Living Between Iraq and a Hard Place

About the Book

Living Between Iraq and a Hard Place uses the writing and photography of an American couple that journeyed to Jordan as Peace Corps volunteers and served in a small village for two years in the mid 2000s. Martin and Karen Feess, the author and photographer, through their recollections, bring to life the people among whom they served. The reader will join them in celebrating villagers’ weddings and other feasts. The narrative recounts their visits to the wonders of this often-misunderstood place—the Roman ruins, medieval castles, and holy place. By coming to appreciate the rich lives of the Jordanian people, the reader may cultivate the beginnings of an approach both to fathoming the intricacies of the Middle East’s obstacles to peace and to appreciating how the seeds of solutions to the region’s problems with conflict lie among the people who live there. If you watch or read the news and find your thoughts filled with questions about the realities of the lives of the people existing quietly beneath the headlines, then Living Between Iraq and a Hard Place will help you to find answers to those questions … and the hints about how peace might take root and flourish.

About the Author

Martin and Karen Feess served in the Peace Corps from 2005 to 2007 in a rural Jordanian village. They built friendships with the residents and found their lives enriched. Martin, who holds a PhD in history, speaks to groups about the challenges facing all who seek peace in the Middle East.