Rating: 
Summary: Good solid read
Review: While I read a lot of books (2-3 a week) I haven't read a lot of Uris'. Not really sure why. That said, The Haj was excellent. I lived in Jordan for 3 years and have struggled to make sense of the "Peace Process" and the conflict between the Israelis/Jews and the Palestinians.Along with being a good read (good story line, well developed characters) much of what Uris said sounded right and provided me with a little more context to try to understand the culture and the regional conflict. The discussion on the land ownership issues in early Israel/Palestine rang a chord and, for me, explains a lot of the deep resentment that the Palestinians have. I look forward to reading more of Uris/s work.
Rating: 
Summary: Not his best work, but should be read as balance for Exodus
Review: After reading Exodus, I felt a great empathy for both sides of the story, and could not wait to read The Haj, to round out the view. Unfortunately, this book does not in any way round out the view. In fact, it makes it almost impossible to feel sympathetic towards the Arab side of the story at all. It is not as compelling a story as Exodus and overall not as well written, although it is good. The only reason to read this book really is to get a feel for the attitude of the writer towards this side of the subject matter and therefore put Exodus in a more accurate context.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time on this book
Review: This is a very disgusting novel that revels in rape, immoral sex, incidents of violence and torture. Almost all the secondary characters are ridiculously one dimensional. Most of the historical events are presented poorly and are surrounded by imagined and simplistic dialogue between real leaders of the time, none of which come across as believable. Don't expect to learn anything from reading this pulp fiction. If your interested in Zionism and the birth of the modern country of Israel, read a real history book. There are so many great novels out there, don't waste your time on this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Plain Truth
Review: This book reveals the complete truth about the Middle East and the hatred and destructive evil that Israel and the Jewish people are up against.No it is not racist or prejudiced.It simply tells things as they are without regard to political correctness Of course Arabists and their like will hate it,therefore. In fact it shows the character Ismail in a very favourable light and as for the assertion made that only Jews are presented in a good light,that is simply rubbish For example we read about the Scottish Christian Captain Wingate who shows great valour and love for the Bible and God and this is what leads him to help the Jewish people in their struggle.He shows many positive qualities in the Haj himself and presents a compassionate portrayal of the German prostitute Ursula who is basically a decent woman who has found herself in a terrible situation ,and who shows great courage and conscience. In Leon Uris' books he presents all sorts of people who are brave and noble-hearted including British,Germans, Greeks ,Americans and Poles as well as bad people among all nations too. Read it.It presents the TRUTH about Israel and the Arabs at a time we are presented with Anti-Semitic untruths about Israel from the media everyday.
Rating:
Summary: The Haj
Review: The Haj is an incredible look at how consuming and destrucive hate and revenge are as driving forces for any culture, in this case the Arabic and Moslem people. It has been the same for all cultures that become hell-bent on destroying another segment of the population. It is not outside forces that have caused the people of the Middle East to live in squalorous conditions and constant warfare, it seems to be their own oppressive, greedy leaders who have apparently sold them out again and again. I know some readers seem to feel The Haj is anti-Arab, But I disagree. I think any honest Arab would have to agree, there is plenty of money within the Arab nations for them to help themselves and they have not, just as this book says. The clanish mentality will never allow them to grow as a culture. Progress for a people requires trust and teamwork on a large scale. They seem to have basically been raised without those characteristics since Bedouin days. It is a very sad situation and frustrating for any Arabs and Moslems hoping to make any progress for themselves and their culture, people like The Haj. This book hugely increased my understanding of the nature and magnitude of the historical issues that have driven conflict in the Middle East. Though I knew the battles between the Jewish and Arabic people went back thousands of years, this book specifically recounts the clashes from the early 1990's to the mid 50's. I'm sure some of the episodes are somewhat romanticized, but I think Leon Uris' view of the Middle East "big picture" is pretty fair. My Dad recommended I read this book after several post 911 discussions of Middle East issues. He's a smart guy and I love him. I'm busy raising my own kids and need all the help I can get to stay informed on the world situation and become a smarter American!!
Rating:
Summary: Fact & fiction blurred
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Excellent narrative with great character development. However, the commentary on muslims/arabs is difficult to digest for several reasons: 1. The author is harsh with the disciption of haj's people and cohorts and rarely discerns muslim and arab culture and tradition. 2. Jewish people are never mentioned with a derogatory note. They are noble throughout the exhaustive narrative. I read this book during a time period overlapping the 9/11 incident and am wary of this tainting my opinion of Muslim/Arab people.
Rating: 
Summary: my review
Review: I have found that reading this book has given me a much better perspective into most of the problems in the Middle East. I am able to understand the Arab position, as well as Israel's. Also, I have learned part of the history on that area, from the beginning of last century, through both world wars and with the situation now. How all the ancient civilizations that dominated the area left their mark, how the Jews were forced to leave and how Islam became the ever-present religion. The book is written from an Arab's point of view and that is very refreshing, as well as insightful into their minds and way of thinking. Good book and a must read in today's world.
