Features

   Written Word

By MainGate Staff
Spring 2022

‘AŞFŪRIYYEH: A HISTORY OF MADNESS, MODERNITY, AND WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Joelle M. Abi-Rached (BS ’02, MD ’06) shows how ‘Aşfūriyyeh’s role shifted from a missionary enterprise to a national institution with vast regional influence. She offers a gripping chronicle of patients’ and staff members’ experiences during the Lebanese Civil War. Once hailed for its progressive approach to mental illness and its cosmopolitanism, ‘AŞfūriyyeh became a stigmatizing term, a byword for madness and deviance, ultimately epitomizing a failed project of modernity.

MUHAMMAD RUHI AL-KHALIDI (1864–1913): BOOKS, ARTICLES, AND SELECTED MANUSCRIPTS

Mariam El Ali (BA ’09, MA ’11, PhD ’17) explores the life of Jerusalemite writer
Muhammad Ruhi al-Khalidi (1864– 1913). The book documents Khalidi’s biography and entire oeuvre, from his earliest to his latest writings, and includes a preface that sums up his ideas and examines his authorial persona by setting it against the enlightenment-like context of the Nahda, or renaissance.

HUMBITIOUS: THE POWER OF LOW-EGO, HIGH-DRIVE LEADERSHIP

Amer Kaissi (BS ’97, MPH ’99), professional speaker, executive coach, and distinguished Trinity University professor shatters the myths about leadership being an ego- driven game. Drawing on extensive research, personal stories, and fascinating historical examples of leadership done right (and wrong), Kaissi reveals why the most effective, high-performing leaders aren’t those with the biggest egos but those who possess humility coupled with ambition and drive.

HOMEMADE: MADE HEALTHY & WHOLE —A FLAVOR OF LEBANESE COOKING AND OTHER HEALTHY RECIPES

Sara Farhat Jarrar (BS ’06, MS ’10) takes a holistic but straightforward approach to home cooking, using her expertise as a nutritionist to modify traditional Lebanese recipes to include healthier ingredients and cooking methods, thus reproducing much-loved recipes with a more beneficial nutritional profile. This book is a nutrition guide on healthier eating and a cookbook of over 100 healthy recipes.

EINSTEIN IN THE ATTIC

Said Al Bizri (BA ’95) and Dana Dargos set Einstein the Attic against the backdrop of the war between science and God, reason and faith, as one scientist’s search for truth and meaning is faced with the ultimate question: Is there a God? Fleeing war-torn Lebanon, Adam Reemi’s faith is shaken by his hardships. Still, when he and a colleague successfully construct a nano hadron collider and use sound waves, Adam finds unheard-of power at his fingertips.

 

And more:

THE AKHBAR OF KHADIJA BINT KHUWAYLID IN SLAMIC SOURCES, Mariam El Ali BA ’09, MA ’11, PhD ’17

KAHLIL GIBRAN – PORTRAITS, Salim Mujais, BS ’74, MD ’78

STUDIES AND DOCUMENTS ON THE ARMENIAN QUESTION AND GENOCIDE, Zaven M. Messerlian, BA ’59, MA ’64