Book Review

You may have heard that when there is no authority, the people’s instinct of moral behavior disappears. From Beirut to Jerusalem is a perfect example for describing how people’s ability to survive in such a condition remains astonishing. Humans, since the beginning of civilization has learned to evolve. People ability to adapt to uncivil conditions and ways of handling to those conditions are adequately interpreted by the author Thomas L. Friedman. Friedman gives distinct perspective of two different ethnic groups, who are unwilling to sacrifice. Israel, who is on the verge of domination, tries to savage Palestinians in absurd ways. Being a journalist for the New York Times gives Friedman an advantage to analyze civilian behavior, conditions and heroic ability in the Middle East that otherwise a writer might not recognize. He tries to bring out the hidden truth behind the situations that doesn’t correlate. His conjugal and commitment to journalism helps readers like us acknowledge how people survive in total state of nature. Friedman puts his life in danger by confronting with extremist group and strategizing his plan to get to the scene and that what makes him a unique journalist. He starts his journey of a reporter in Beirut, Lebanon in mid-1979. As soon as he makes his first step, a sense of fear sets in his mind. He encounters unusual behavior of Beirut citizens that stuck him and influenced him that carried on throughout the book.

A nation under constant threat leaves its citizens under fear. It’s up to the people to decide whether they want leave or stay to survive. In Beirut, it’s was a different story, people were vulnerable. They couldn’t afford it, they didn’t have enough money to start over and other simply didn’t want to leave their native land. In order for them to survive, they strategize their living, they imagined as Friedman puts it. Imagination was one of the way for people to cope with the violance they were facing. They imagined stories and...