The Haj

By: Leon Uris

Narrated by: Neil Shah

Leon Uris retums to the land of his acclaimed best-seller Exodus for an epic story of hate and love, vengeance and forgiveness. The Middle East is the powerful setting for this sweeping tale of a land where revenge is sacred and hatred noble. Where an Arab ruler tries to save his people from destruction but cannot save them from themselves. When violence spreads like a plague across the lands of Palestine - this is the time of The Haj.

©1984 Leon Uris (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

I now understand...and it's terrifying.

Uris is known for his ability to put actual events,people and philosophies into a "fictional " form. He has done it again here and anyone who thinks that the Western world can come to a meeting of the minds and achieve a lasting peace with the Arab world is delusional. Uris takes you on a walk through history through the eyes of an extraordinarily likable character. He sees and often internally battles with his own culture. In the end, you have seen what molded the events in the Middle East, understood the how and why's, and come out with the frightening understanding that it can't and won't ever change. I think we all have suspected it, but now we know why. Very well written and performed. A gripping story.

Racist

This book might be able to be excused if it was written in the 1950's, but it wasn't. The Arabs in this are portrayed in a way that would be unacceptable for any other group (for example, Jews or African Americans). Leon Uris is a good writer, but that makes the racist piece even worse. I can't even call this historical fiction since it is so biased against Arabs that it's hard to imagine whatever else he wrote about being true. Neil Shah did an excellent job narrating this book.

The haj

This book met my expectations. The narration was very good. I like leon uris writings. A good depiction of the arab nations.

Fantastic!

If you really want to understand the culture, religion, and politics of the Middle East and why hatred continues, this novel covers it all. Nothing has changed since it was written. The narration was brilliantly done.

Formation of Israel through an Arab youth's eye

Leon Uris wrote a stunning and moving tale of the formation of Israel as seen by Israelis and pro-Israelis, Exodus. The Haj turns things around and is a tale of the same event as seen through the eyes of an Arab youth. Both were written by Mr. Uris. History can be seen as a source of learning and improving, or it can be seen as a time that draws us back and prevents progress. Exodus was written as a representation of learning and improving, The Haj was a representation of a culture stuck in the past. Both books bring out emotion and food for thought. Exodus is a positive; The Haj is a negative.The Haj is replete with horror and despair. Exodus, while being tense, is uplifting and hopeful.

Mr. Uris develops his characters fully and in detail. Although not history books, they were well researched. It must be difficult for an author to maintain a neutrality towards his subject. I felt pain and sorrow for the Arabic family in The Haj; they were stuck in the grip of their cultural history.

Tha Haj opened my eyes to a part of the world of which I know so little, yet a part that is in the news so often. Yes, I recommend reading it. This was a long book, but the reader were wonderful.

Excellent, Excruciating, Tragic

A raw and difficult book to read, but helpful to understanding an "honor-bound" culture.
A painfully riveting saga.

Great story

This was one of the most interesting thought provoking novels . The narration was awesome.
Great job

Palestine finally made clear.

If you could sum up The Haj in three words, what would they be?

Palestine made clear.

What other book might you compare The Haj to and why?

Exodus, same author, more expanded subject

What does Neil Shah bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A sense of the place and time is elicited by his accent.

If you could take any character from The Haj out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Gideon Asch

Any additional comments?

I read this book many years ago, I love it in the audio because I'm able to share it with my husband who otherwise couldn't read it. He also loves this book.

Great book!

I decided to buy this book after I read Exodus by Uris so I could learn more about the Arab point of view. I know this book is historical fiction, so I am counting on the events outlined in the book as being correct, however, it is hard to determine whether or not the book is prejudiced against the Muslim culture, without knowing a whole lot about it. From what I have heard on the news and I have learned in school about it, it does appear that there could be truth to Uris' portrayal of these people. It would seem the culture is fueled by anger and revenge, and is one in which this lifetime on earth is a throw-away in order to get to the better place after death. If the portrayal is accurate, it does explain a lot given what is going on in the world today.

I was somewhat surprised that I could connect with these characters in any way, but even with their foibles, Uris made them real and lovable people. The culture and traditions dictate so much of who they are. In the end, it is a tragic story about a family's struggle to survive in a world that suddenly changed and one that their culture would not allow them to accept. Even though I see their culture and traditions as being wrong compared to mine, I wonder how any of us would do if thrust into a situation like theirs?

History in the making

In a very interesting way you get a glimpse of the rebirth of Israel. That area has been violent for many years and will remain so for many more