Middle East Books

The author based the book on very thorough research enabling the reader "feel the streets" of the countries in the Middle East rather than some superfical think tank approach . Thus, not only are the recommendations to the Muslim World quite on target but they also show the West an alternative to expensive military solutions. The developing nations of the Middle East have a lot to contribute to the global economy if they follow their far eastern counterparts.

Endangered Species is a lively, provocative look at why Muslim economies fail-and what to do about it. Schlossstein applies his recent studies of the Muslim economies to his encyclopedic knowledge of the Asian tiger economies to urge that Muslim economies follow those models rather than attempting to ape western democratic capitalism at this stage of their development. Enroute he succinctly surveys economics, religion, culture, institutions and education in several leading Muslim societies, notably Turkey, Egypt, Iran and Morocco. He sees Egypt as perhaps the most likely to reform itself toward a success model. The bibliography is outstanding. I heartily recommend Endangered Species.
Dick-Sun City West, AZ

This is a must-read analysis of future prospects for global stability. It is a sobering appraisal of the dynamics of economies, religion, energy resources, education, demographics. The reader will not put the book down with a smiley face and a new spring in his step, but he will certainly have a deeper perspective to evaluate the inevitable challenges coming. Schlossstein's best yet---which is saying a lot!

Is there a solution to the Middle East crisis? If you are interested in this question then you should read this book. Given the poverty and population growth rates in the Middle East, it is hard to imagine any long-term solution that is not based on economic growth and broad-based prosperity. Unfortunately the Arab world currently lacks a viable economic model. But what economic model? Should it be based exclusively on the Western model or are there others that would be more easily accepted in the Arab world? Schlossstien lucidly argues that the Arab world should look to East Asia, not the West, for their model. The economic transformation that has occurred in East Asia is based on an economic model that embraces Asian cultural values. And, as he describes, it has been remarkably effective in rapidly moving these countries out of poverty. By analogy with East Asia, Arab countries can develop models that include their values. By providing an alternative, Schlossstein dramatically raises the level of discussion in an area of critical importance where there are few new ideas - just a continual rehash of the problems. It is a fascinating read because Schlossstein makes his arguments by taking the reader on a journey through history and comparative religion, with Islam at the center. He deals with issues in a straightforward, often provocative, and occasionally witty style. Schlossstein is clearly someone who is interested in solutions, not ideology. I hope that all those working and making policy decisions in the Middle East will read and discuss this book. Schlossstein has provided the case for a much more positive and constructive discussion about how to move forward. For general readers I also strongly recommend this book. It provides a comprehensive overview of one of the most important issues of our age.

You should all go out and buy this book, or sit in your office and buy it online if you want. But where is the cover art? I really liked the picture on the cover, it's black and white and it's like a mass movement. Well, do not judge a book only by its cover (or lack thereof). You should buy this book; despite the amazon oversight of cover art, the text is way better than the image on the front.

I learned a lot about the current situation in the mid-east when I read this for class. It is so interesting to see a devout country that doesn't do the whole Jihad thing against America. I would recommend this book RIGHT NOW. you should get it and learn about the REAL situation there. great stuff.

I personally found this book very useful in understanding the status of women in Egypt, but also the entire Mid-East. I was able to see that female discrimination did not end in Afghanistan with the Taliban. This book shed a light on an under-represented area of social studies (in my opinion). I would recommend it fully.

I read this book to better my understanding of issues in the Middle East, and more specificly, women in the Middle East. I am an outright feminist and, as an independent project, I am researching the role of women in many different locations of the world. One location is the Middle East, and this book provided me with a lot of background infromation and gave me specific examples that I could site in my papper. A VERY useful tool for all Middle Eastern historians and Women's studies majors.

Now in a newly revised edition, From Plassey To Pakistan: The Family History Of Iskander Mirza The First President Of Pakistan tells the complex saga that intertwines one family's story with the inception and development of an Islamic nation. Humayun Mirza is Iskander Mirza's only surviving son and brings a special and personal expertise to the violence-tainted partition of Indian by the colonial British Empire that resulted in the creation Pakistan. A superb contribution to International Studies reference collections, From Plassey To Pakistan is a vividly informative and very human account which deftly combines extensive research with personal remembrance.

