Aburish offers a look, critical at times, into the life of leader Yasser Arafat. Aburish exposes many of the myths that prevail about Arafats past, most notably the myth that he was born in Jerusalem.

I agree with Kurt Jefferson when he says that this book, while often viewed as no more than a harsh critique of Arafat, is really offers backhanded praise of the Palestinian leader. Sure it offers criticism of the motivations of the PLO leader, but in discussing his earlier years, and the thoughts that drove him, Aburish develops in the reader a sympathy for Arafat that helps us see past some of his shortcomings.

Even reading through this harsh critic, my opinion of Arafat has remained largely favorable. If anything, I like him more now than before I read Arafat. Some key things with which Aburish does an excellent job"

-I've read quite a few books on the Arab-Israeli conflict, yet I didn't acquire a good understanding of the conflicts within the Arab community until reading this book. There are ample sources when writing about the Israeli's, but it is tough to come across good information about Arab politics. I commend Aburish in this respect.

-Aburish does an excellent job in detailing the ways in which Arafat was very successful in creating a seperate Palestinian identity apart from other Arab people.

-He does a good job in describing how Arafat, for better or worse, was able to consolidate his power and prevent the Palestinian cause from becoming fractured and marginalized, especially in the wake of the Israeli-Lebannon fiasco of the early 1980's.

Does Aburish's book paint a rosy picture of the PLO leader? Of course not--just look at the subtitle. But it does do a good job of describing where he comes from and what makes his mind ticks. If you can see past some of the unnecessary criticism, then you will be able to really appreciatte this book.

Palestinian journalist Said K. Aburish has written a systematic and scholarly overview on the political life of Yasser Arafat. With close attention to details and the factual precision of an historian or political scientist, Aburish paints a unique, although not surprising picture of the leader of the Palestinian Authority. Although most reviewers have noted Aburish's pungent critique of Arafat as an opportunistic, ever corrupt, and self-absorbed dictator, I find Aburish's Palestinian worldview tempers his criticism of Arafat and in some ways, backhandedly salutes and legitimates Arafat's actions over 40 years of fighting for the Palestinian cause. This humanizes Arafat and allows readers to look at him as one would Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, etc. This book is dense and contains information about Arafat's rise and his relations with his Arab brethren, the Israelis, and the USA. Interestingly, Arafat's rise to prominence, first with his Fatah (Conquest) organization and then as PLO head, occurs roughly over the period of profound tension and warfare between Israel and the Arabs over the Palestinian question (1960s-1980s). Aburish does a brilliant job portraying the character of the man and his ways (Arafat likes cornflakes with tea, "Tom and Jerry" cartoons, and can have a hot temper). Despite Arafat's penchant for opportunism and, at times, Machiavellian tendencies, Arafat appears to be more sensitive to peace than some have given him credit. Readers will learn much about recent (Cold War-era) Middle East history and politics. They will also learn much about the seemingly perpetual feud within the Arab world, and within the Palestinian political community as well. Aburish's book is dense, yet readable, and an excellent education on Arafat, the enigmatic, yet omnipresent leader of the Palestinians. Hence, this book will help one understand the current crisis(post-September 28, 2000 when the Al-Aqsa intifada started) and how it is once again encompassing Middle Eastern politics.

This book goes a long way to explaining why the Palestinian people have yet to find justice. Most 'biographies' of Arafat are caricatures which do not fully explain Arafat - either absurdely critical or absurdly adulatory. Aburish cuts down the middle, demonstrating time after time how Arafat's leadership persists, despite continually snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and despite surrounding himself with a coterie of corrupt hangers-on . Far from being a harsh critic, Aburish simply marshalls all the facts and then lets them (largely) speak for themselves. It is precisely Aburish's deep sympathy for the Palestinian people, yearning for freedom, which makes this biography so devastating. A brilliant portrayal of political corruption and opportunism.