From Publishers Weekly
In a historical moment when the Western world's antennae are zeroed in on all things Middle Eastern, books about that part of the world, such as Scott C. Davis's The Road from Damascus: A Journey through Syria, take on heightened significance. In 1987, five years after the Hama massacre, and with Syria seemingly on the brink of war with Israel, a na‹ve Davis made his first visit. Fourteen years later he returned to find the country radically different: less militarized, less uneasy, less frightening. Refreshingly candid about his pre-1987 ignorance about the Arab world and about his sometimes overblown but very real fears, Davis chronicles his meetings with Christian, Muslim and Jewish members of all stations of Syrian society, painting a cultural portrait that is vivid, moving and wise in its humble, wide-eyed approach. Photos and maps. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Over a decade ago, Davis, a sometimes carpenter/writer (The World of Patience Gromes), decided to leave family, friends, and job behind in Seattle and travel to Syria for a few months. Concerned friends warned him not to go as he was not an experienced traveler and knew only a few words of Arabic and no French. But he went anyway, first in 1987 and then again in 2001. He visited Roman ruins and Islamic and Christian sites and met artists, intellectuals, smugglers, and mystics, as well as many ordinary Syrians, experiencing their openness and hospitality. At the end of his first visit, Davis met with the patriarch of Antioch, who reminded him that according to the Bible, St. Paul experienced his conversion via a vision of God on the road to Damascus. But, as Davis learned during his second visit to Syria, it is not the vision of God that a seeker receives on the road to Damascus that is important but rather how the seeker puts it into practice in life (i.e., how he or she walks the road from Damascus). While the premise of this travelog is interesting (a novice in Syria), Davis's writing is sometimes plodding, and the text falters. Overall, however, this is a worthwhile addition to most libraries. Lee Arnold, Historical Soc. of Pennsylvania, PhiladelphiaCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.