Israel’s consul-general in Chicago has reviewed Broken Spring. Here’s his takeaway:
“Lavie offers several interesting perspectives and ideas, and paired with a style of writing interspersed with witty banter and self-deprecating humor, “Broken Spring” may be pleasant for readers of all kind.”
Here’s a glowing review, concluding:
This is a great book to read at this turbulent times, when truth and fiction about the Middle East are so muddled by propaganda that they’re hard to distinct, when every rumor goes viral without a shred of proof and believed to be fact unless rebuked – and not even then. An easy and quick read that should be read by US foreign policy experts and makers.
LibraryThing reviewers give Broken Spring 4 and 5 stars…
Elliot1822 | Sep 14, 2014 | 
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.This is a good introductory read on present day Egypt and the politics of the region. To begin with it reads like a string of brief news articles about the current political climate and realities of life in Cairo for a foreign resident. Lavie’s home is in Israel and he took a 2 year assignment from 2011 to be placed in Cairo and report from there. The chapters, while a bit haphazad and short, are quite illuminating and he often compares life in Cairo to life in Israel, There were a couple of interesting chapters about women and their rights, especially in their treatment in public, Lavie saw this up close when his wife came for an extended stay. The focus shifts a bit to cover past and present Jewish life in Egypt, Israeli politics and the Middle East in general with the current rise of Islamism. I enjoyed Lavie’s humour and his personal insights into daily life, the friendly people he encounters and his analysis of the political and economic turmoil that Egypt has been through in the past few years. Overall Lavie insists Egypt’s biggest problem is economic, not political. ( 
)
avatiakh | Sep 8, 2014 |
A “Goodreads” reviewer praises content, style, humor of Broken Spring:
Here’s a new review of Broken Spring:
The author talks about the whole region and the misconceptions it holds, the governments, young Egyptians and of course the Israeli / Palestinian issue which steals all the headlines but really is a small side-issue compare to the rest of the region.
Mr. Lavie lived among the Egyptians and writes about the warm, wonderful individuals he met. The author also writes about Egyptian society, the difficult life and analyzes the economy and the mess that Egypt got itself into and the difficulties the country faces in the future getting out of them.
This is a great book to read at this turbulent time, when truth and fiction about the Middle East are so muddled by propaganda that they’re hard to distinct, when every rumor goes viral without a shred of proof and believed to be fact unless rebuked – and not even then. An easy and quick read that should be read by US foreign policy experts and makers.
There’s a review of Broken Spring in The Link. Here’s a quote:
“Broken Spring is well worth reading just for Lavie’s explanations of the most common wrong assumptions about Egyptians, Islam and prospects for Israel-Palestinian peace.”
Here’s a new reader review:
In Broken Spring, veteran Middle East reporter, Mark Lavie, relates his experiences and observations while on assignment in Cairo between 2011-2013, during the Arab Spring upheaval and its aftermath. The book consists of 40 snapshots, brief eyewitness accounts of events and their significance. The range of topics is impressive- the lot of women, the drought in tourism, economic dysfunction, attitudes toward Israel, and dozens more. This is a very worthwhile and enjoyable book. Numerous photographs enhance the chapters; and the brevity of the chapters makes it easy to read the book in brief stages. Lavie’s writing style is unusual. He writes in crisp, declarative sentences and is not shy about drawing conclusions from what he sees. I highly recommend this book as a rare opportunity to see Egypt through the eyes of this insightful journalist.
Here’s a review from leading radio broadcaster Jim Bohannon:
Mark is a veteran middle eastern correspondent who examines the events and often-dashed hopes of arab spring. Focusing on Egypt, where he was based for 2 years during the height of unrest there, Mark notes some commonly held misconceptions about the region, regarding the Muslim Brotherhood, younger Egyptians, Israel and the Palestinians, and the Egyptian military. His is a cautionary tale, both for residents of the region and for United States foreign policy. Particularly helpful are glimpses of Egyptians as real individuals, not just stereotypes. It’s a good, informative read.
The Canadian Jewish News likes what it saw: click on the article to read it
Buy now on Amazon--ebook just $2.99! 
Mark Lavie takes us to his second home, Egypt, where he stayed in Cairo and Alexandria during the past four years. In Broken Spring: An American-Israeli Reporter’s Close-Up View of How Egyptians Lost Their Struggle for Freedom he gives us from the view of the common person his and Egyptians’ sad stories, every day life encounters and photographs of demonstrations, the Egyptian economy. He helps to destroy s myths on religious influences such as those purported to be from the Muslim Brotherhood. Broken Spring is a trip down different peoples memory lanes, those of broken promises of democracy, false hopes held out for freedom of press, local feelings and solutions for both a Palestinian State as well as Israel. I whole-heartedly recommended for readers wanting to learn more of the backgrounds of the current state of affairs in Egypt and the Middle East to read this well written book. (
)