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Another Year in Oman: Between Iraq and a Hard Place
What do you do when you are a lone American in Arabia during the War On Terror in love with an Arab woman? In the second of a three book series describing his life in the Middle East after the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, the author finds he is alone again in the remote regions of Arabia. To make matters worse, the U.S. is gearing up for an invasion of Iraq to the north and everyone is looking at the author, the only American in the region, with even greater suspicion. In the middle of it all he finds himself involved in a surrealistic, clandestine relationship. But is it real, or is it just a dream? It's up to you to decide.
262 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 2007
11 people want to read
About the author
Matthew D. Heines
12 books1 followerHometown: Sequim, Washington
Military Service: Paratrooper/Machine gunner 82nd Airborne Division
Education: Washington State University-Bachelor of Arts, History
University of Alaska, Anchorage- Master of Arts-Education
Teaching Experience: Anchorage School District, Matanuska-Susitna Borough (Palmer-Wasilla, Ak.) Sur University College, VinnellArabia, Oman Ministry of Higher Education, Sohar Oman, King Abdullah Air Defense Academy, Taif, Saudi Arabia (Raytheon).
Published works: My Year in Oman: An American Experience in Arabia During the War On Terror. Another Year in Oman:Between Iraq and a Hard Place. Deceptions of the Ages:"Mormons" Freemasons and Extraterrestrials.
Military Service: Paratrooper/Machine gunner 82nd Airborne Division
Education: Washington State University-Bachelor of Arts, History
University of Alaska, Anchorage- Master of Arts-Education
Teaching Experience: Anchorage School District, Matanuska-Susitna Borough (Palmer-Wasilla, Ak.) Sur University College, VinnellArabia, Oman Ministry of Higher Education, Sohar Oman, King Abdullah Air Defense Academy, Taif, Saudi Arabia (Raytheon).
Published works: My Year in Oman: An American Experience in Arabia During the War On Terror. Another Year in Oman:Between Iraq and a Hard Place. Deceptions of the Ages:"Mormons" Freemasons and Extraterrestrials.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 24, 2014
Another Year in Oman: Between Iraq and a hard Place is the second of a three-book series that describes the author's life in the Middle East and once again offers a powerful perspective, continuing the saga begun by Heines' venture into Oman post-9/11.
At this point the U.S. is about to invade Iraq, and Heines is the only American in the region - so he's viewed with undue suspicion and faces the additional challenges of being involved in a clandestine relationship with an Arab woman and struggling with a very different culture.
Like My Year in Oman, this book is neither 'fish nor fowl' - it's not a travelogue; so don't anticipate that direction. Neither is it strict autobiography: there's a lot of cultural observation and history that would be lacking in a more egocentric production and it's this cultural interaction that forms the backbone of Heines' experience and story.
It's about Muslim faith, cultural values, the interaction of Arab countries with the rest of the world, and how Heines' decision to live in Arabia succeeds in changing not only his life, but those around him.
Expect more details about Omani culture than were provided in the first book, expect more rich viewpoints of male and female lives and how they are changed by Muslim faith and politics, and most of all, anticipate a deepening romance set against the backdrop of protests and heightening tensions in the Middle East.
Most accounts of the region come from relative outsiders. Even reporters who have extensively traveled throughout the Middle East and who have more in-depth background in the region's political turbulence don't have the personal associations that Matthew Heines develops in the course of working and developing a love relationship in Oman.
Another Year is about adventure and romance - but more importantly, it's about one average American's understanding of the underlying forces that drive Muslim culture and heritage, offering a rare opportunity for understanding based not on so much on history or politics as upon personal interactions.
And that's a rare perspective, indeed - especially in a post-9/11 world which too easily equates 'terrorism' with 'Muslim' and negates individual matters of the heart.
At this point the U.S. is about to invade Iraq, and Heines is the only American in the region - so he's viewed with undue suspicion and faces the additional challenges of being involved in a clandestine relationship with an Arab woman and struggling with a very different culture.
Like My Year in Oman, this book is neither 'fish nor fowl' - it's not a travelogue; so don't anticipate that direction. Neither is it strict autobiography: there's a lot of cultural observation and history that would be lacking in a more egocentric production and it's this cultural interaction that forms the backbone of Heines' experience and story.
It's about Muslim faith, cultural values, the interaction of Arab countries with the rest of the world, and how Heines' decision to live in Arabia succeeds in changing not only his life, but those around him.
Expect more details about Omani culture than were provided in the first book, expect more rich viewpoints of male and female lives and how they are changed by Muslim faith and politics, and most of all, anticipate a deepening romance set against the backdrop of protests and heightening tensions in the Middle East.
Most accounts of the region come from relative outsiders. Even reporters who have extensively traveled throughout the Middle East and who have more in-depth background in the region's political turbulence don't have the personal associations that Matthew Heines develops in the course of working and developing a love relationship in Oman.
Another Year is about adventure and romance - but more importantly, it's about one average American's understanding of the underlying forces that drive Muslim culture and heritage, offering a rare opportunity for understanding based not on so much on history or politics as upon personal interactions.
And that's a rare perspective, indeed - especially in a post-9/11 world which too easily equates 'terrorism' with 'Muslim' and negates individual matters of the heart.
Displaying 1 of 1 review