Covenant: Love and Death in Beirut FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Newman was an experienced journalist in her 30s when she arrived in Beirut in 1980 to produce a TV documentary on the political maneuvering there. Her meeting with Bashir Gemayel, head of the Christian militia fighting the PLO and Syrians in Lebanon, was the start of a love affair, intense although doomed. Gemayel was tied to his wife and family; Newman, a divorcee, had a daughter waiting for her at home in Washington, D.C. Convinced that the 32-year-old leader could accomplish his goals of restoring peace and unity to his country, the author rejoiced when Gemayel was elected president in 1982, but he was assassinated shortly afterward. Impelled to investigate the crime, Newman risked her life, returning to Beirut and amassing evidence in support of the belief that the president's threat to entrenched power-sharers led to his murder. This is an important book about the intriguers that create bloody strife in the Mid-East, by an observant reporter. (Apr.)
Library Journal
In 1980, writer/producer Newman went to Lebanon for the first of several reports for ABC News's 20/20 . There she met Bashir Gemayel, the charismatic Christian leader who was struggling to unify that country. This book interweaves their growing love affair with Gemayel's election to the presidency in 1982 and his brutal assassination that same year. While Newman claims a mission of conveying to the American public the political importance of Gemayel's leadership and death, this is frustrated by her descriptions of her love for the man, her hatred for his killers, and her fear of Lebanon's continuing violence and disorder. While some readers may enjoy this lively mixture of politics and personality, those who want clearer understanding of Middle Eastern issues will be impatient with the personal intrusions.-- Elizabeth R. Hayford, Assoc. Colls. of the Midwest, Chicago
School Library Journal
YA-- War-torn Lebanon and contemporary Middle East politics are the background for this exciting true-life adventure and romance. Bashir Gemayel was young, vital, married, and in control of the Lebanon Christian forces when Newman first met him. His rise to power, election as president of Lebanon, assassination, and the descent of his country into anarchy and terrorism provide an interesting narrative that newspaper headlines and articles lacked. Newman tells of the perils an investigative reporter may face to uncover truths necessary to tell the whole story. Researchers will appreciate the index and the map of Lebanon. For students wanting an exciting, contemporary, different kind of biography, this is a find!-- Carolyn Henebry, Espicopal High School, Bellaire, TX
Home
