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The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon's Life Struggle
NOT SINCE THOMAS FRIEDMAN’S FROM BEIRUT TO JERUSALEM IN 1989 HAS A JOURNALIST OFFERED SUCH A POIGNANT AND PASSIONATE PORTRAIT OF LEBANON—A UNIQUELY PLURALIST ARAB COUNTRY STRUGGLING TO DEFEND ITS VIABILITY IN A TURBULENT AND TREACHEROUS MIDDLE EAST.
Michael Young, who was taken to Lebanon at age seven by his Lebanese mother after the death of his American father and who has worked most of his career as a journalist there for American publications, brings to life a country in the crossfire of invasions, war, domestic division, incessant sectarian scheming, and often living in fear of its neighbors. Young knows or has known many of the players, politicians, writers, and religious leaders.
A country riven by domestic tensions that have often resulted in assassinations, under the considerable sway of Hezbollah (in alliance with Iran and Syria), frequently set upon by Israel and Syria, nearly destroyed by civil war, Lebanon remains an exception among Arab countries because it is a place where liberal instincts and tolerance struggle to stay alive.
An important and enduring symbol, Lebanon was once the outstanding example of an (almost) democratic society in an inhospitable, dangerous region—a laboratory both for modernity and violence, as a Lebanese intellectual who was later assassinated once put it.
Young relates the growing tension between a domineering Syria and a Lebanese opposition in which charismatic leader and politician Rafiq al-Hariri was assassinated and the Independence Intifada—the Cedar Revolution—broke out. His searing account of his country’s confrontation with its domestic and regional demons is one of hope found and possibly lost.
In this stunning narrative, Young tells us what might have been his country’s history, and what it may yet be.
Michael Young, who was taken to Lebanon at age seven by his Lebanese mother after the death of his American father and who has worked most of his career as a journalist there for American publications, brings to life a country in the crossfire of invasions, war, domestic division, incessant sectarian scheming, and often living in fear of its neighbors. Young knows or has known many of the players, politicians, writers, and religious leaders.
A country riven by domestic tensions that have often resulted in assassinations, under the considerable sway of Hezbollah (in alliance with Iran and Syria), frequently set upon by Israel and Syria, nearly destroyed by civil war, Lebanon remains an exception among Arab countries because it is a place where liberal instincts and tolerance struggle to stay alive.
An important and enduring symbol, Lebanon was once the outstanding example of an (almost) democratic society in an inhospitable, dangerous region—a laboratory both for modernity and violence, as a Lebanese intellectual who was later assassinated once put it.
Young relates the growing tension between a domineering Syria and a Lebanese opposition in which charismatic leader and politician Rafiq al-Hariri was assassinated and the Independence Intifada—the Cedar Revolution—broke out. His searing account of his country’s confrontation with its domestic and regional demons is one of hope found and possibly lost.
In this stunning narrative, Young tells us what might have been his country’s history, and what it may yet be.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
15 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
Michael Dunlop Young
334 books43 followersMichael Dunlop Young, Baron Young of Dartington, British sociologist, social activist and politician.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 31, 2016
Young is a masterful expositor of political intrigue. He is one of those rare birds who lives close enough to cruelty to know it well, but far enough removed from danger to be free to practice his art. It requires unique circumstances to produce such an individual, certainly not liberty (which shields most people from utter savagery), but the life of a free man on the boundary of civilization.
November 22, 2021
A readable account of Lebanon's Cedar Revolution. I found myself slightly disappointed in Young's retelling of events. I hoped for more analysis of the events but was left wanting. The book is very readable, but it would do well to have some background on Lebanon's history and its civil war. The book part memoir, part history and in some ways it didn't feel like it knew exactly what it wanted to be.
August 17, 2022
No one knows the cross currents of Lebanese politics better than Michael Young.
October 27, 2025
Good read. Very informational if you want to learn about the depth of Lebanese politics and the impact of post-civil war Lebanon and the assassination of Rafiq Hariri. Learned a lot from this book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about Lebanon. My only issue with the book was the language. The language was a little bit too sophisticated and was sometimes difficult to follow, even if the content was great.
September 12, 2010
Very interesting read on modern Lebanon political history....
February 16, 2011
This book has a lot of great information. However, it's a very dry read. I had to read 10 pages at a time just so I wouldn't lose focus. Just be prepared...
September 4, 2015
One of the Best Books for describing and analyzing the Lebanese Cedar Revolution in 2005. Good analysis for the aftermath of this historic revolution and the deception that followed.
June 20, 2012
Sounds like a good read ...will know more as I get into the book
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews