It's a pity that this book is out of print. It is an excellent photographic journal -- Jill did the photography, and Leon wrote the narrative. It gives a very real portrait of Ireland, and how this moment in history has arrived. You will not find these pictures in any travel brochure -- they are quite remarkable.

Leon Uris wrote this about the book (in the beginning of "The Haj"):

"Many of the events in The Haj are a matter of history and public record. Many of the scenes were created around historical incidents and used as a backdrop for the purpose of fiction. There may be persons alive who took part in events similar to those described in the book. It is possible therefore, that some may be mistaken for characters in the novel. Let me emphasize that all of the characters in the Haj are the complete creation of the author, and entirely fictional. The exceptions, of course, are the recognizable public figures who were associated historically with this period, such as David Ben-Gurion, the Mufti of Jerusalem, Abdullah, Yigal Allon, and others."

There is no question that this book is fiction regarding the details its' story tells, but the story itself is a real one. Arab refugees did stream out of Israel during the 1948 war and Arab leaders telling them to do so (there are taped broadcasts of these calls) was definitely one of the major causes of the plight of the Palestinian-Arab refugees. There was also very definitely a very active terrorist movement among the Arabs in the Middle East, which survives to the present day (witness groups like Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hizbollah, the PLO / Palestinian authority, and others). The Palestinian-Arabs continue to suffer under poor leadership that represses their rights (witness many human rights organizations' reports of extrajudicial killings by the Palestinian Authority, the same autocratic leader, Yassir Arafat, who refuses to transfer the reins of power, and other facts). It is also a well-documented fact that the Mufti of Jerusalem was an ally and guest of Hitler during WWII. These things are facts and are indisputable. "The Haj" tells a story using the device of historical fiction to relay the often-ugly facts of life for the regular "fellah" (sometimes translated as peasant) in the land the British called Palestine and is now known again as Israel.

The book is well written (good grammar, punctuation, style, etc.) and the story flows. I enjoyed reading about the characters of the story, but often wanted to cry for them. Some of the most poignant moments of "The Haj" occur during the flight of the Haj's (the main character is Haj Ibrahim and the book is the story of him and his family) family during the 1948 war and in refugee camps in Jordan. It was very sad to see how members of the same culture (the Arab culture) and most of the time the same religion (Islam) can be so cruel to each other. This is still an endemic problem in the Arab world (witness how the Arab governments squabble among each other and often fight and kill one another). Some of the depictions of the relations between the largely city-dwelling Palestinian-Arabs and the nomadic Bedouin are among the saddest. There is still a strong hatred between these groups to the present day.

Why read "The Haj?"

Read "The Haj" because this is real information presented in a novel format that you can no longer get from most university classes about the Middle East. Read it to learn what AP and Reuters news services constantly gloss over in their writings used by newspapers around the world. Most of all, read "The Haj" to understand that one of the fundamental truths about problems in the Middle East is that the problems have less to do with Israel and Jews than cultural, political, and even religious problems and divisions in the Arab world. Israel is really a side issue at best (and excuse used by the Arab governments to cover their faults). Autocratic tyrannies (or gangster governments like Yassir Arafat's Palestinian Authority) are the true source of unhappiness in the Arab world. It's easy to understand that truth after reading "The Haj."

You can get this same information from a pile full of academic texts (and I do recommend reading more research about the Middle East after reading "The Haj"), but this is the easiest and quickest way to introduce yourself to the bitter realities of politics in the Middle East.

I highly recommend "The Haj."

Review by: Maximillian Ben Hanan

Leon Uris wrote this about the book (in the beginning of "The Haj"):

"Many of the events in The Haj are a matter of history and public record. Many of the scenes were created around historical incidents and used as a backdrop for the purpose of fiction. There may be persons alive who took part in events similar to those described in the book. It is possible therefore, that some may be mistaken for characters in the novel. Let me emphasize that all of the characters in the Haj are the complete creation of the author, and entirely fictional. The exceptions, of course, are the recognizable public figures who were associated historically with this period, such as David Ben-Gurion, the Mufti of Jerusalem, Abdullah, Yigal Allon, and others."

There is no question that this book is fiction regarding the details its' story tells, but the story itself is a real one. Arab refugees did stream out of Israel during the 1948 war and Arab leaders telling them to do so (there are taped broadcasts of these calls) was definitely one of the major causes of the plight of the Palestinian-Arab refugees. There was also very definitely a very active terrorist movement among the Arabs in the Middle East, which survives to the present day (witness groups like Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hizbollah, the PLO / Palestinian authority, and others). The Palestinian-Arabs continue to suffer under poor leadership that represses their rights (witness many human rights organizations' reports of extrajudicial killings by the Palestinian Authority, the same autocratic leader, Yassir Arafat, who refuses to transfer the reins of power, and other facts). It is also a well-documented fact that the Mufti of Jerusalem was an ally and guest of Hitler during WWII. These things are facts and are indisputable. "The Haj" tells a story using the device of historical fiction to relay the often-ugly facts of life for the regular "fellah" (sometimes translated as peasant) in the land the British called Palestine and is now known again as Israel.

