Reviews (93)

Kavita Nair
I am Indian, I read this book out of sheer curiosity.It made for interesting reading overall.Really, I'm not in a position to comment on what is true or what is not, given that I am a generation removed and was not even born several decades after the partition.It was indeed a very unfortunate event.I have some very good friends that happen to be Pakistani and I cannot see them even remotely as "enemies" at any angle, unlike Musharraff, who categorically refers to India and Indians as "the enemy".My Pakistani friends are just as nice and humane as any of my Indian friends.I thought he is candid at times when referring to memories of his childhood and his family, but often comes across in most of his writing and dealings, as unsophisticated and lacking polish.
Pervez Musharraf vs. George Orwell
In the Line of Fire: A Memoir by Pervez Musharraf
Very Interesting and Absorbing
First, let me say that most of the negative reviews posted here are by the Indians who don't have the courage to face the truth and couldn't accept that their government told them nothing but lies during the Kargill war.
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Subjects:  1. 1988-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Government - General    7. Musharraf, Pervez    8. Pakistan    9. Personal Memoirs    10. Political    11. Politics and government    12. Presidents    13. South Asia - History    14. Political Science / General   

Reviews (11)

A powerful blend of insights.
THE PUNISHMENT OF VIRTUE: INSIDE AFGHANISTAN AFTER THE TALIBAN comes from an NPR reporter who arrived in Afghanistan in 2001, leaving reporting as the Taliban left to help rebuild the nation by heading a non-profit founded by the brother of President Hamid Karzai. Her reporting background, access to top players in the post-war government, and personal participation in the rebuilding of the nation makes for a powerful blend of insights.
Sarah Cheyes is a Hopeless Romantic
Sarah address the problem of corruption in Kandahar, and her first hand account is a must read for anyone interested in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
A sip of cool water in the desert
There is a handful of books in which the paper, the words, the very physical medium dissolves in my hands, and I experience something quite other than reading.Chayes' "Punishment of Virtue" is one of them.Every evening, after work, I give myself over to a voice weaving together insight, keen intelligence, experience, courage, wit, and above all, an insatiable curiosity about the people around her and their history and culture.Whether confronting Afghan warlords to wrest stone from their grasp for the rebuilding of villagers' houses, or hunting for the treasure of obscure historical references toconnections between Kandahar and the Mongols, Chayes gives herself to the moment and to the task with joy.
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Subjects:  1. 1962-    2. Afghan War, 2001-    3. Afghanistan    4. Asia - Central Asia    5. Asia - History    6. Chayes, Sarah,    7. History    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Islamic Government    11. Military - Other    12. Modern - 21st Century    13. War correspondents    14. History / Modern / 21st Century   

Reviews (16)

Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: The Deeper Lessons
Military and political pundits often advocate John A. Nagl's excellent book, "Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam", as the definitive source for understanding an insurgency and how to defeat it.It is often quoted and some have implied that if the US were only to follow the British example in Malaya for our current war on terror--especially in Iraq--we could expect a better outcome.
Excellent Building Block
This book is an excellent building block for those militaries that expect to be sent by their political masters into harms' way "in every clime and place."
Persuasive - but not for the reasons the author suggests
This book - the title of which was inspired by Lawrence of Arabia's famous quip "To make war upon rebellion is messy and slow, like eating soup with a knife" - is compelling for a variety of reasons, but three are especially noteworthy.
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Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast Asia    2. Counterinsurgency    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History - Military / War    6. International Relations - General    7. Malaya    8. Malayan Emergency, 1948-1960    9. Malaysia    10. Military - General    11. Political Science    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Underground movements    14. Vietnam    15. Vietnam War, 1961-1975    16. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -    17. Political Science / International Relations    18. South East Asia    19. Warfare & Defence   

Reviews (59)

How a book can create a conflict, Said and his gross mistrepretations
Edward Said, created a proble and made a career of the Israel Palestine Conflict, and conviently died before he could also resolve the death and destruction he brought to the Arab Palestinians. He was a one man destruction derby under the guise of poetry, linguistics and hate and he helped stir up anti Israel and anti Jewish hatred on every University he spoke at. Hopefully, this "vintage" book will become no longer relevant, ans disappear.

Irresponsible and Lacking Rigor
Said's book has, sadly, been hugely influential on thousands of university students, their professors, and many living in the islamic world.His book should not be read without concurrently reading Ibn Warraq's critique _Defending the West: A Critique of Edward Said's Orientalism_.
Breaking stereotypes
Seemingly unable to come to terms with the Muslim world, Orientalism is as timely to read today as it was when it was first published in 1978.Edward Said offered a much needed examination of many of the texts that had come to represent the corpus of "Orientalism" in Western Humanities classes.He went back to the late 18th and early 19th century to set the basis for this new field of study that emerged from the Napoleonic invasion of Egypt.What began as an investigation of the monuments of the Near East soon developed into a study of the people, their culture and their religions. The only problem was that these studies treated the "Orientals" like anthropological specimens, never getting beyond general categories and treating Islam like it was some perversion of Christianity, inspired by an anarchist in robes.
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Subjects:  1. Asia    2. Asia - General    3. East and West    4. Ethnic Studies - General    5. Foreign public opinion, Occide    6. History: World    7. Imperialism    8. Middle East    9. Middle East - General    10. Orientalism    11. Sociology    12. Study and teaching    13. Asian / Middle Eastern history    14. Social Science / Ethnic Studies   

