≡ Download Gratis Little America Henry Bromell 9780375718915 Books

Little America Henry Bromell 9780375718915 Books

Download As PDF : Little America Henry Bromell 9780375718915 Books

Little America Henry Bromell 9780375718915 Books

In this day and age, it's fairly easy to find books that, instead of actually researching the subject at hand, make do with an extremely superficial view of the proceedings. The image of Arabs especially is frequently subject to gross generalizations if not downright lies, rooted in research that a first-grader would be ashamed of. Little America, I'm pleased to say, is not one of those books.
As a Palestinian who grew up in Jordan, hearing, seeing, reading about the Jordan in the 50's, this book seemed to recreate the feelings that such information evoked in me: A sense of faux-nostalgia for a time I had never actually lived. Why? Because the story of Kurash and its king is essentially a retelling of the stories of King Hussein as well as King Feisal, and the histories of Jordan and Iraq under the Hashemite families and the conflicts they faced. The book perfectly captures the many challenges that faced the monarchy back in the 50's when it had to deal with the influx of Palestinian refugees from the 1948 "nakbah", not to mention the Ba'ath movements, the Islamic Brotherhood, and of course Jamal Abd Al-Nasser, the strongest force in the Arab world at the time.
The fact that this book was written by an American is, for me, still hard to believe, as even the names of the Arabic characters actually make a distinction between different ARabic nationalities, as opposed to just using the word "Abu".
Aside from that, the story is expertly told in a non-conventional and extremely interesting fashion. This is no thriller, as one other reviewer said, but it still is one of the most fascinating, interesting, and, to sound cliched, important books of our generation. Bravo Mr. Bromell.


Tags : Little America [Henry Bromell] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. In this suspenseful and atmospheric spy novel in the tradition of Graham Greene and John le Carr, Henry Bromell unfolds a labyrinthine tale of intrigue and moral ambiguity. In 1958,Henry Bromell,Little America,Vintage,0375718915,American Mystery & Suspense Fiction,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Literary,Literary

Little America Henry Bromell 9780375718915 Books Reviews

`Little America' has three main story lines, each of which is engrossing and provides a lot of fodder for discussions. In other words, it's a great choice for a book club.
First is the 'Who's your daddy?' line, set in the present, in which Terry Hooper, the adult son of a former CIA operative, tries to find out what kind of person his father was. Was he a good guy or a bad guy? At first glance this appears to be the main story in the book but I think it serves more as a catalyst to keep the story going.
The second story line is the most fascinating and has the potential to generate a good deal of debate. Set in 1958, it revolves around the friendship that develops between the CIA operative and the young king of Kurash, the subject of his mission. Is it real or just part of his assignment? If it's real, which will win out, friendship or 'duty'? What impact will it have on the characters involved?
The third story line in `Little America' became frighteningly relevant after what occurred when I was about halfway through it (Sept. 11). It looks at American foreign policy through the eyes of Allen and John Foster Dulles. It expresses almost as aptly as 'The Ugly American' how totally clueless we can be when it comes to seeing the world through the eyes of others. Bromell, in a novel based in the 1950s, provides insight into how we might best respond in the current crisis.
Easily as good as the John le Carre and Graham Greene novels of the Cold War, and much better than the American 'spy thrillers'. This is a serious novel, and also a thinly-veiled memoir from someone who was there, on the battlefield, during the 'cold war' for the Middle East. Henry Bromell's father was CIA agent and head of station in several Middle Eastern countries. His wife and children accompanied him. In an interview the author of 'Little America' said, "G-d only knows what he was doing there, but we were always together there with him." Bromell said he spent many years doing research in preparation for the writing, and this shows in the quality of the finished novel. Anyone who has an interest in the Middle East will find the novel worthy of the time spent reading.

The complexity of the motives of America's cold warriors is wonderfully rendered. The reader comes away realizing, "hey! It really was a war. There were casualties." The completely betrayed King. And yet... they truly believed at some level in the righteousness of their cause. The King is considering going with Nasser, and the Soviets. The CIA father of the boy tries to dissuade him "Your best chance is with us. I told you then, and I'm telling you now, no matter what our flaws, no matter what our monstrosities, we will do you less harm than the Soviets, than Nasser, because we will never completely take away your freedom."

5 stars for both the writing and the plotting. This is an engaging novel, an historical fiction not soon forgotten. One intriguing aspect of Bromell's story is how like the British colonial bureaucrats serving in India were the Americans stationed in the Middle East. The Americans came home after a lifetime spent abroad laden with booty, artifacts of a foreign culture decorated their homes -- very like the 'old India hands' of the British colonial service. The foreign culture stayed with them in their hearts as well it seemed, so that part of them remained forever in the far-flung place.
This is a must read for anyone contemplating a career in the CIA.
LITTLE AMERICA is a first-rate psycho-moral drama in the tradition of Conrad, Graham Greene and John Le Carre. High praise, yes...but for me this book is up there with the best of them. Fine writing, great characterizations, terrific sense of place, along with an ingenious structure and a strong narrative engine. Bromell promises much and delivers even more. This is "a thinking man's" spy story. What more could a thinking reader want?
This fine writer makes movies and writes fiction as well. He lends his deft touch to unforgettable tales.
In this day and age, it's fairly easy to find books that, instead of actually researching the subject at hand, make do with an extremely superficial view of the proceedings. The image of Arabs especially is frequently subject to gross generalizations if not downright lies, rooted in research that a first-grader would be ashamed of. Little America, I'm pleased to say, is not one of those books.
As a Palestinian who grew up in Jordan, hearing, seeing, reading about the Jordan in the 50's, this book seemed to recreate the feelings that such information evoked in me A sense of faux-nostalgia for a time I had never actually lived. Why? Because the story of Kurash and its king is essentially a retelling of the stories of King Hussein as well as King Feisal, and the histories of Jordan and Iraq under the Hashemite families and the conflicts they faced. The book perfectly captures the many challenges that faced the monarchy back in the 50's when it had to deal with the influx of Palestinian refugees from the 1948 "nakbah", not to mention the Ba'ath movements, the Islamic Brotherhood, and of course Jamal Abd Al-Nasser, the strongest force in the Arab world at the time.
The fact that this book was written by an American is, for me, still hard to believe, as even the names of the Arabic characters actually make a distinction between different ARabic nationalities, as opposed to just using the word "Abu".
Aside from that, the story is expertly told in a non-conventional and extremely interesting fashion. This is no thriller, as one other reviewer said, but it still is one of the most fascinating, interesting, and, to sound cliched, important books of our generation. Bravo Mr. Bromell.