It is refreshing to find a book on Syria, especially at this crucial time, which deals with culture and entertainment rather than violence and suffering. Still, author Rebecca Joubin is not indulging in escapism for she rounds off her review of half a century of Syrian TV series by evaluating the effects of the current civil war on their production and subject matter. If one was ever tempted to shrug off Syrian 'musalsalat' as soap operas, The Politics of Love proves that they are much more. Scripts exhibit a high quality of writing since most of the writers are poets, novelists and journalists. Moreover, in contrast to many telenovelas, Turkish or otherwise, Syrian TV drama seeks not only to entertain, but to find remedies for society’s problems. In Joubin’s opinion, they are a diversified gage of changing social mores, an exposure of corruption, poverty and injustice, and often a coded critique of the government. ... Joubin, who chairs the Arab Studies Department at Davidson College, North Carolina, lived in Syria for a number of years where she immersed herself in the cultural scene while researching this book. Her obvious passion for the 'musalsalat' and concern for the cultural creators she writes about, make her book quite engaging. . . . Joubin’s research is totally unique, and The Politics of Love will be fascinating for all those interested in the topic. In the introduction, she expresses her hope that 'the reader will come away with a sense of the beautiful humanity present in Syria—of a remarkably cultivated, vibrant and diverse intellectual capital, which is unfortunately lost in current media depictions of war and bloodshed.' (p. 21) In this, she certainly succeeds.