Reviews (2)

Negotiation versus Regime Change
Scott Ritter provides chapter and verse on how conflict with the Axis of Evil nations could have been avoided with direct negotiation.The mullahs of Iran sought to negotiate with everything on the table, including nuclear weapons and a treaty with Israel. North Korea still wants direct negotiations.So did Saddam. We don't negotiate with regimes we want to remove.Bush prefers to "take them out" no matter how many americans die.

Could have, would have, shoud have...
This could have been one of the most important books of the year. Scott Ritter provides important, but tangential, information related to Israel's influence over U.S. foreign policy, the history of the IAEA in Iran, and the theory of regime change as the real reason for U.S. "concern" over Iran's nuclear weapons infrastructure.
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Subjects:  1. Government - U.S. Government    2. History    3. History: American    4. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Public Policy - General    7. United States - 21st Century    8. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -    9. History / United States / 21st Century    10. International relations    11. Iran    12. USA   

Reviews (18)

A Religion Without Any Pretense of Ethical Foundation
The first amazing thing about this book is just how much is known of what happened in the very distant past.Efraim Karsh's scholarship is thorough and his interpretations compelling.The second thing is that Islam has evolved very little in a thousand years.From the start there was a "fusion of the sacred and the profitable," which was endorsed by Muhammad himself and by successive generations of Islamic leaders.The Prophet himself said, "Stick to jihad and you will be in good health and get sufficient means of livelihood."Jihad was invariably linked to booty.Islam has always been a religion of robbers, initially of camel caravans, and later of oil pipelines.It is easy to see why the umma (the Muslim world) wants to sack Israel and divide up its wealth.Karsh paints a very human picture of Saleh al Din (Saladin), depicting him as just another acquisitive warlord, with no trapping of holy war as justification.When holy war was invoked during the decline of the Ottoman Empire, it provided a gloss of legality to what amounted to ethnic cleansing (of indigenous Armenians).
excellent book
Efraim Karsh is one of those rarities, an academic scholar who is an excellent writer.Karsh is Professor and Head of Mediterranean Studies at King's College, Univ. of London. This book is truly a pleasure to read.
World Conquest for Allah
This is a difficult book to read, but I strongly recommend this timely and critical study.I had purchased another book dealing with the subject of Islamic-based issues, but I found it too speculative and too heavily into the author's opinion, and even bordering on being silly in its scenarios of potential triggers for disaster.That other book was Tony Blankley's "The West's Last Chance: Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations?" Someday I will finish it.However, Efraim Karsh's "Islamic Imperialism" is on a completely different level.Efraim Karsh has done his (and our) homework; and he has done it extensively, and he has done it very well--almost to the point of exhaustion (30 pages of references and a 12-page index).The book is far more history than it is speculation.And, given the history and our own careful consideration of it, our personal speculation can change from an ill-informed guessing game to a confident understanding of what certainly awaits us as Islam continues its relentless and escalating mission of world conquest.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. Imperialism    5. Islam    6. Islam - History    7. Islamic History    8. Islamic Studies    9. Jihad    10. Middle East - General    11. Asian / Middle Eastern history    12. History / Middle East    13. Middle East   

Reviews (129)

Hillariously Nonsensical Plagiarism
The worst book ever written about the Middle East is probably Joan Peters' From Time Immemorial; in this book Alan Dershowitz not only attempts to usurp that dubious honor from Peters, he also heavily plagiarizes half her book in order to do so.
Apologist
I was very disappointed by the book.I wanted an explanation for Israels continuing occupation of Palestinian lands but got only apologistic rhetoric from this obvious pro zionist.Much of his writing I thought quite racist and certainly biased.

poor show, old boy
What a load of turnspeak.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. Israel - History    5. Middle East - General    6. Middle East - Israel    7. Palestine - History    8. Asian / Middle Eastern history    9. History / Middle East    10. Israel   

Reviews (6)

Excellent and essential
This is a required text for just about every introductory course on Hinduism. Essential reading for anyone wishing to understand how Hindus worship and see the divine.

