| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 107.3

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| Book Review | The American Historical Review, 107.3 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Canada and the United States

Melani McAlister. Epic Encounters: Culture, Media, and U.S. Interests in the Middle East, 1945–2000. (American Crossroads.) Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. 2001. Pp. xv, 358. Cloth $50.00, paper $19.95.

At a time when racial profiling and intolerance for other cultures is on the rise, a book discussing how Americans perceive the Middle East is very important. Since September 11, 2001, interest in understanding the Mideast region has been paramount for almost everyone, and when I opened the pages of Melani McAlister's book, I hoped that the author would add to my understanding of what had taken place at the World Trade Center. I have gained some new insights, but for the most part, I found the book uneven stylistically and not very consistent in its presentation. The author's theme centers on the politics of culture and the development of American perceptions of the Middle East. This is based on the formation of "multilayered investments in the Middle East" and how they "have been mobilized by very different people living in the United States" (p. xiv). McAlister also seems to allude to the role of the formation of cultural perception, and the creation of American power in the region.The book explores this theme in great detail, and the author does her best to support her conclusions by analyzing film, fiction, nonfiction, and the media. . . .

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