The book is well written (good grammar, punctuation, style, etc.) and the story flows. I enjoyed reading about the characters of the story, but often wanted to cry for them. Some of the most poignant moments of "The Haj" occur during the flight of the Haj's (the main character is Haj Ibrahim and the book is the story of him and his family) family during the 1948 war and in refugee camps in Jordan. It was very sad to see how members of the same culture (the Arab culture) and most of the time the same religion (Islam) can be so cruel to each other. This is still an endemic problem in the Arab world (witness how the Arab governments squabble among each other and often fight and kill one another). Some of the depictions of the relations between the largely city-dwelling Palestinian-Arabs and the nomadic Bedouin are among the saddest. There is still a strong hatred between these groups to the present day.

Why read "The Haj?"

Read "The Haj" because this is real information presented in a novel format that you can no longer get from most university classes about the Middle East. Read it to learn what AP and Reuters news services constantly gloss over in their writings used by newspapers around the world. Most of all, read "The Haj" to understand that one of the fundamental truths about problems in the Middle East is that the problems have less to do with Israel and Jews than cultural, political, and even religious problems and divisions in the Arab world. Israel is really a side issue at best (and excuse used by the Arab governments to cover their faults). Autocratic tyrannies (or gangster governments like Yassir Arafat's Palestinian Authority) are the true source of unhappiness in the Arab world. It's easy to understand that truth after reading "The Haj."

You can get this same information from a pile full of academic texts (and I do recommend reading more research about the Middle East after reading "The Haj"), but this is the easiest and quickest way to introduce yourself to the bitter realities of politics in the Middle East.

I highly recommend "The Haj."

Review by: Maximillian Ben Hanan

Leon Uris wrote this about the book (in the beginning of "The Haj"):

"Many of the events in The Haj are a matter of history and public record. Many of the scenes were created around historical incidents and used as a backdrop for the purpose of fiction. There may be persons alive who took part in events similar to those described in the book. It is possible therefore, that some may be mistaken for characters in the novel. Let me emphasize that all of the characters in the Haj are the complete creation of the author, and entirely fictional. The exceptions, of course, are the recognizable public figures who were associated historically with this period, such as David Ben-Gurion, the Mufti of Jerusalem, Abdullah, Yigal Allon, and others."

There is no question that this book is fiction regarding the details its' story tells, but the story itself is a real one. Arab refugees did stream out of Israel during the 1948 war and Arab leaders telling them to do so (there are taped broadcasts of these calls) was definitely one of the major causes of the plight of the Palestinian-Arab refugees. There was also very definitely a very active ... movement among the Arabs in the Middle East, which survives to the present day (witness groups like Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hizbollah, the PLO / Palestinian authority, and others). The Palestinian-Arabs continue to suffer under poor leadership that represses their rights (witness many human rights organizations' reports of extrajudicial killings by the Palestinian Authority, the same autocratic leader, Yassir Arafat, who refuses to transfer the reins of power, and other facts). It is also a well-documented fact that the Mufti of Jerusalem was an ally and guest of Hitler during WWII. These things are facts and are indisputable. "The Haj" tells a story using the device of historical fiction to relay the often-ugly facts of life for the regular "fellah" (sometimes translated as peasant) in the land the British called Palestine and is now known again as Israel.

The book is well written (good grammar, punctuation, style, etc.) and the story flows. I enjoyed reading about the characters of the story, but often wanted to cry for them. Some of the most poignant moments of "The Haj" occur during the flight of the Haj's (the main character is Haj Ibrahim and the book is the story of him and his family) family during the 1948 war and in refugee camps in Jordan. It was very sad to see how members of the same culture (the Arab culture) and most of the time the same religion ... can be so cruel to each other. This is still an endemic problem in the Arab world (witness how the Arab governments squabble among each other and often fight and [destroy] one another). Some of the depictions of the relations between the largely city-dwelling Palestinian-Arabs and the nomadic Bedouin are among the saddest. There is still a strong hatred between these groups to the present day.

Why read "The Haj?"

Read "The Haj" because this is real information presented in a novel format that you can no longer get from most university classes about the Middle East. Read it to learn what AP and Reuters news services constantly gloss over in their writings used by newspapers around the world. Most of all, read "The Haj" to understand that one of the fundamental truths about problems in the Middle East is that the problems have less to do with Israel and Jews than cultural, political, and even religious problems and divisions in the Arab world. Israel is really a side issue at best (and excuse used by the Arab governments to cover their faults). Autocratic tyrannies (or gangster governments like Yassir Arafat's Palestinian Authority) are the true source of unhappiness in the Arab world. It's easy to understand that truth after reading "The Haj."

