Following graduate studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Middle East studies and international economics, Orbach wanted to complement his academic degree with firsthand experience of the Middle East. He received a fellowship to study Arabic in Jordan and to research the success of a Jordanian-American trade program. Admittedly, Orbach had other objectives.

"My quixotic objective," Orbach admits, in his book of a collection of e-mails home to family and close friends, "was to confront stereotypes, correct false perceptions, and find some common ground between American and Arabs on a personal level."

As an unofficial ambassador, Orbach was based first in Jordan, then in Egypt, but traveled throughout the region to Turkey, Syria, Morocco and Palestine. He visited remarkable testaments of the region's vivid history including Petra in Jordan, Egypt's Western desert, the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Gmaa al-Fna in Marrakech, and St. Simeon in Syria.

As a Jewish-American from Pittsburg, he often hid his identity from those he encountered. While Orbach identified having to lie about his identity as the most frustrating thing about his stay in the Middle East, once he began a dialogue with the local people, he found he, a foreigner, was always "treated with such generosity and respect."

From the Middle East, Orbach believes that Americans can learn a lesson in hospitality. As he traveled, Orbach was constantly impressed with the personal warmth he encountered despite people's fervent opposition to American policies.

"Not taking anything away from American hospitality, but I can't really express how warmly I was welcomed by strangers in a place where people had good reason to treat me with hostility based upon the impact of my country's foreign policy on their lives."

Orbach considers his mission as an unofficial American ambassador to the Middle East a success. With his Arabic conversational skills improving daily, he spent a lot of time listening to and discussing with the locals on everything from U.S. politics in Israel to the vocal talents of Mariah Carey. "I earned a lot of goodwill as an American citizen for being willing to engage."

During his adventures, Orbach sent e-mail letters home to assure his family and friends he was doing well. "There was a lot of skepticism on their part regarding my decision to go to Jordan following 9/11 and then move to Egypt after the war started."

After returning home from his adventure, Orbach "saw immediately the wide gap between what I had lived and seen and the black and white, mainly negative perceptions that are on offer through the news to everyday Americans." He hoped that the publication of his collection of letters, "Live from Jordan," would provide another perspective and encourage America's new generation to engage with the world.

Rather than a clash of civilization, Orbach found in the Middle East a "clash for civilization."

The young people Orbach encountered in the Middle East, "want the chance to get married, live in their own home, have a family, earn a living wage, and enjoy the respect of their community peers."

It is these key development issues that dominate the thoughts of people in the Middle East, and "it is a mistake to let Bin Laden represent or speak for the silent majorities out there."

In publishing his correspondence from the Middle East, Orbach has a greater hope to influence American foreign policy.

"Americans, including the media, did not challenge this administration on its post-9/11 actions and the decision to go to war with Iraq. I hope that "Live from Jordan" readers will understand our situation in the Middle East better, and in turn, challenge our presidential candidates for the 2008 election on foreign policy questions in a way that makes the candidates go beyond their talking points."

In the midst of American policy critics and America haters, Orbach points out that in the last half a century, besides the blunders, there were high moments for America as well – from Muhammad Ali to Martin Luther King Jr. The United States stands at a particularly poignant political moment where the choices of our leaders will determine, as Orbach writes, "how many great moments we have left as a world leader."