The memoirs of Afif Ishaq Tannous, Village Roots and Beyond, begin with stories others told him of his birth, followed by personal reflections and... anecdotes of village life as he grew up, presented both from the perspective of a child living the experience and the insights and understandings of a scholar in rural sociology. The name of prominent people and institutions in history (Lebanese, regional and international) are woven throughout the narrative. So, too, are the names of family...

The memoirs of Afif Ishaq Tannous, Village Roots and Beyond, begin with stories others told him of his birth, followed by personal reflections and... anecdotes of village life as he grew up, presented both from the perspective of a child living the experience and the insights and understandings of a scholar in rural sociology. The name of prominent people and institutions in history (Lebanese, regional and international) are woven throughout the narrative. So, too, are the names of family members who provide the foundation and emotional support for his life.

In the midst of his memoirs, Afif Tannous sums up his life after his childhood in his native village of Bishmizzine and his school years in Tripoli. He asks the question: “How did life treat me, the third of seven, after I left the village and the high school?” And he answers, “Here is the story, briefly: graduated from the American University of Beirut, finished graduate studies at St. Laurence and Cornell Universities, taught at the University of Minnesota, where I met and married a graduate student (brightest and fairest of the lot!), together raised two sons, served the US Government in Washington, and abroad for twenty-eight years, and retired in 1971. Since then, I have been active along two major lines of interest - international development and research/writing at the frontiers of human knowledge”.

That is a bare outline of Afif Tannous’ remarkable life which ended in Virginia in 1998 at the age of 93. The memoirs provide the rich details - the facts of his life as he recalled them many years later, and his reflections on those facts. Through the narrative, the reader becomes a privileged witness to the life of the very intelligent, adventurous, compassionate, practical and philosophical man - a man who was deeply committed to making a positive contribution to his country of origin, Lebanon, to his region of cultural heritage, the Arab World, to his country of adoption, the United States, and to the world at large.

The Foreword by the renowned historian Professor Constantine Zurayk is actually a commentary on the Manifesto written by Afif Tannous during the final years of his life when he was exploring “the frontiers of human knowledge”. While the Manifesto is not included in the memoirs, they are mentioned by Afif in his postscript. Dr. Zurayk was a lifelong friend and intellectual peer of Dr. Tannous and so his insights about the man are specially revealing.

“My Credo” by Dr. Tannous, dated only a year before his death, is included as an Addendum to the memoirs. It provides a concise summary of his philosophy.