A well-known novelist and journalist from the coastal city of Jableh; Samar Yazbek witnessed the beginning four months of the uprising first-hand and actively participated in a variety of public actions and budding social movements. Throughout this period she kept a diary of personal reflections on; and observations of; this historic time. Because of the outspoken views she published in print and online; Yazbek quickly attracted the attention and fury of the regime; vicious rumours started to spread about her disloyalty to the homeland and the Alawite community to which she belongs. The lyrical narrative describes her struggle to protect herself and her young daughter; even as her activism propels her into a horrifying labyrinth of insecurity after she is forced into living on the run and detained multiple times; excluded from the Alawite community and renounced by her family; her hometown and even her childhood friends. With rare empathy and journalistic prowess Samar Yazbek compiled oral testimonies from ordinary Syrians all over the country. Filled with snapshots of exhilarating hope and horrifying atrocities; she offers us a wholly unique perspective on the Syrian uprising. Hers is a modest yet powerful testament to the strength and commitment of countless unnamed Syrians who have united to fight for their freedom. These diaries will inspire all those who read them; and challenge the world to look anew at the trials and tribulations of the Syrian uprising.
#1034830 in Books Avalonia 2006-01-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .45 x 5.51l; .56 #File Name: 1905297076196 pagesAvalonia
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Crudely Produced and SuperficialBy CustomerThe coverage of ancient Egyptian magic is superficial and the book itself is very cheaply produced. This might be a useful resource for a ceremonial magician but the actual information contained in it is minimal and much better sources are available elsewhere. The author doesn't go into a deeper understanding of the nature of heka (or the god Heka) or known historical practices of magic in ancient Egypt. The one good role it could fulfill is as a compendium of knowledge about the subject but I think it's too shallow to be useful for that purpose.Most of the book is listings of things and their correspondences. That's interesting for planning workings but the style makes it look like he's copied things out of his notebook (I keep voluminous notes of a similar nature myself) without any further explanations or deeper understanding of the subject. Listings of the Neteru (gods) just give the name and a brief description with a listing of an amulet; animal; color; concept; and associated symbol. Each Neter is listed on a separate page with lots of whitespace at the bottom; most likely to pad out the slim volume. The information is brief but basically correct in most cases; with the prominent exception of qualities syncretized into Hathor and Isis in late times when they absorbed the qualities of many other goddesses. Two pages on 'composite deities' are downright annoying in their incompleteness and list Sekhmet-Bast-Ra as Mut-Sekhmet-Bast; which is baffling but probably based on visual confusion in the vignette of chapter clxiv of the Papyrus of Ani.Some of the listings are clearly based on other works. For example the color and number associations on pages 76 through 82 are obviously cribbed from Symbol Magic in Egyptian Art.The illustrations are laughable. Take a look at the cover image. That's as good as it gets.All-in-all I'd say this book might be worth a look if you're looking to work with the Neteru in ceremonial magick but doing research in the many other books available would be much more rewarding.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Visions Ancient ModernBy H. B. BaldwinSince we only can guess at what their rituals were like most of the rituals in this book are created similar to those that the AncientGreeks wrote about plus intuition and imagination. Considering that it is gook starter book. You have everything yoiu might need to go it alone as there are not that many that can tell you if it is correct or not. I liked the calendar in the back and found that some of the listed ceremonies were on the same days as were recorded in Ancient times. IT all depends on how into it you are and how connecte to Egypt you are'0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good BookBy NikkiExcellent book and I think it's an excellent buy but the shipping was misleading and the package looked like it had been stomped on.
