Popular Western Sahara Books

14+ [Hand Picked] Popular Books On Western Sahara

4.2/5

Glory in a Camel's Eye: A Perilous Trek Through the Greatest African Desert by Jeffrey Tayler

Marvelously entertaining and frequently harrowing, Glory in a Camel's Eye recounts the American travel writer Jeffrey Tayler's dangerous three-month journey across the Moroccan Sahara in the company of Arab nomads. Glory in a Camel's Eye gives us an intimate, often surprising portrait of Saharan Africa: the cultural conflicts between native Berbers and Arabs, the clashes b Marvelously entertaining and frequently harrowing, Glory in a Camel's Eye recounts the American travel writer Jeffrey Tayler's dangerous three-month journey across the Moroccan Sahara in the company of Arab nomads. Glory in a Camel's Eye gives us an intimate, often surprising portrait of Saharan Africa: the cultural conflicts between native Berbers and Arabs, the clashes between devout desert-dwelling nomads and their city-dwelling counterparts. Fluent in Arabic, Tayler assembles an image of modern life very much at odds with our Western assumptions. He observes and reports "with eloquence and an eye for the improbable" (Outside).

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4.5/5

Sahara by Michael Palin , Basil Pao (Photographer)

Michael Palin's epic voyages have seen him circumnavigate the globe, travel from the North to the South Pole and circle the countries of the Pacific Ocean. This was perhaps the greatest challenge yet: to cross the vast and merciless Sahara desert. Shrugging aside the perils of camel stew and being run over by the Paris-Dakar rally, he travels through some of the most specta Michael Palin's epic voyages have seen him circumnavigate the globe, travel from the North to the South Pole and circle the countries of the Pacific Ocean. This was perhaps the greatest challenge yet: to cross the vast and merciless Sahara desert. Shrugging aside the perils of camel stew and being run over by the Paris-Dakar rally, he travels through some of the most spectacular landscapes on earth. For the Sahara is no empty wasteland, but home to a diversity of cultures whose long history stretches from the time of the ancient Egyptians to the oil-rich Islamic republics of today.

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3.9/5

Endgame in the Western Sahara: What Future for Africa's Last Colony by Toby Shelley , Toby Sheeley , José Ramos-Horta (Foreword by)

Why does this remote swathe of Sahara along the Atlantic seaboard concern the US and Europe? Why does Morocco maintain its occupation? Why has the UN Security Council prevaricated for three decades while the Sahrawis live under Moroccan rule or as refugees? In this revealing book, Financial Times journalist Toby Shelley examines the geopolitics involved. He brings out: The Why does this remote swathe of Sahara along the Atlantic seaboard concern the US and Europe? Why does Morocco maintain its occupation? Why has the UN Security Council prevaricated for three decades while the Sahrawis live under Moroccan rule or as refugees? In this revealing book, Financial Times journalist Toby Shelley examines the geopolitics involved. He brings out: The little-known struggle of Sahrawis living under Moroccan rule to defend their identity. US/European competition for influence in the Maghreb. The natural resources at stake -- rich fishing grounds, phosphates, and the prospect of oil. The reasons behind the UN failure to resolve what is now Africa's last decolonisation issue. The evolution of the US-backed Baker Plan to settle the dispute. How the Western Sahara's history and future is tangled up with Moroccan--Algerian rivalry. The political development of Polisario, independence movement and state-in-waiting. Toby Shelley has talked to Polisario, Moroccan, Algerian and other diplomats. He has visited the territory and had access to opposition activists and Moroccan officials. In the refugee camps he interviewed the leadership of Polisario. What emerges is that the fate of the Western Sahara is being moulded by global and regional forces and that it is the Sahrawis under Moroccan rule who are best placed to influence that fate.

