Books > A personal view of Beirut

In Abraham Firestone March's book, "To Beirut and Back: An American In The Middle East," published in May, the former Dover resident writes of his time as a naive but aggressive businessman in a place, time and culture that intrigued, irritated and sometimes terrified him: Lebanon and the Middle East during the 1970s.The book includes his family's travels through Canada, Greece, Germany and finally to Lebanon. While there, he was robbed and kidnapped during a civil war. He left the country in 1974 because of financial trouble but returned a year later.

March's story starts with his excitement, determination and admiration for the beauty of his surroundings. But fear of the unknown was also an underlying emotion. With Lebanon now in the crossfire of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah fighters, March, now living in Germany, agreed to a question-and-answer session via e-mail.

Read the interview at > A personal view of Beirut