As a descendant of the author's great-grandfather, I had grown up hearing many contradictory accounts of this family's history. This carefully researched book was very helpful to me in trying to sort out the tangled roots from which my side of the family grew. The author confesses his view is partisan, but nevertheless he does not try to hide the existence of his ancestor's various affairs in England, his marriage to an English chambermaid (his fourth wife and my great-grandmother), and treats those aspects of the story both objectively and sympathetically. Very readable!

Most of what we in the West read and hear about the Indian subcontinent comes from the British perspective. Humayun Mirza, son of Pakistan's first president and descendant of the royal Nawab Nazims of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa, brings a thoroughly researched, enlightened, and deeply honest perspective to his family's story, and by extension the history of India and Pakistan from the 1700s to the present time. Because of his unique insider's perspective, Mirza makes his historical figures come alive.

Although he is talking about his own family--even his own father--Mirza shows a principled unwillingness to tamper with the truth, even when the truth is not flattering to people he clearly admires. The rich human complexity of these powerful personalities, warts and all, is one of the things that make this book so exciting.

If you're interested in the history and politics of the region, this is a must read. If you just like to learn interesting history, it's also a treat. I'm waiting for the update covering the current situation in the region!

From Plassey to Pakistan chronicles the lineage of Humuyan Mirza, the author and only son of the first President of Pakistan. The book provides personal and well-researched historical insight into the ruling class of India, of which the author is a direct descendant.

The author's father, and principal subject of the latter part of the book, is Iskander Mirza, a highly educated and respected citizen of India worked for the British Government of India. Upon the end of British rule in 1947, the country of Pakistan was formed and Iskander Mirza emerged to become a leading public figure ("the strong man") and eventually the first President of Pakistan.

The author offers excellent insight into his father's rise to the presidency and the subsequent challenge to bring order and democracy to the newly formed country, one fraught with political corruption at the governmental and military level combined with a high level of illiteracy within the population. Despite Iskander Mirza's well intentioned efforts, instituting the type of democratic government he envisioned would prove too difficult in this environment. His presidency was usurped by a military coup in 1958. Military control has presided over Pakistan for many of the subsequent years and remains in power today.

The author goes on to revisit his own life as a descendant of India's ruling and princely class as the son of the first president of Pakistan. Like his father Isakander, the author was educated at prestigious schools while growing up, ultimately attending the Harvard School of Business and subsequently working in various capacities for the World Bank. The author currently lives in the United States.

Toward the end of the book, the author offers thoughtful suggestions that address Pakistan's current political and economic situation. Above all, the author believes a very strong leader of Pakistan is crucial to help unite the country and its divisive factions. He truly desires prosperity for Pakistan.

The book is insightful and well written. I highly recommend the book for histroy readers and those interested in current events. Given the recent tumultuous events taking place in and around Pakistan, this book is even more relevant.

great book about a truly great evangelist. called by God...undeniably...recommended read for anyone hungry for the reality of God, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the powerful Holy Spirit he has sent!!

Kevin C.

This book was a wonderful encouragement and honest testimony from a very humble man. My father met the co-author and she spoke very highly of the credibility of this man and how amazing his life has been as he walks with Jesus. This book will bolster your faith as it reads like a modern day book of Acts!

This book is excellent. I couldn't put it down! This book will increase your faith in God! This is a book I will keep and share with others.

This book grabs your attention on page 1, your heart by page 4 and begs you to read on until the end. It is well written and easy to read in short chapters, each being an adventure of its own. If you ever thought living the life of an orphan or in poverty would keep you from accomplishing great things in life, read on. It is a touching collection of vignettes from the life of a modern-day spiritual giant which challenges the reader to live a life dependent on God's leading and His provision. Samuel Doctorian's amazing life story contains enough drama and excitement for 20 lifetimes as he follows God's call to bring revival wherever God leads him all over the world. This book provides overwhelming evidence that God is still a God of miracles.

