Dawn and Sunset: New Developments

There are two pieces of news concerning my history book, Dawn and Sunset, that I'd like to share with you.

My book entered the contest, Eric Hoffer Book Award, for independent books. The results will be published in May, 2017. It's a great honor. The book was nominated by my publishing house, Authorhouse UK.

Pacific Book Review published a review of my book and I could not expect anything better. Here is the text. 

Author: Michael Baizerman

Publisher: AuthorHouseUK

ISBN: 9781504936118

Pages: 289

Genre: Education

Reviewed by: S. Marie Vernon

Rating: 4 Star Review

Pacific Book Review

Dawn and Sunset is a compelling Tale of the Oldest Cities of the Near East written by

amateur historian and Israeli high school English teacher, Michael Baizerman. It’s

clear, Baizerman has spent countless hours researching and documenting this work.

He has compiled minute details of everyday life of the inhabitants of the old world

known as Mesopotamia and the cradle of civilization. The oldest cities encompassed

the Persian Gulf area and were referred to as Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian and

Assyrian regions. The Mesopotamia area today is known as Eastern Turkey, IRAQ,

Kuwait, Baghdad, Iran and Northern Syria. The Greek meaning of Mesopotamia is,

“land between two rivers.” The twin rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates nourished

Mesopotamia and made it possible for nomadic tribes to begin to cultivate the land for

agriculture and eventually settle into communal villages where life as we know it began.

Then much changed over the course of time. A lot of historical ground is covered in the

many millenniums referenced with some emphasis on the third and fourth millennia

BCE.

This work may be more than A Tale, perhaps it’s a social study of our earliest

ancestors? Perhaps it’s closer to a documentary of facts, yet facts that are sometimes

verified through myths, legends and the poetry of that millennium? Baizerman blazes

on undaunted by the scarcity of information for some periods and events. He gathers

his content from different angles to expose discrepancies and biases for what they

were. If there is no documentation to support the claim he will pursue other avenues;

he will find a hieroglyphic, a poem or an architectural marker of that time period so his

points are well documented. The author himself says it best, “Only artists and scholars

are entitled to examine our history through a magnifying glass with inexhaustible vigor,”

which he does very well in creating this educational volume called Dawn and Sunset.

The Gods drove every decision in the ancient world. Temples attested to their glory and

power. In the beginning, the Temples controlled the economic life of a community.

They were central to all the regions and the many Gods were worshipped and honored

constantly. Life was a battle, a consistent struggle with the hostile land and various

populations of people. Irrigation and farming allowed for communal villages to give way

to more complex societies with district states. Then pristine cities became early

empires and these gave way to dynasties with corruption and exploitation that would

bring in the Dark Ages and the eventual collapse of this early civilization that had been

“Two thousand turbulent years in the making.” The temples fell to government rule and

general’s built extravagant palaces to display power and demand respect whether they

deserved it or not. Many great leaders and warriors would rise and fall. Some were

virtuous and some were not. War was inevitable and peace was all but nonexistent.

Through it all, writing, language and technological advancement prevailed; metals,

ceramics and new building materials enhanced and changed their way of life forever.

New transportation routes and foreign trade changed the landscape, social classes, and

the expectations of the people. Division of labor and other inequities emerged that

would lead to more wars and the eventual demise of a once glorious nation known as

Mesopotamia. From pre-civilization to civilization to its very downfall, this book delivers

a lot as each chapter is organized and packed with great detail about the grueling and

difficult historical times between the Dawn and Sunset of Mesopotamia– A Tale of the

Oldest Cities of the Near East. Ironically, through this writing we can see many parallels

of modern day society as it faces some of the same indignities and dilemmas of this

historical period.

After Dawn and Sunset author Michael Baizerman emerges with a new book and is

already writing it. It’s about the attitude of the Latin West to the East on the eve of the

Age of Discovery. Both books should appeal to history lovers and educators who like a

dedicated spirit of inquiry and documented exposure of facts that may not be so factual.

Of course, any differences in opinion, by this author is well researched, well

documented and well written. These volumes are sure to be a handy resource for any

educator who would like that little extra detail when it comes to the history of ancient

civilizations.