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5/5

Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival by Dean King

A spectacular true odyssey through the extremes of the Sahara Desert in the early 19th century. Reader and protagonist alike are challenged into new ways of understanding culture clash, slavery and the place of Islam in the social fabric of desert-dwelling peoples. In a calm May morning in 1815, Captain James Riley and the crew of the Commerce left port in Connecticut for a A spectacular true odyssey through the extremes of the Sahara Desert in the early 19th century. Reader and protagonist alike are challenged into new ways of understanding culture clash, slavery and the place of Islam in the social fabric of desert-dwelling peoples. In a calm May morning in 1815, Captain James Riley and the crew of the Commerce left port in Connecticut for an ordinary trading voyage. They could never have imagined what awaited them. Their nightmare began with a dreadful shipwreck off the coast of Africa, a hair-raising confrontation with hostile native tribesmen within hours of being washed ashore, and a hellish confinement in a rickety longboat as they tried, without success, to escape the fearsome coast. Eventually captured by desert nomads and sold into slavery, Riley and his men were dragged along on an insane journey through the bone-dry heart of the Sahara--a region unknown to Westerners. Along the way the Americans would encounter everything that could possibly test them: barbarism, murder, starvation, plagues of locusts, death, sandstorms that lasted for days, dehydration, and hostile tribes that roamed the desert on armies of camels. They would discover ancient cities and secret oases. They would also discover a surprising bond between a Muslim trader and an American sea captain, men who began as strangers, were forced to become allies in order to survive, and, in the tempering heat of the desert, became friends-even as the captain hatched a daring betrayal in order to save his men. From the cold waters of the Atlantic to the searing Saharan sands, Skeletons on the Zahara is a spectacular odyssey through the extremes. Destined to become a classic among adventure narratives, Dean King's masterpiece is an unforgettable tale of survival, courage, and brotherhood.

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4.8/5

Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution by Stephen Zunes , Jacob Mundy , George S. McGovern (Foreward)

The Western Sahara conflict has proven to be one of the most protracted and intractable struggles facing the international community. Pitting local nationalist determination against Moroccan territorial ambitions, the dispute is further complicated by regional tensions with Algeria and the geo-strategic concerns of major global players, including the United States, France, The Western Sahara conflict has proven to be one of the most protracted and intractable struggles facing the international community. Pitting local nationalist determination against Moroccan territorial ambitions, the dispute is further complicated by regional tensions with Algeria and the geo-strategic concerns of major global players, including the United States, France, and the territory’s former colonial ruler, Spain. For over twenty years, the UN Security Council has failed to find a formula that will delicately balance these interests against Western Sahara’s long-denied right to a self-determination referendum as one of the last UN-recognized colonies. In the first book-length treatment of the issue in over two decades, Zunes and Mundy examine the origins, evolution, and resilience of the Western Sahara conflict, deploying a diverse array of sources and firsthand knowledge of the region gained from multiple research visits. Shifting geographical frames—local, regional, and international—provide for a robust analysis of the stakes involved. - Syracuse University Press

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5/5

Mira si yo te querré by Luis Leante

Ni el tiempo ni el desierto pueden frenar al amor. El hallazgo inesperado de una vieja fotografía hará que Montse Cambra, una doctora de cuarenta y cuatro años, abandone su Barcelona natal para buscar a su primer amor. Comienza así un viaje que la llevará hasta el Sahara. El afán de supervivencia y la pasión de vivir de un pueblo olvidado en el desierto la ayudarán a descu Ni el tiempo ni el desierto pueden frenar al amor. El hallazgo inesperado de una vieja fotografía hará que Montse Cambra, una doctora de cuarenta y cuatro años, abandone su Barcelona natal para buscar a su primer amor. Comienza así un viaje que la llevará hasta el Sahara. El afán de supervivencia y la pasión de vivir de un pueblo olvidado en el desierto la ayudarán a descubrir su verdadero destino. Mira si yo te querré es una historia de amor que se alarga en el tiempo, el retrato de dos épocas y de dos culturas unidas por un secreto, la aventura de una mujer que descubre lo más importante en la soledad del desierto.