Prof. Mungello wrote this comprehensive book on the intercourse of China and West in culture and religion in a highly readable text.
Between 1500-1800, China was a powerful country. Catholics dreamed of converting China into a Christian country. However, it was Chinese influence to Europe to bring about Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. He showed that missionaries sent back Tao Te Ching, I Ching and Confucius teaching to the European educated to help bring about the Enlightenment Movement.
What would happen when China is Christianized and the West goes Taoist Way?
By 1800, China was still in its glorious satisfaction while European Powers underwent industrialization. Britain unable to balance the trade deficit pushed opium and war on China. The 1997 Hong Kong Hand-over concluded the last British Imperial chapter in history. China was at its nadir at 1900 Boxer Movement with eight foreign countries invaded Peking.
Napoleon said, "When China wakes, it will shock the world". History affirms the Tao in East and West, strong and weak, grandeur and decline, war and peace. Prof. Mungello presents the readers the historical background to understand the modern China. A number of Westerners see Deng's reform with market economy lead to China rising as a world threat. Reading this book will help open up their horizon.

Will US wage war on China in the billions of dollar trade deficit as their British cousins did in 19th Century?

I think Mungello has done a wonderful job in reconstructing the meeting between China and the Western world.

Dr. Mungello has done a great job in presenting how the (Far) West met with Chinese culture over the period of 1500-1800. This book was written in easy and non-technical language. As a Chinese that has learnt Chinese history all through my school years, I am intrigued to read simialar materials presented from a Western perspective in simple English.

Dr. Mungello noted that the Chinese in Song Dynasty mistook the picture of Virgin Mary as Guanyin (Chinese Goddess of the sea). A three-story high statue given by Portuguese to Macau, China shortly before 1999 was meant to be Guanyin but it certainly looks like Virgin Mary. What went around has come around:) Thanks for writing such a good book and I enjoyed it very much.

University Profs take note: Although I had to read this book because I was in the author's class at Baylor, it really is a good introductory book. Dr. Mungello is one of the world's top Sinologists and did his graduate work at the U. of California at Berkeley and I am privelaged to be one of his students.

Half of the book is focused at the West meeting China, and the other half is China meeting the West. It answers the questions: What did the West reject and accept from China? What did China accept and reject from the West?

I bought this book because my Great Uncle "Ian Orlando Macbeth" was mentioned and a picture of him was inside. He was a Greenwich Village Artist who painted murals throughout the Village's restaurants and was in private art exhibits. He also painted many of the blacklight posters we all knew and loved in the 1960's and 70's.

The book shows lots of photos and stories of the characters who strolled the streets and made Greenwich Village what we all know and love of the place. Good read.

This is a terrific book, informative and there is a fantastic section which includes Robert Heide's personal memories from his days in the Village and with Andy Warhol. I live in the Village and after reading it my own vista has been enlarged. I strongly recommend it to everyone!

I went to greenwich village last month and I spent a week in the village. I picked up this book to guide my adventures and I was so glad that I did.

Some really great excepts of this book can be found at www.Greenwich-Village.Co

As a homeschooling mom, I highly value books that inform my child about historical facts, while captivating them with exciting stories. I highly recommend this book as a supplement to any Egyptian studies. Written in "newspaper format", it is a joy to read aloud to my children. Using imaginative headlines and wonderful illustrations and photos, this book has definitely captured my child's attention. The plethora of historical facts presented are accurate and entertaining. I would recommend this book for children between the ages of 5-12.

This is a wonderful book that written in a News form. The information are incredibles. I totally think that this is a great book for anyone who is interest in Ancient Egypt.

This book presented some events from Egypt's history in the form of newspaper articles. It was a very creative way to give children an introduction to Egyptian history. It presented lots of interesting informationa, and also some neat pictures. This book is good at sparking a greater interest in history in children while entertaining them at the same time.