Rating:
Summary: An Accurate Portrayal of the Mideast Problem
Review: I am a professor of Near Eastern Studies at the University of Melbourne in Australia. When I first read Uris' "Haj" a few years ago, I was aware that many accuse Uris of a pro-Israel bias. I do not feel, however, that any bias is apparent even after close readings of the novel. If anythinhg, Uris presents the different emotions in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and presents Palestinians in a human light, something which is not often done. The historical portrayals are quite accurate as well. In short, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict - it provides fine historical background. Uris' other novel, Exodus, may also prove to be beneficial to those new to the subject.
Rating:
Summary: Bigotry and bad writing
Review: My book club selected this book, partly based on Leon Uris' reputation as a story-teller and partly based on a desire to explore the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in light of the current media and public focus on the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. By the thirtieth page of this book, however, I was painfully aware that I would derive neither pleasure from Uris' prose nor any sort of illumination regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and/or the Arab world in general. Uris' supposedly-serious novel reads more like the literary equivalent of a soap opera, with pasteboard characters, absurdly unrealistic dialogue and hackneyed, unoriginal descriptions. Much more importantly, however, Uris' history is hideously inaccurate and unforgivably manipulative. I received my BA from an Ivy League university in the field of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and my specific area of concentration was the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. I am neither Arab nor Jewish (though, in fact, my husband and daughter are Jewish) and consider myself both well-educated and unbiased regarding this issue. Please DO NOT believe the propaganda and stereotypes Uris embraces in The Haj. All Palestinians are not disloyal, lazy, vicious, degenerate, and uneducated -- they are a diverse people deserving of our respect, just like any other. The "historical information" he chooses to include about the Irgun and Stern Gang, the massacre at Deir Yassin, the attitudes of the early Israeli leadership towards the Palestinian refugees and many other topics can only be described as blatant falsehoods. Interestingly, Uris penned this novel in 1984, a time when the American public and media was beginning to revise their traditionally pro-Israeli views in light of events such as the massacres at Sabra and Shantila. I can only guess that he intended to use this novel to return public sentiment in this country to a more hard-line, anti-Arab stance. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a tragic situation, one which has victimized both Jews and Palestinians, but Uris does his cause no good by filling his novel with the most base sort of bigotry and historical untruth.
Rating:
Summary: Read "The Haj" and learn somthing!
Review: THE HAJ by Leon Uris -- This is an important book in the year 2001. Published in 1984 one line in the book says that radical Islam will turn the world upside down. The story starts in 1924 and ends in about 1950. It outlines how the State of Israel was set up by the United Nations. The Turks had it. Then the British controlled it after WW1. Then the British allowed Jewish people to buy land in Palestine. Then after WW2 more Jewish people bought land in Palestine. Then the British stopped the Jewish people from buying land in Palestine. The Islamic Arabs who lived in Palestine did not want Jewish people moving in. Their villages did not improve much, while the Jewish villages improved with enlightened agricultural techniques and thoughtful progress. Then the British wanted out of Palestine and asked the United Nations to take over. The United Nations voted to allow Jewish people to establish the state of Israel. Many Islamic Arabs wanted to fight and kill the Jewish people and stop the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. So, they did. They started fighting Jewish people in Palestine. Many Arab Palestinians we told by other Arabs to leave their villages -- just for a while so the fight against the Jewish people could begin. Palestinian Islamic Arabs left their villages and moved to other areas nearby that became Palestinian refugee camps. The Islamic Arab fighters lost their battles against the Jewish people. The Arab Palestinian people did not move back into their villages. Instead, they stayed in refugee camps. Arab countries like Jordan and Egypt did not help the Islamic Arab Palestinians in the refugee camps much. Even the UN made little progress. Islamic Arabs blamed the plight of the Palestinian Islamic Arabs in the refugee camps on the state of Israel and the Jewish people. The Palestinian refugee camps became a new reason for the Islamic Arab people to HATE the Jewish people. Later Egypt attempted to destroy the State of Israel in a war. The Egyptians lost. Then, by 1950 over 300 Egyptian "blow yourself up martyrs" had blown themselves up in the state of Israel in attempts to kill Israel Jewish people. The book expresses the view that the Islamic Arabs HATE the Jewish people -- as well as other nonbelivers. If someone out there has a book to read that presents a different version of this history of Palestine -- what is it? What's the title of another book that tells the story from a different point of view? As I see it -- YOU OUGHT TO READ THIS BOOK. IT IS A WAKE UP CALL. Remember -- it was published in 1984 and nothing much has change since then. Except the acts of Radical Islamic Arabs reached the US in September, 2001.
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