Emma Sky uses her experience of having worked and travelled extensively in the Middle East to explore the reasons for the years of unrest this region has suffered. Using knowledge gained from her many interactions with local people, as well as her own experiences, she tries to help the reader make sense of what is an intensely complex situation. She describes the years of conflict between different factions and religious groups. The author's hope that peace may one day return to the region unfortunately seems as far off as ever. Recent events in Israel and Palestine have brought home how difficult it is to reconcile longstanding differences. I found the book informative, well-written and thought-provoking, in particular the sections in which the author looks at the wider impacts of the Middle East situation on the rest of the world. Recommended for those with an interest in global affairs.