This is a delightful book. It has wonderful color illustrations on every page, and it's loaded with facts and information about the history of Ancient Egypt. It covers a 3000 yr. period, and contains a detailed, colored map of ancient Egypt, articles on pyramid building and the mystery surrounding the death of Tutankhamun, a list of the most important Egyptian gods and pharaohs, and charming colored "ads" for goods and services in use at that time. This informative book should appeal to kids, teenagers and adults alike, who want to learn more about the fascinating realm of ancient Egypt.

Unlike many other books, this volume covers the history of the entire Near East, from Iran to Anatolia, and not just Mesopotamia or the Hittites. This gives it an unusual breadth, as parts of the entire region influence each other. And in ranging from the dawn of historic cultures around the year 3000 BC up to Alexander the Great, it includes all of the independent ancient civilizations that subsequently disappeared.

This book is very much like a textbook. It is more difficult than popular history, but certainly not an academic treatise. Importantly, there are many maps, and extensive lists of kings of the various states.

Egypt only comes into the story when involved with the peoples of the Near East. Interestingly, the periods of Egyptian history known as the Intermediate periods, when the central power fell apart and conditions seemed more chaotic, correspond very closely to what are described as Dark Ages in the Near East. This book does not pursue those parallels, but they are interesting.

Very happy with transaction, book arrived early with an awesome condition! I recommend this seller!

This text is a brief summary of the history of the Mesopotamia from 3000 BCE to 300 BCE. It is clear and concise. Van De Mieroop offers a very engaging introduction to this topic. It is an excellent text for those who want to survey the period. He also includes bibliographies for those who would like to go deeper.

This volume is a good introduction to the history of the Ancient Near East. The author surveys the history of Sumeria, Babylonia, Assyria, Persia and the Hittite Empire in a highly readable style. Quotes from numerous important texts are included in each chapter and the author does a good job of not only telling us what happened, but also why it happened.

The book is well illustrated with black and white photos and numerous, highly useful, maps. At the end of the book is an excellent bibliography that will point the interested reader to other good articles and books on the topic.

This book was published in 2004 and incorporates the latest scholarship in the field. The author has done a great job of making ancient history come alive!

The story of the Crusades is straigtfoward. The Crusaders basically pillage their way to Jerusalem, attacking Greeks, Jews and Moslems but are successful in setting up a Crusader state of Jerusalem due to the disunity of the Moslems. The Crusaders possses some upright, competent and energetic leaders but these few are more than outweighed by the villanous ones. The Moslems unite and given the weaknesses of the Crusaders Jerusalem falls. An important point is I think is that the Crusaders were not necessarily swimming against the tide of history. Had the Crusaders had real leadership, a Christian Saladin for example and some lucky turns the Crusaders might have been able to maintain Jerusalem as a state much longer perhaps until the Byzantine empire was defeated. Islam at the time wasn't a perfect wave with seas of soldiers marching to a single drum. Islam was disunited and only series of fortunate events, fortunate events for Islam, united the area under Sadadin. As it was the Crusades where more of a heist rather than state forming, with robber barons rather that founders of a state. I think the book would have been better had the author concentrated on fewer characters and given a more in depth treatment to the fewer characters. Keeping track of all the minor characters is more than a chore and the minor characters add zip to the basic story. All in all a great effort though.

Runciman gives a comprehensive, panoramic account of the Crusades, from the unlikely success of the First Crusade to the final, inevitable defeat of the Crusading movement. He analyzes the reasons for the success and the causes of the ultimate failure of the Crusades, and therein lies a lesson for modern times.

Runciman speaks of the many causes of initial victory and ultimate defeat, and catalogs the grievous injuries to all concerned resulting from the Crusades. His analysis is sobering, and some of it is not inapplicable to the current state of affairs in the Middle East. The Crusader States were looked on by the native Moslems as interlopers to be driven into the sea. That final victory was achieved, but at what cost? Given the fiat accompli of the First Crusade, and the centuries of existence of the Crusader States, couldn't they have achieved a modus vivendi which, if not completely satisfactory to either side, at least allowed the parties to live in harmony without doing further mischief to each other. If all sides of the current conflict in the Middle East would read this book, it might expedite the peace process.

