War in the Middle East

A Reporter's Story: Black September and the Yom Kippur War

By: Wilborn Hampton

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

New York Times editor and critic Wilborn Hampton is the acclaimed author of gripping narratives like Kennedy Assassination, Meltdown, and September 11, 2001.

In War in the Middle East, the veteran journalist offers a fascinating account of his early 1970s reports from the volatile desert region amidst Black September and the Yom Kippur War. This insider’s view of life in a war zone shows Hampton trying to write stories inside a besieged hotel with no electricity or water as fighting rages all around. Hitching rides with reluctant taxi drivers and soldiers, he witnesses aerial dogfights, tank skirmishes, and summary executions. Hampton also explores the origins of these religious and territorial disputes and evaluates their impact on the changing political landscape.

With the Gaza Strip, suicide bombers, and Hamas continuing to dominate the headlines, this audiobook is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to understand more clearly the ongoing Middle Eastern turmoil.

©2007 Wilborn Hampton (P)2008 Recorded Books

More of a reporter sharing a few behind the stories

It’s not much of a history about anything - it’s just a reporter telling some behind the scenes stuff, and when he’s doing they it’s fairly interesting. He also shares his wish washy opinions - and that’s where it falls apart. Thankfully that is a minor part of this very short ‘book’.

Overall it’s worth listening to if it’s free or very cheap. At just over 2 hours there isn’t much here, but it does move quickly and I didn’t think it was ever boring.