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4.9/5

Profit Over Peace in Western Sahara by Erik Hagen (Editor)

Profit over Peace in Western Sahara examines the role of natural resources in the occupation of Africa’s last colony. Not well known to the wider public, the territory of Western Sahara is considered by the United Nations to be awaiting decolonization. Its liberation from colonial rule has come to a standstill due to Morocco’s continued military occupation of a part of the Profit over Peace in Western Sahara examines the role of natural resources in the occupation of Africa’s last colony. Not well known to the wider public, the territory of Western Sahara is considered by the United Nations to be awaiting decolonization. Its liberation from colonial rule has come to a standstill due to Morocco’s continued military occupation of a part of the territory. The protracted conflict has dramatic consequences for the Sahrawi people of Western Sahara. This book details, among other things, a remarkable vote in the European Parliament in 2011 when EU offshore fisheries were rejected by the territory. The battle over the fisheries elegantly illustrates how the EU—for political reasons and financial self-interest—has ignored basic principles of international law.

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4/5

The Forbidden Coast by John Lodwick

The Rio de Oro, a Spanish possession on the north-west coast of Africa, is not a particularly important area in a world preoccupied with either trade or strategy. But to an ardent Hispanophile like John Lodwick, it represented a goal made all the more desirable by the official barriers placed in his way. This is the absorbing story of how he finally reached the Rio de Oro, The Rio de Oro, a Spanish possession on the north-west coast of Africa, is not a particularly important area in a world preoccupied with either trade or strategy. But to an ardent Hispanophile like John Lodwick, it represented a goal made all the more desirable by the official barriers placed in his way. This is the absorbing story of how he finally reached the Rio de Oro, of what he saw and, above all, of the people he came to know. This really was a very strange part of the African continent.

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4/5

Desert Drive: A zine about crossing the Sahara by Phiona Stanley

This is the story of a 2011/2012 road trip from Spain to Gambia, part of the Plymouth-Banjul Banger Rally. In it, I talk about all kinds of stuff: Western Sahara separatism, the Chinese mafia in Nouakchott and the slippery 'fixers' we dealt with along the way. There's also a poo story. I don't talk all that much about cars because I don't understand them, but I do talk abo This is the story of a 2011/2012 road trip from Spain to Gambia, part of the Plymouth-Banjul Banger Rally. In it, I talk about all kinds of stuff: Western Sahara separatism, the Chinese mafia in Nouakchott and the slippery 'fixers' we dealt with along the way. There's also a poo story. I don't talk all that much about cars because I don't understand them, but I do talk about how I tried to learn.

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4.8/5

Guerrillas: Journeys in the Insurgent World by Jon Lee Anderson

Prior to gaining international renown for his definitive biography of Che Guevara and first-hand reporting on the war in Iraq for the New Yorker, Jon Lee Anderson wrote Guerrillas, a pioneering account of five diverse insurgent movements around the world?the mujahedin of Afghanistan, the FMLN of El Salvador, the Karen of Burma, the Polisario of Western Sahara, and a group Prior to gaining international renown for his definitive biography of Che Guevara and first-hand reporting on the war in Iraq for the New Yorker, Jon Lee Anderson wrote Guerrillas, a pioneering account of five diverse insurgent movements around the world?the mujahedin of Afghanistan, the FMLN of El Salvador, the Karen of Burma, the Polisario of Western Sahara, and a group of young Palestinians fighting against Israel in the Gaza Strip. Making the most of unprecedented, direct access to his subjects, Anderson combines powerful, firsthand storytelling with balanced, penetrating analysis of each situation. A work of phenomenal range, analytical acuity, and human empathy, Guerrillas amply demonstrates why Jon Lee Anderson is one of our most important chroniclers of societies in crisis.