Runciman was a genius. A brilliant writer in English, whose grand ambitions never lead him astray from the most meticulous separation of fact from speculation, he was also an extraordinary polyglot. He read not only the Latin, Old French and Greek among the contemporary accounts of the Crusades, but the Arabic, Syriac, Persian, Hebrew, Gergian, Ethiopic, Slavonic, Norse and Mongolian as well, not to mention modern secondary works in many more languages still. If he shows any favoritism at all among the warring factions of the Crusades, then it is towards the Byzantine Greeks, although what looks like favoritism to me may only be due to my own ignorance. Even if I'm right about his favoring the Greeks, Runciman is still by far the most impartial historian of the Crusades known to me. He's certainly the only one who took the trouble and had the talent to read all the sources in the original. (Most people who've read widely in more than one language can probably appreciate how much tends to be lost in translation, not to mention how much is never translated at all.) As if his reading weren't enough, he often walked through the cities and over the battlefields which he describes in his works, in order to discover things which no one had yet written.

Runciman makes sweeping judgements and expresses strong opinions, although these are often decently hidden between the lines of his polite Cambridge prose. But all of his judgements and opinions have the support of the most solid scholarship.

I recommend the three-volume 'History of the Crusades'. The book 'The First Crusade' is an abridgement of the first volume, without footnotes or appendices or bibliography. In addition to the the three-volume history, I also have a copy of the abridgement 'The First Crusade', but it's the illustrated hardcover edition, ISBN 0521232554. I got it just for the pictures, many in color. The three volumes of the 'History of the Crusades' have a few black-and-white illustrations, and the paperback edition of 'The First Crusade' has no illustrations.

In the first instalment, it was all Christian uphill; in the second, there was the Arab renaissance. If Runciman were a novelist the Christians might do better in this one; as he is not, it is virtually downhill all the way for the Crusaders: indeed, apart from a brief growth spurt under Richard the Lionheart they suffer humiliation and worse. Humiliation in the sense of total expulsion from the Holy Land; "worse" in that the Fourth Crusade degenerates into the Sack of Constantinople - which Runciman condemns as one of the greatest crimes in history.

On another level, this is the "Celebrity Crusaders'" edition - not only does this feature Coeur de Lion, we also meet Saladin, Edward I of England (Braveheart's villain), Emperor Frederick II (Stupor Mundi) and Saint Louis (Louis IX) of France - plus a cameo from Ghengkis Khan. But, at the close of two centuries' worth of defeats, the verdict is delivered in the closing chapter, where Runciman denounces the entire crusades as a colossal "fiasco." Maybe so, but a terrific story.

Six years ago, I wrote my first review for Amazon, of Richard N. Frye's "Bukhara: The Medieval Achievement". Frye's work, concentrating mostly on the 10th and 11th centuries, described in detail how Turkic-speaking nomads combined with Iranian city dwellers and Arab bringers of a new religion to create a new synthesis in Islam in Central Asia, particularly in the city of Bukhara. That syncretic Islam later became most instrumental in the development of the Muslim faith in the Indian subcontinent. Levin's THE HUNDRED THOUSAND FOOLS OF GOD mainly describes the condition of music and musicians in the 1990s in the modern republics of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. That same Richard N. Frye provides a strong endorsement on the back cover. I too find that this volume is a worthy successor in the on-going "project" of bringing Central Asian history and culture before Western eyes. The musical world of Central Asia still involves synthesis and syncretism---between the West and tradition, between new conservatism and older tolerance, between Soviet atheism and local spirituality, between Islam and older religions which we might label shamanistic, and between so-called ethnic groups like Uzbeks and Tajiks.

