Zein El-Amine talks about growing up in Lebanon at the start of the Lebanese civil war and tells the story of being trapped between two warring factions in Beirut at 12 years old.   He then opens up about his time attending high school in Bahrain and college in Saudi Arabia. Zein shares the story of going off to play tennis one day in Bahrain and being arrested as a suspected member of Shīʿa terrorist cell planning a coup.  He describes his experience being put into the Shīʿa political wing of the prison, who he met there, how his parents feared he might be executed, and how this experience fundamentally changed his political consciousness.  Next, Zein tells a story about going down to Barbados on vacation from Saudi Arabia, running out of money, and teaming up with locals to teach windsurfing to British tourists as an anti-colonial gesture.  He then reads the poem he wrote about the Barbados experience.   Next, Zein talks about his path to becoming a writer and a literature professor. He explains the significance of poetry in Arab culture and also reflects on the value, impact and crucial importance of travel.  FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: www.TheMaverickShow.com