Overview
Day after day we are presented with horrific images from the Holy Land: snipers, suicide bombings, homes reduced to rubble, children dying on their way to school. An ironically twisted David and Goliath story pits slingshot armed teenagers against attack helicopters. Outside a still smoldering restaurant a father cradles the breathless body of his young daughter.Year upon year, new diplomatic agreements are intricately pieced together, only to lay in tatters on the summit room floor, or, more often, in the bloody streets of Jerusalem or Ramallah. We shake our heads at every new incidence of violence and wonder if lasting peace is possible. What is it about this land that seems to defy all efforts to make peace?
Dorothy Drummond wonders with us. She has observed the perplexing paradoxes of the region. Through first-hand investigations and scholarly research, Drummond has concluded that the answer lies in the dusts of the Holy Land's distant past. She takes her readers through the four thousand years of this land's history; the countless tribes who have lived there, the endless stream of empires that have conquered it. This is a history that continues to frustrate peace negotiations today. Former president of the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE), Dorothy Drummond has been teaching physical and political geography at university level for nearly forty years. Widely published, her extensive body of work includes contributions and articles on geography, history and social science for professional journals, and encyclopedias. Additionally, Ms. Drummond has co-edited several textbooks and teaching guides.