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4.1/5

To the Moon and Timbuktu: A Trek through the Heart of Africa by Nina Sovich

Nina Sovich had always yearned for adventures in faraway places; she imagined herself leading the life of a solitary traveler. Yet at the age of thirty-four, she found herself married and contemplating motherhood. Catching her reflection in a window spotted with Paris rain, she no longer saw the fearless woman who spent her youth travelling in Cairo, Lahore, and the West B Nina Sovich had always yearned for adventures in faraway places; she imagined herself leading the life of a solitary traveler. Yet at the age of thirty-four, she found herself married and contemplating motherhood. Catching her reflection in a window spotted with Paris rain, she no longer saw the fearless woman who spent her youth travelling in Cairo, Lahore, and the West Bank staring back at her. Unwittingly, she had followed life’s script, and now she needed to cast it out. Inspired by female explorers like Mary Kingsley, who explored Gabon’s jungle in the 1890s, and Karen Blixen, who ran a farm in Kenya during World War I, Sovich packed her bags and hopped on the next plane to Africa in search of adventure. To the Moon and Timbuktu takes readers on a fast-paced trek through Western Sahara, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger, bringing their textures and flavors into vivid relief. On Sovich’s travels, she encounters rough-and-tumble Chinese sailors, a Venezuelan doctor working himself to death in Chinguetti, indifferent French pensioners RVing along the coast, and a close-knit circle of Nigerien women who adopt her into their fold, showing her the promise of Africa’s future.

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4.7/5

Sahara by Paula Constant

Having walked more than 3,000 miles from Trafalgar Square to Morocco, Paula Constant finds herself at the westernmost edge of the Sahara Desertand the brink of sanity. Sahara is the story of Paula's struggle to overcome her innermost demons and take control of her journey, her camels, and the men she hires to guide her through one of planet's most extreme regions. Illness, Having walked more than 3,000 miles from Trafalgar Square to Morocco, Paula Constant finds herself at the westernmost edge of the Sahara Desertand the brink of sanity. Sahara is the story of Paula's struggle to overcome her innermost demons and take control of her journey, her camels, and the men she hires to guide her through one of planet's most extreme regions. Illness, landmines, and political red tape stand between Paula and the realization of a life's dream. Though the wheels have fallen off her marriage on the course of her journey and her funds are quickly drying up, she is determined to complete the walk through the romantic Big Empty of Northern Africa to Cairo. Both a thrilling adventure and a story of joy, heartache, inspiration, and despair, Sahara isabove alla celebration of the greatness of human spirit in all its guises.

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4.7/5

The Maghreb: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia by Yahia H. Zoubir , Louisa Dris-Aït-Hamadouche

Northwestern Africa, known as the Maghreb, consists of Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. Recent changes in the political climate--including the collapse of the Libyan regime in October 2011 and structural factors, such as the decolonization of the countries within the Maghreb--have escalated violence in the area, exposing global powers, incl Northwestern Africa, known as the Maghreb, consists of Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. Recent changes in the political climate--including the collapse of the Libyan regime in October 2011 and structural factors, such as the decolonization of the countries within the Maghreb--have escalated violence in the area, exposing global powers, including the United States, to terrorist attacks. This is the first book of its kind to focus on the strategic planning of the United States, as well as other world powers, in the stabilization of the region. Global Security Watch--The Maghreb: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia examines domestic, regional, and international policies as they relate to the area's culture, geography, and history. Each of the book's seven chapters looks at the political and social stability of the land, and features a discussion on such topics as interstate relations, regional integration, conflict resolution, and the legislation governing security.

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4.4/5

Western Sahara: Anatomy of a Stalemate by Erik Jensen

The long-running conflict over the sovereignty of Western Sahara has involved all the states of northwest Africa and many beyond since Spain ceded the territory to Morocco and Mauritania in 1976. Erik Jensen traces the evolution of the conflict - from its colonial roots to its present manifestation as a political stalemate. Jensen reviews the history of the dispute, descri The long-running conflict over the sovereignty of Western Sahara has involved all the states of northwest Africa and many beyond since Spain ceded the territory to Morocco and Mauritania in 1976. Erik Jensen traces the evolution of the conflict - from its colonial roots to its present manifestation as a political stalemate. Jensen reviews the history of the dispute, describes the quest by the UN and interested states to facilitate a process of self-determination through a referendum on independence vs. integration with Morocco, and explores the impasse over how to determine who should be allowed to vote in such a referendum. He then turns to the more recent efforts of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's personal envoy for Western Sahara, James Baker, to resolve the conflict. Despite Baker's 2003 peace plan, the government of Moroco and the Polisario Front remain at odds, and the stalemate continues.

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