In this mesmerizing look at Arab military leader Fawzi al-Qawuqji, Parsons fashions an unconventional biography of a divisive figure in the early 20th-century struggle for Arab sovereignty .The narrative is taut and fluid. Gliding along seamlessly, with a whole world unfurling like a carpet, al-Qawuqji emerges from these pages as an enigmatic, complex figure worthy of sustained scholarly attention.Parsons conveys the epic sweep of [al-Qawuqji's] life and his importance to Arab history .The effect is to dismantle various myths and misinterpretations that have developed around the period . . . In addition to a much-needed biography of al-Qawuqji, the author provides a history of the heyday and collapse of Arab nationalism This wonderful boook is a remarkably evenhanded biography of an important player in Arab history that doubles as a crucial scholarly reinterpretation of the rise and fall of Arab nationalism. and an an intriguing reassessment of the Arab nationalist and military strategist, and crafts astudiously even-handed history of the Arab anti-colonial movement through 1948 .The real strength of Parsons’ book lies in the rich, textured picture she paints.
With a subject so inspiring and provocative, The Commander never fails to interest. This is a fascinating biography. The Commander is a book as much for the lay reader as for the historian of Palestine. It can be read cover to cover as a well-told story of an adventurous life, with battles fought and visions formed and lost. But it is also an invaluable reference tool . . . Well-researched, presenting and analyzing many sources on this essential period of Arab history which were not previously available in English, The Commander is a lively read that is not short of depth nor contemporary importance..Parsons deserves credit for a meticulously researched account of an uncommon soldier who improvised his way through tumultuous times . . . Parsons’s great achievement is to show the fuller picture of a man who is primarily regarded as a failure in battle and, by extension, a failure to the Arab nationalist cause . . . Recognizing his unique place within many of the earliest Arab nationalist efforts is critical in understanding the shape of the modern Middle East.
Parsons paints in her lively, exciting and informed text and picture of a man who did his best in very difficult times and who was willing to die fighting for the cause of Arab freedom. Through Qawuqji’s life, as Parsons shows, we can understandso much of the unhappy history ofthe Middle East from 1918 to 1948.
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