You can get this same information from a pile full of academic texts (and I do recommend reading more research about the Middle East after reading "The Haj"), but this is the easiest and quickest way to introduce yourself to the bitter realities of politics in the Middle East.

I highly recommend "The Haj."

Review by: Maximillian Ben Hanan

How can you beat it? Three of the great classics of World War II in one volume!

Tales of the South Pacific, by James Michener, was a Pulitzer prize winning novel by one of the greatest authors of the twentieth century. Renowned for his detailed research, and for his storytelling ability, Michener has been described with every superlative in the book. This story may be his finest, and served as the basis for the Broadway musical and the movie, "South Pacific." The setting is a tropical paradise; windswept coral isles and the nurses, soldiers and sailors caught up by the war, and the inevitable romances that resulted.

Mr. Roberts, by Thomas Heggen, is the story of a much-loved navy lieutenant juxtaposed against the rigid, incompetent captain of a navy cargo vessel, the "Reluctant," whose duties take her from boredom to tedium and back again with little relief for the crew. The story is anything but boring, however, and the characters are unforgettable. In the movie version, Henry Fonda portrayed the herois Mr. Roberts movingly. The story mixes poignancy with satire, and is both hugely funny and profoundly tragic.

Battle Cry, by Leon Uris (another giant of literature), depicts life in the United States Marine Corps as it was during the great Pacific War. The story takes you from boot training to the foxholes with the fighting Marine Corps, who probably suffered more than any other branch of service in the Pacific in the early to middle 'forties. Faith, hope, and desire are all epitomized in this story, often described as the greatest novel ever written about the Marines.

Anyone interested in those days of Pacific conflict should have this book, unless they already have these three great stories in another form.

Joseph H. Pierre

This novel deals honestly with human nature under the most dire circumstances. Would you hurt a stranger, a friend -- a loved one? Of course not. What if your own life was at stake? Would you spare another even if it meant your own death? In this case, a concentration camp during the Holocaust provides the setting for such difficult questions. The book culminates in a memorable courtroom battle in which our deepest sympathies are tested.

This novel is not perfect. I have always found Uris to be a poor writer of dialogue -- the spoken language tends to be stiff and stylized. Additionally, he gives his female characters short shrift. The novel feels dated, as female characters are introduced only to move the story along or to be sexual partners to the males in the forefront of the story.

That said, I do highly recommend this book. It's rare to find a page-turner that also inspires deep thought!

In front of the Queen's Bench, a lot of memories, pains and acts of heroism will be brought back to life...Is the good doctor a victim, a murderer or maybe a little bit of both...

This is a well constructed book. Until far into the book you wonder who is right and who is wrong. Faithfull to his great talent for making his characters seem real, Uris brings us the exemplary life of Kelno and the tormented life of the Author, Abraham Cady.

Never has the horror of concentration camp been displayed with such passion, not, like in a lot of books, as statistics but as human beings suffering way past the gate of the camps.

The paramount comes from the fact they are in a British courtroom where displays of love anger or pity are prohibited. Some of the rhetoric and diplomatic mambo-jumbo displayed by the lawyers and the judge to hide the horror described in the courtroom are just crowning this jewel of a book.

Mr. Uris, may you live for a thousand years and write a book every month for I was seaten in this courtroom, following the barristers strategy, sobbing for the victims...praying for a fair verdict.

Case Close.

But is it all as it seems? Interspersed with the well crafted and written story of the lives of these two men we also have the pomp and formality of the British Court System. This in itself makes the book one of the finest legal thrillers I have read.

Ultimately such a story must have an ending. And what an ending! As they say, you read a book to get to the ending and you won't be disappointed. It is a fabulous novel and one I highly recommend.

3 major flaws:

1) The mixing of fact & fiction doesn't work for me here. Unlike James Michener who seems to write historically accurate fiction by putting fictional characters minor to the big picture into real events, Uris seems to apply a Forrest Gump approach. In other words, fictional characters get to change and influence history.

2) The book is chock full of stereotypes.

