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				 Books > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history 
				
					
						
						
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
	
	
	
		
			
				
			
	
 
			
			
				The "Bidun" ("without nationality") are a stateless community based
across the Arab Gulf. There are an estimated 100,000 or so Bidun in
Kuwait, a heterogeneous group made up of tribes people who failed
to register for citizenship between 1959 and 1963, former residents
of Iraq, Saudi and other Arab countries who joined the Kuwait
security services in '60s and '70s and the children of Kuwaiti
women and Bidun men. They are considered illegal residents by the
Kuwaiti government and as such denied access to many services of
the oil-rich state, often living in slums on the outskirts of
Kuwait's cities. There are few existing works on the Bidun
community and what little research there is is grounded in an Area
Studies/Social Sciences approach. This book is the first to explore
the Bidun from a literary/cultural perspective, offering both the
first study of the literature of the Bidun in Kuwait, and in the
process a corrective to some of the pitfalls of a descriptive,
approach to research on the Bidun and the region. The author
explores the historical and political context of the Bidun, their
position in Kuwaiti and Arabic literary history, comparisons
between the Bidun and other stateless writers and analysis of the
key themes in Bidun literature and their relationship to the Bidun
struggle for recognition and citizenship.
			
		  
	 
	
 
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
	
	
	
		
			
				
			
	
 
			
			
				Medal of Honor winner Staff Sergeant "Sal" Giunta's empowering
memoir describes a boy working at a Subway shop who was attracted
to an Army recruiting center by a free T-shirt, but left inspired
by the thought of making a difference to the world. After
enlisting, he was posted to Afghanistan, where he learned from the
seasoned soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade about a totally new
kind of war. In 2007, while he was on patrol in the Korengal
Valley--the "Valley of Death"--his lessons on duty and honor in the
face of danger were tested. His squad was ambushed by Taliban
insurgents and pinned down under blistering fire. When their leader
fell, Giunta shielded him with his own body. Amid the chaos, he
continued to fight and protect his wounded comrades until Apache
air cover finally brought a halt to the action.  
"Living with Honor" is a remarkable account by a man who insists he
was "just a soldier," but who has made the difference he dreamed
of. His candid, insightful tale is a moving testament to the power
of the human spirit.
			
		  
	 
	
 
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
								
							
							
							
						
					
					
					
					
				 
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