This is a long essay, and of a polemical nature. Nonetheless, there is a considerable amount of information to be mulled over. After a short survey of the Zionist movement and the province of the Ottoman Empire's province, Mr. Said discusses at length the difficulties that the Palestinian people have faced in their struggle to obtain a hearing in the west, and more especially in Washington. Sadly, the history of the area since the publication demonstrates how little impact the book was able to generate. ( )

I was first encouraged to read Said twelve years ago by a lecturer while doing a component of a history course on Islam at University. His works remain relevant and not outdated. I have been sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinian people for some time and this is a fine English work with which to communicate their struggle to a wider audience, particularly in the Western world, such as the USA. Said argues conclusively the raw deal that Palestinians have received since the creation of the state of Israel and how many of their diaspora continue to claim their nationality despite the dispossession of their homes that occurred after the creation of Israel. In addition he argues coherently that there needs to be a much greater balance in the reporting of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the USA particularly from the Palestinian perspective. ( )

Thirty years old, but not out of date. Possibly the only work in English of what it's like to be on the receiving end of colonial invasion. Pretty much brilliant - only a few flaws (well I thought the bit about George Eliot was a digression). Should be compulsory reading. ( )