Levin travelled around the region with a musical companion, Otanazar Matyakubov, who provided endless contacts and insights. Together they interviewed and listened to all the varied performers of Central Asian music, from a female pop singer to humble performers of classical styles, from healers in remote villages who used music in their rituals to performers at schmaltzy Jewish weddings in the transplanted Bukharan Jewish community in Queens, New York. Levin describes the surroundings in which he found each musician, tells of his travels in decrepit cars between ancient cities or by donkey through the dramatic mountain scenery of remotest Tajikistan. While a certain amount of detail may be of interest chiefly to fellow ethnomusicologists, those specialized observations are spaced throughout the text in such a way that the non-professional reader never feels overwhelmed. Levin provides a number of excellent photographs, maps, and most importantly, a brilliant CD which illustrates all the styles and instruments he discusses. The effect of 70 years of Soviet policies is often mentioned, and a reader can deduce the results of this assault on local culture, though I would have liked more direct comment. Moscow's insistence on creating discrete "nationalities" created virulent brands of Uzbek and Tajik (and so many other) nationalism where none had existed. It created separate, ethnic-based countries where none had ever existed. It even created "Uzbek" and "Tajik" music out of a formerly seamless Central Asian tradition. This Soviet policy ultimately resulted in the squeezing out of Bukharan Jews-prominent in the Central Asian musical world for centuries---because they were deemed insufficiently "Uzbek" by newly nationalistic authorities.

In short, this is one of the best books of ethnomusicology I have ever read. It would be of interest to anyone trying to learn more about Central Asia and must be required reading for anthropologists concerned with the area. THE HUNDRED THOUSAND FOOLS OF GOD also brings the region to life and underlines the difference between the materialistic, narrowly nationalistic present and the past in which musicians played out of devotion and love of God without trying to fit into some culture apparatchik's idea of "national music".

Mr. Levin writes about cultural survival and cultural decay in Transoxiana, as seen from the vantage point of traditional musicians. Combining his own traveler's tales with detailed but accessible musicological analysis, he examines the role of the traditional performing arts in the modern world of Uzbekistan, and the way that they have been subverted by the Soviet and successor governments. Engagingly written, without condescension towards the reader or the people of whom he writes, this book will reward readers interested in the cultural life of the region.

Mr. Levin has truly accomplished something noteworthy in this book. It is perhaps the best book from the often boring realm of ethnomusicological research that I have read in recent years. The breadth of understanding and acute cultural awareness brought out in the book is fantastic. It should find an audience among music scholars as well as the average reader, especially given the uncomplicated way Levin tells his tale. The addition of the CD to the book is truly complimentary unlike many of the other "multi-media" gimmicks so often offered to entice the buyer. This book is essential for anyone who seeks a clarity in writing about the musics of another culture.

This book is a many faceted report on the state of music in the Central Asian Republics of the former Soviet Union, especially Uzbekistan. The author did his Ph.D. research in ethnomusicology in Tashkent on traditional court music called Shash maqam in 1977-1978. At the time, Levin was not as interested in this music as he had expected, which he later attributed to the Soviet cultural policies which extinguished the spark of vivacity from the Uzbek music. This book details many of the author's subsequent travels to Central Asia in search of traditional musicians who managed somehow to develop their unique talents within the stifling socialist milieu.

Levin provides much information about the artists, their music, and their poetry, which can all be heard on the accompanying CD. In the text itself, he rarely describes the instruments played by the musicians, referring to them merely with their local names. However, descriptions of the instruments can be found in the glossary at the end of the book, which I unfortunately didn't notice until I had finished reading. Occasionally, Levin's musicology terms get a little too thick for the general reader, but on the whole, the book is quite accessible.

The strongest aspect of the book is its description of the culture history of music in the Soviet Union. In my own brief travels to the Soviet Union, I was struck by how many people there were acquainted with classical music--how an appreciation of classical music stretched across the entire society. I never saw the dark side of this, however. In this book, Levin describes how centralized state policies governed even the field of music, changing and obliterating centuries' old traditions.