"It is fascinating to read about the frustrations, large and small, of an intrepid female reporter."—Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times Book Review

Named Top Book of the Year by theGlobalist.com

"Fascinating study filled with memorable firsthand accounts . . . Mullahs, Merchants, and Militants represents a major contribution to our knowledge of the inner economic workings of the harried Arab business class."—The Middle East Journal

"Gripping and important . . . A rare glimpse of the crumbling of the last bastion of colonialism, told by a writer of consummate skill."—Steven Harvey, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“No other Israeli writer so far has approached this touchy subject with such compassion, or looked at it with, so to speak, bifocal eyes, Israeli and Palestinian.”—Amos Elon, The New York Review of Books

"Powerful . . . [Grossman's] depth of understanding and facility of expression rekindle regret for a decade that began with Oslo's cautious hopes and collapsed—notably after Rabin's assassination—into outright despair."—Milton Viorst, The Washington Post

Winner of the Lettre Ulysses Award

"These observations offer readers an intimate, insider's account of the minutiae of a hajj, particularly intriguing for those of us who will never be able to come any closer."—Marjorie Kehe, The Christian Science Monitor

"Stunning . . . No one has exposed the shortsightedness, hubris, corruption, and instability of our country's imperial overreach with such impassioned incisiveness. Blowback is a wake-up call for America."—John W. Dower, author of Embracing Defeat, winner of the Pulitzer Prize

"An intriguing portrait of a pivotal nation in historic transition."—Robert D. Kaplan, author of Balkan Ghosts

"Kiser is the first American to have told the full story . . . What makes this book so unusual and yet useful for students is the way the author has combined solid research and profound analysis with compelling writing and personal engagement in the story. It is part mystery, part love story and part historical journalism of a very high order. There are precious few such books on the market. The Monks of Tibhirine brings together history, politics and stories of faith that is lived amid fear and violence in a style that is dramatic, inspiring and extremely educational. In this sense it is an excellent tool for teaching students about the Muslim world in which religion infuses life . . . This is an extraordinary story of the meeting of two peoples within the Abrahamic tradition who believed that, the violence notwithstanding, the destiny of all of them was to live together joined in charity and friendship. Kiser's book, as history and witness to faith, would be a valuable companion for many courses on religious studies, history and cultural studies of the Arab and Muslim worlds, but most of all for courses that seek to advance Christian Muslim understanding. I am going to be using it for my religion and conflict resolution course and am also recommending it as well to the Middle Eastern studies department."—Andrea Bartoli, Director, Center for International Conflict Resolution, Columbia University