these frequently to orient myself in time and give context.

The region and the topic require a lot of context, especially for the American reader, and this is where the book could have been improved at the outset. The forward by the author is extremely long. She is introducing herself as a Catholic, a reporter, a mother. She is introducing us to her and to the region. But there was a feeling of disorganization about the presentation that only made sense later in the book. I was about 20% into the book on my e-reader before the pace, storytelling, and structure all came together for me. Part of the problem is that the region is complex, the personal story of any one individual is complex, the story of a community in any given region is complex, the history of Christianity itself is complex. There’s no easy entrance and one is awash in a jumble of facts and perceptions and experiences that take awhile to get sorted.

Very interesting learning of the large number of Christian sects (religions? Practices?) which are not familiar to me as an American but which have a defined presence and importance in that part of the world. I am accustomed to hearing of Roman Catholics and Protestants and within Protestant adherents are Lutherans and Presbyterians and Lutherans and Episcopalians. There is the evangelical Christian movement. But these largely emerged from the politics of Europe and the west. A whole other set of divisions exists in the middle east and even the author and the people with whom she spoke didn’t always know the history of what lead to the Christian divisions. In other words, Christianity is not a monolith in the region.

Throughout all four of the areas represented here, Christians spoke of being treated as second class citizens, as being seen as less than, dirty, unworthy, simply based on the family they were born into. The language they used to describe their treatment there echoed the language often heard from Black Americans and sometimes from those of Islamic faith in the west. Like the experiences are mirroring each other.

Disconcertingly, Christians in Iraq and Syria have fared better under the governance of harsh dictatorship than under any other form of rule. As the dictators themselves come from a minority population, the minority Christians found it beneficial to align with other minorities. When these dictators, particularly Hussein in Iraq, were in power Christians did well economically and were able to rise socially because they came under the protection of this dictator. The reversal when Hussein was removed from power has been dramatic and the repercussions waged from the new class in power (democratically elected in Iraq) has been harsh. While I had been vaguely aware that this was so, Di Giovanni explores this more deeply in talking with persons and families who lived the experience, both those who remain in the country and those who have emigrated to the west.

No hesitation in recommending this book to secular and non-secular readers alike; we’re witnessing a significant piece of history, one which probably can’t be halted as Christians leave the region or are killed. I expect it will be many generations before there is a significant reversal.

Throughout history Christians in several countries have been reviled and persecuted, often treated as second-class citizens with a different set of rules. In Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Palestine (and others not highlighted here) they are killed for their faith, even now. One of the many alarming statistics in this book is 128 Christians were killed in Egypt in 2017 alone. And deaths are under reported. Not only are they being forcefully torn from their homes and tortured but young girls are sold into slavery in live "markets". Beheadings and other horrors aren't unheard of, either. Others simply disappear or taken as political prisoners. Politicians aren't exactly helpful, either. Even if they do not persecute per se, they do not help them and leave the vulnerable to the wolves.

The author is no stranger to war in these zones. Her accounts are disturbing and harrowing but need to be told. I am so grateful stories such as these are captured in writing. She includes her experiences and perspectives as well as quotes from people she has spoken with who tell her Christianity is nearing extinction. Groups such as ISIS are responsible for many heinous activities and casting fear. Life is dangerous for many but especially Christians and those who do not believe/follow the regimes. Economical situations and bordering country complexities are extremely difficult.

The destruction of the Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia is also mentioned. Mostar is one of the most incredibly beautiful and evocative cities I have ever seen. Sniper Alley gave me goosebumps. The author reminds us the level of pointless hate was incomprehensible. But she also emphasizes the importance of perseverance, faith and hope. There is ALWAYS hope

This book is incredibly informative and compelling. Those who are intrigued by events in the Middle East, especially those affecting vanishing Christianity, ought to read this.

My sincere thank you to Perseus Books, PublicAffairs and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this sobering and thoughtfully-written book.

Read if you: Want a riveting, painful, and powerful account of the ancient Christian communities that are rapidly dwindling in the Middle East.

Librarians/booksellers: Purchase for a unique look at the Middle East that is often overlooked in books about this region.

Many thanks to Perseus Books/PublicAffairs and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely excellent examination of the history of Christianity in Iraq, Gaza, Syria, and Egypt, and how events have conspired to endanger once peaceful and essential groups in each country. Di Giovanni has worked as a journalist for three decades in these and other war-torn areas, and her expertise is evident. This is not an easy book to read, but so important.
Thanks to Booklist and NetGalley for the arc!
Highly recommended.