Between Despair and Hope: Windows on My Middle East Journey, 1967-92 [Illustrated] (Paperback)

'...Journalists, diplomats and historians report in great outlines a view of the matters, which are true to the events, but very seldom give justice to the persons concerned...Margarita Skinner who lived over 20 years in the Middle East, chose the reverse perspective...Her view is the one from below, and this permits her to give the unknown a name and the speechless a voice...' Tages Anzeiger, Zürich - Switzerland (translated from German)

'...Her book is a personal account of her long arduous and hazardous journey in helping the sick and infirm in the war zones of the region...Although harrowing, these seemed as interludes in between her job of functioning as a social worker to refugees and displaced persons in the camps...But this is where the strength of her book lies. Her daily experience of dealing with people, particularly women and children is enriching...But the book is by no means a journey of doom and gloom...The Star, Jordan's Political, Economic and Cultural Weekly

'...she knows what she is talking about, especially Palestinian embroidery, as a statement about Palestinian life...' The Canberra Times, Canberra - Australia

'...well researched, has delightful touches of humour and is, a quality rare to come by these days, objective...' Saba Arafat, Nablus - West Bank

'...For all those who wonder about the real story of the Middle East, the story behind the wars and the politics, behind the statistics and the tragedies, the real story of human lives, this is the book you must read...The most obvious characteristic of this book is its first hand feel... Rev. Dr. W.D. Adams, Brisbane - Australia

'...That she has been a witness to some of the most difficult periods of modern Middle Eastern history is illustrated by the titles of the book's chapters...Vivid descriptions of streets and markets, cuisine and embroidery are well executed and bring their subjects alive in the tradition of the great female travel writers...most of the suffering in the Middle East is man-made, and therefore solvable. This is particularly evident in the chapters on "The Refugees" and "Iraq: 1991-2", the latter offering an excellent on-the-ground testimony to the realities of the situation... Middle East International, London