Virtually every British officer is 1 step above a Nazi, unless they have some blood ties to Judaism like the Sutherland character. Terrible things may have been done in the name of British colonialism but Uris ignores all the roads, bridges, amenities, etc that the British brought to remote parts of the world. The British that aren't sadists are dopes on par with Colonel Klink from Hogan's Heroes. Virtually every Arab character is a traitor & a coward. Every Jewish character is noble and just, even the terrorists. When somebody's kid gets blown up, it doesn't matter who did it or how just their cause was. As a kid I lived in Iran just prior to the revolution. I have been spat on by Moslem kids for being American and I have been spat on by Jewish kids for being German. Both insults were provoked by ingrained racism not by a dislike of me personally. The point I am trying to make is that books like Exodus continue to perpetuate stereotypes and, therefore, race hatred.

Aside from racist stereotypes, Exodus is incredibly sexist. Kitty (and how common was this nickname in the 1950's?) is the fluffy, frilly American who just doesn't fit in with the hardened Israeli women. Ari is the tough rebel leader who... just... can't... cry. If this book was written in the 90's, it could be titled "Ari is from Mars and Kitty is from Venus". Kitty's relationship with Karen is downright disturbing as Kitty perpetually schemes to pull Karen away from her Ersatz Israel and go to America.

3) The book is stylistically all over the place. Flashbacks appear out of nowhere interrupting the action and ramble on for 40+ pages. Sometimes Uris uses broad strokes to cover several events (usually the real ones) in a few pages. Other times he gives you the minutest details of Ari's fictional grandstanding. The dialogue is awkward and mawkish at best. Maybe it's because this book is so old and just hasn't aged well.

On the plus side, I do think Uris details the horrors of the Holocaust very well. I don't like the way they were introduced but Karen's and Dov's stories were fairly gripping. I also could identify with Kitty's continued perplexity of the Jewish and Arab zealousness.

In conclusion, I think the story of the birth of Israel is a fascinating one and needs to be told. But it needs to be fair and unbiased. Exodus isn't that book.

To read this book is not only interesting - it is even vital, I should say. It helps us understand a bit more about the philosophies and the rivalries that have plagued the Middle East since the begginings of time. For us westeners (especially the non-jews like me), this way of thinking, of fighting, is unheard of. Holy Wars? Live and die for the future generations without regard for one's own life? Western capitalism will be shocked at the idea. We all know the story of the Jewish people is one of sorrow, but I doubt we even dare to imagine just how deep this sorrow is. Uris' work leads us through as invisible onlookers to a world where there is no tomorrow but only today. His mix of fact and fiction is what really makes this novel gripping. Sometimes it could get a bit confusing when he resorts to just re-telling of historical events; since Uris is above all else a journalist and this reflects in his writing. For people like myself, who were still not around in the fifties, at times like these the story gets too deep, with names and events popping-up everywhere. But as soon as the focus gets changed to the characters again, you will want to get to the end of the book as soon as your eyes allow. "Exodus" is a novel to remember and re-read a few years down the road; and never forget it.

The Exodus follows the story of people. Not just any people, a special type of person, a Jew. The Jewish population has undergone numerous tyrants that have tried, unsuccessfully, to banish the Jewish population from the face of the earth. The Exodus follows these people as they return to their rightful homeland of Jerusalem. During the course of this novel, they face numerous obstacles on there road to the rebirth of a Jewish homeland. Even after the forming of the Jewish state of Israel, Jews are persecuted for pursuing peace. The story of the Israel is astonishing. I was quickly surprised by the benevolent and unselfish ways of Jews through their lives. They give all to their Israel, including their life.

The Exodus focuses on a few important characters. Yakov Rabinsky a.k.a. Akiva, Jewish extremist fighter. Jossi Rabinsky a.k.a. Barak Ben Canaan, brother of Yakov, Jewish conservative, father of Jewish politics. Karen Hansen Clemet, Jewish refugee in search of her father. Dov Landau, Jewish survivor of the German concentration camps. Kitty Fremont, American nurse out to look for a daughter figure. Jordana Canaan, Jewish sabra fighter. And finally, Ari Ben Canaan, famed fighter for the Jewish people. The Exodus has been the one of the few assigned reading books that I have enjoyed reading. The story of these people and their home is an example of human nature at its best. This novel connects with me. The story, the character, the settings, and the plots all are not fanaticized. Whether or not it these actual people existed is irrelevant. It is all so believable. The novel is filled with tragedy, but the common goal was something worth fighting for. Once everyone united and fought for it, it was achieved. And that I believe was the best thing about the novel, to see that everyone's unselfishness, benevolence and hard work came to show in the birth of Israel. The Exodus does have one downfall. The beginning of the novel is slow and somewhat confusing. The beginning of the novel lacks a common antagonist and therefore leaves you confused. Once you do get past the first fifty eight pages, the novel takes off and you can get quite interested.

Despite this minor setback, the Exodus was gripping and inspiring. Some parts of the novel made you angry, made you want to cry, made you want to fight, and most important, made you contented at their success. The Exodus was an excellent novel and should be read by anyone with the opportunity.