Solid introduction to the concept of Hindu iconography and related ritual experience
Diana Eck is a wonderful scholar who has written several great books on Hinduism. Darsan (or "darshan," if you're transliterating it simply for an English-speaking audience) is a wonderfully simple introduction to Hindu iconography and the related ritual experience, a subject that is overwhelmingly broad and often unwieldy.
Eck sees it clearly
Diana Eck has done an excellent job of sifting through the vast amount of material on Hindu imagery in India and presenting an intelligently distilled interpretation. An excellent read on a very difficult subject. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Eastern - General    3. Hinduism    4. Religion    5. Religion - Church History    6. Anthropology    7. Cultural studies    8. India    9. Religion / General   

Reviews (2)

"Our Eastern Affairs are Complex Beyond All Words"
History is useful not only for revealing the past, but also in foreshadowing what the future might hold.In the case of Iraq, this is a very important matter.This book by Liora Likutz, a scholar who is currently at the Truman Institute in Jerusalem, describes the making of modern Iraq through the life of one the two key protagonists who drew its boundaries on the map following World War I.Those two individuals were T.E. Lawrence and Gertrude Bell.While the broad outline of Lawrence's life and exploits in the Middle East are well known to many, Gertrude Bell remains more of a mystery.This book attempts to pull back that veil.Anyone who seeks to understand the currents and tides swirling underneath modern Iraq needs to understand how this country came to be, and the complex life of Gertrude Bell is a good place to start.
Understanding Irak
Facinating and exciting point of view of Irak through Gertrude Bell's life.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Colonial administrators    5. Great Britain    6. Historical - General    7. History    8. History: World    9. Iraq - History    10. Middle East - General    11. Middle East - History    12. Sociology    13. Women    14. Women Middle East specialists    15. Women's Studies - General    16. 20th century    17. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -    18. Asian studies    19. Biography: historical    20. Imperialism    21. Iran   

Reviews (7)

I think Japanese should cherish the culture as Japanese too.
I have lived in Tokyo, Japan since I was born here. Though I can say about the case in Tokyo only, even I can not look at the Japanese historical things in my ordinaly Tokyo life. Tokyo is same as another big town over the world, developed town with high stores building, the imported fashion from mainly U.S.A etc. Certainly, the modern life in Tokyo may be comfortable, but I think that the life is not truth things, that is, that may be physical comfot, not mental.
10,000 Years In 300 Pages
The tracings of Japanese culture go back some 10,000 years - speaking conservatively.Since then there has been a remarkable continuity of inhabitation on the Japanese islands, which has resulted in one of the richest and complex cultures in the world today.Originally heavily influenced by the neighboring Chinese culture in the period from 300 BC to 300 AD, the islands quickly found their own way and over the ensuing years have developed a breadth of integrated experience that is often baffling to the outsider or curious student.
Typical history
This book is good.I'm not going to call it great, nor will I say that it isn't a worthwhile read; however, it gets wordy at points.It could be improved with an overview of each chapter and then have the in-depth information to follow.Regardless, there is a wealth of information within!I personally love the history parts because I fell asleep when I took east asian history, and this is a good way of refreshing my memory to prepare for my college major of East Asian Studies come 2005 ;). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Japan    2. Civilization    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Japan    7. Sociology - General    8. Anthropology    9. Asian / Middle Eastern history    10. Cultural studies   

Subjects:  1. Asia    2. Asia - General    3. Asia - History    4. Encyclopedias    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History: American    8. History / United States / General    9. Humanities    10. Laws of Other Jurisdictions & General Law    11. Reference works    12. USA   

Reviews (5)

Murphey's Law of Bias
There are limited texts on East Asian history and it is unfortunate that this author decided to spike his with unabashed personal commentary.Overall, the content is impressive but some of Murphey's claims are hard to stomach.
This book needs improvement in some areas
There are a few weaknesses and factual errors in this book. A MUST HAVE FOR STUDENTS& CURIOSITY~!!!
1ST, I BORROWED THIS BOOK FROM THE LIBRARY AND THE WRITER BLEW MY MIND!THE TEXT IN THIS BOOK IS SUPERB AND HISTORY IS QUITE PRECISE!!SO I DECIDED TO BUY THIS BOOK, AND IT'S STILL AS THRILLING!!!2ND, IT IS AN EASY TO READ BOOK - - HEY ... THE BOOK IS SO GOOD I BROUGHT AN EXTRA COPIES FOR MY COLLECTION!!!Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Asia, Southeastern    3. East Asia    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Southeast Asia    8. Asian / Middle Eastern history    9. East Asia, Far East    10. History / General   

Reviews (3)

One of the best books I've ever seen!
Everyone who I have ever shown this book to has had a deep reaction to it. I wouldn't handicap this book by calling it a photography book alone, although the photos are very powerful and prominent, but the text deserves recognition aswell. Plenty of personal stories of how people made this decaying city their home. Both epic and intimate. A testament of the human animal's ability to adapt and thrive. Thank god the authors got in to Kowloon before its destruction to create this book.
City of Darkness--Life in Kowloon Walled City
I was born in Hong Kong and lived in the Walled City for 2 years with my mother when I was 10. Love the photos, history, and facts about the walled city, bring back lots of memories.
one of a kind
An amazing insight to the abolished walled city with beautiful photos. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Hong Kong    2. Places & peoples: general interest    3. Asian / Middle Eastern history    4. China   

Reviews