CROSSING MANDELBAUM GATE Coming of Age Between the Arabs and Israelis, 1956-1978

The author explains that two events bookend his life: the SHOA, the Hebrew term for the Holocaust and the NAKBA, the Arabic word for the loss of Palestinian land to Israel. This memoir reflects upon growing up in parts of the Middle East, including Beirut, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. As an adult, the author marries a Jewish-American woman of the diaspora. Joe Caron keeps up with the meandering story despite its tendency to jump backward and forward in time—although his delivery is slightly rushed. The diction of the book is slightly formal, and Caron maintains the highbrow tone. M.R. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2011]