Another Year in Oman: Between Iraq and a Hard Place (American Experiences in Arabia During the War On Terror Book 2)

ABOUT Matthew Heines

Matthew Heines
Matthew Heines is a teacher and a writer. He has taught from Anchorage, Alaska, to Washington State in the U.S. He has also taught English for seven years in the Sultanate of Oman and four years under military contracts in Saudi Arabia. He is a graduate of Washington State University and t More...

Description

What do you do when you are a lone American in Arabia during the War On Terror and you fall in love with an Arab woman?

In the second of a three book series describing his life in the Middle East after the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, the author finds he is alone again in the remote regions of Arabia. To make matters worse, the U.S. is gearing up for an invasion of Iraq to the north and everyone is looking at the author, the only American in the region, with even greater suspicion. In the middle of it all he finds himself involved in a surrealistic, clandestine relationship.

But is it real, or is it just a dream? It's up to you to decide.

What do you do when you are a lone American in Arabia during the War On Terror and you fall in love with an Arab woman? In the second of a three book series describing his life in the Middle East after the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, the author finds he is alone again in the remote regions of Arabia. To make matters worse, the U.S. is gearing up for an invasion of Iraq to the north and everyone is looking at the author, the only American in the region, with even greater suspicion. In the middle of it all he finds himself involved in a surrealistic, clandestine relationship. But is it real, or is it just a dream? It's up to you to decide.

Another Year in Oman

Matthew D. Heines

Heinessight, Inc.

9780990879312      $11.99

www.heinessight.com

 

Another Year in Oman: Between Iraq and a hard Place is the second of a three-book series that describes the author's life in the Middle East and once again offers a powerful perspective, continuing the saga begun by Heines' venture into Oman post-9/11.

 

At this point the U.S. is about to invade Iraq, and Heines is the only American in the region - so he's viewed with undue suspicion and faces the additional challenges of being involved in a clandestine relationship with an Arab woman and struggling with a very different culture.

 

Like My Year in Oman, this book is neither 'fish nor fowl' - it's not a travelogue; so don't anticipate that direction. Neither is it strict autobiography: there's a lot of cultural observation and history that would be lacking in a more egocentric production and it's this cultural interaction that forms the backbone of Heines' experience and story.

 

It's about Muslim faith, cultural values, the interaction of Arab countries with the rest of the world, and how Heines' decision to live in Arabia succeeds in changing not only his life, but those around him.

 

Expect more details about Omani culture than were provided in the first book, expect more rich viewpoints of male and female lives and how they are changed by Muslim faith and politics, and most of all, anticipate a deepening romance set against the backdrop of protests and heightening tensions in the Middle East.

 

 

Most accounts of the region come from relative outsiders. Even reporters who have extensively traveled throughout the Middle East and who have more in-depth background in the region's political turbulence don't have the personal associations that Matthew Heines develops in the course of working and developing a love relationship in Oman.

 

Another Year is about adventure and romance - but more importantly, it's about one average American's understanding of the underlying forces that drive Muslim culture and heritage, offering a rare opportunity for understanding based not on so much on history or politics as upon personal interactions.

 

And that's a rare perspective, indeed - especially in a post-9/11 world which too easily equates 'terrorism' with 'Muslim' and negates individual matters of the heart.

  D. Donovan, eBook Reviewer, MBR

"Another Year in Oman" is the second book that 'Mr. Matt' (known to the Omani people by) has written..notably while teaching a second year of English at the same college, in the town of Sur, Oman.

Even though he introduced us to so many interesting aspects of Oman in his first book, this follow-up continues with more in-depth detail about the Omani Muslim culture.
Indeed this continues to be a book of adventure; yet it entails following the rules of a strict Muslim culture. A culture whereas people respect and respond to human beings differently, as a result of their strict Muslim values and faith nurtured during their childhood and carried on throughout their lives. (And I personally believe that to be a good thing.)
But for the women of these sacred Islamic countries, their lives are of little choice for what is in their future, as well as equality. Sadly, it strips them of their rights to make choices of their own, and in many countries such as this one, to marry a man who might not be of her own choosing. (Note to Middle Eastern women that I am making this conclusion from the standpoint of a woman of the West. We like having our own choices. I mean no offense to you.)
The men in their families, as well as their elders, are the glue to the core of their value system. Therefore, due to a romantic situation that unwittingly falls into Mr. Matt's lap, a new adventure begins for him when he becomes involved with a beautiful, young Omani woman who's religious beliefs do draw lines in the sand (pardon the pun). Therefore, she and Matt may not openly show mutual affection in a public interlude, as it could result in a life or death situation...for the young Omani woman.
Even though this is considered to be a beautiful modern day romance, it is not to be (shall we say) 'a happening', in many Arab nations, especially when this young lady is being pressured by her family to marry a cousin who is not of her choice.

If your reading preferences include true stories of heroes, romance and adventures...if you consider yourself an expat...or if you want to learn more about Middle Eastern Countries (especially at a time when we, the USA, invaded one of their countries), know that all of these factions are entwined in both compelling books. You just can't ask for better reads!
I just hope that Matt still has Oman and/or other Middle Eastern countries still in his system, giving us more of his brilliant, gifted craft...the writing style which he has captivated us with!
PEACE TO ALL AROUND THE WORLD