Joshua Muravchik to MESH:

When I would tell people that I was writing a book about Middle Eastern democrats, the reaction was invariably the same: "That will be a short book." But there are individuals whose lives revolve around making their countries more free and democratic, and who have proven they understand these ideas well. We know little about them because their work is peaceful and incremental and overshadowed by the shocking deeds and pronouncements of tyrants, terrorists, and religious fanatics. I have profiled seven of them, six Arabs and an Iranian. In addition to illuminating their goals and activities, I have attempted to sketch a full biography in the hope of understanding how they came to be who they are.

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Product Description

The Next Founders brings to light the stories of seven remarkable people, six Arabs and an Iranian. Five are men; two, women. Four are Sunnis, two are Shiites, and the seventh is mixed. Their lives revolve around a sense of mission, and while the angles from which they attack it are varied, this mission is the same for all seven--to make their countries more free and democratic.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #628037 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 350 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781594032325
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

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Customer Reviews

Freedom in the Middle East
I found this book intelligent and inspiring. It's hard not to be captivated by the voices of the courageous people the author presents, and impossible not to feel uplifted. We are introduced to seven exceptional individuals, five men and two women, one each from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Palestine, Kuwait and Syria. Each is doing the remarkable work of trying to bring democracy to his or her country. Muravchik is a good storyteller and I found that the pages turned themselves. In addition to being fascinated by their stories and situations, I was quite moved by the passionate commitments each of these people had made, risking life and safety to work for human rights and justice in a region that has known little of freedom.

Admirable Information
I am currently a graduate student studying finance and an avid reader; I usually read a book a week, although this one took me a bit longer. The length of time to finish was not determined by the length of these seven stories (as noted correctly by Dr. Martin), however, but by the lack of enthusiasm I had for reading this particular book. At first I thought it was terrible. It was slow, the chapters seemed daunting, and I was not enjoying it at all. In fact, I have a goal to finish every book I begin (whether I like it or not) so I am able to discuss it or its topics in the future, if ever appropriate. After reading this book for a couple of days however, I began to question my goal.
I'm glad I didn't stop. I have come to appreciate what I read more and more after we continue to hear what is currently happening in Iran. The stories we hear on the news now have context because I have some sort of premise.
The book is dry and is written like a biography. I don't like that. But like I said, I'm glad I didn't stop reading it because I have such an enriched understanding of these cultures. I'm not sure where else I could have gained such an understanding.

personalizing the struggle for freedom in the Middle East
Over the last two decades, I have read countless volumes on comparative politics in the Middle East, many of which are tremendously informative, but terribly dry. In the Next Founders, Josh Muravchik uses the lens of seven pioneering individuals to convey a large amount of information about politics within the seven critical countries in which they live. By putting a human face on an extraordinarily complex set of political dynamics, the book leaves the reader not only knowing more, but caring more about the struggle for freedom and human rights in the Middle East.