San Antonio College Library

A Single "Arab nation" has never existed, not even a thousand years ago, when the Arabs, driven by a rigorous new faith, conquered the Middle East and North Africa. Today, two hundred million Arabs share a language and a variety of historical experiences, the culture of Islam - and a deep-seated uncertainty about their place in a world changing at terrifying speed. In the midst of war, enormous economic disparities, personal and ideological rivalries...

If you've ever studied a foreign language, you know what happens when you first truly and clearly communicate with another person. As Zora O'Neill recalls, you feel like a magician. They say that Arabic takes seven years to learn and a lifetime to master. Steeped in grammar tomes and outdated textbooks, O'Neill faced an increasing certainty that she was not only failing to master Arabic, but also driving herself crazy. She took a decade-long hiatus,...