Tribes with Flags
Adventure and Kidnap in Greater Syria
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The ABC News correspondent's riveting chronicle of his journey through the Middle East—and being held hostage by pro-Iranian terrorists in Beirut.
A New York Times Notable Book—with an introduction by the author.
On June 18, 1987, Charles Glass was kidnapped by pro-Iranian terrorists in a Shiite Muslim suburb of Beirut and held for sixty-two days. His daring escape on August 18, 1987, made headlines worldwide. But Glass never forgot the reason he was in Lebanon or abandoned the idea of a book capturing the splendid vitality and diversity of life in the Middle East.
Tribes with Flags is the book Glass always meant it to be: A chronicle of his journey from the southern Turkish coast, around the bay of Alexandretta, and through Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. Glass visited farms, slums, and refugee camps as well as royal friends in feudal palaces, capturing the entire spectrum of Levantine life. The journey ends with a gripping account of Glass's kidnapping in Beirut—an intimate portrayal of life as a hostage—and his successful flight to freedom.
"A literary and spiritual ramble through the countries of the Levant . . . Glass's account of two months' captivity and his escape bring to an exciting conclusion this engrossing, informative, unusual travel book." —Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In March of 1987, Glass, who speaks some Arabic and had covered the Middle East as a TV correspondent, began what he calls a literary and spiritual ramble through the countries of the Levant. His itinerary was a leisurely, spontaneous affair: visiting historical sites, chatting with people from all walks of life, comparing his impressions with those of earlier travelers such as Richard Burton, Benjamin Disraeli, Mark Twain. Curious about the various ``tribes'' who live in Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, Glass found attitudes to be remarkably divergent among people about their tormented world. His nonjudgemental tolerance here extends even to the Hizballah gunmen who brought his journey to an abrupt halt in Beirut and held him hostage (he had planned to continue on to Israel and Jordan). Glass's account of two months' captivity and his escape bring to an exciting conclusion this engrossing, informative, unusual travel book. Author tour.
