Reviews (2)

An interesting guide through extreme Islam
Abdel Atwan's history of Al Qaeda and extreme Islamic movements is very illuminating. As opposed to many western writers on the subject, Mr. Atwan has a cultural relationship with many of the subjects he writes about. All Americans should read this book to understand the amorphous face of terrorism.
A Valuable Contribution to Understanding Al Qaeda
Abdel Bari Atwan, who is the editor-in-chief of the London-based newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi, is uniquely qualified to write THE SECRET HISTORY OF al QAEDA, as he is the only Western-based journalist to have spent time with Osama Bin Laden. The extended interview took place in Tora Bora, Afghanistan in 1996, and his personal insights into Bin Laden, those around him, and the living conditions at Tora Bora make for fascinating reading. Furthermore, as a result of this meeting, Atwan and his newspaper have been privy to numerous al Qaeda communiques and insider information over the years - including the famous tidbit from Bin Laden associates that Bin Laden was alive and recovering from injuries caused by U.S. bombing near Tora Bora in late 2001. His discussion of how Al Qaeda, as an organization and it's military and economic strategy/ tactics has evolved since 9/11 makes for some eye-opening and chilling reading. Long before the controversial National Intelligence Estimate, Atwan tells us that Iraq has become a breeding ground for the most ruthless and militant Al Qaeda fighters to date. This book is AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ, and should be REQUIRED READING for all US Government and military leaders. It ranks right up there with Peter Bergen's THE OSAMA BIN LADEN I KNOW and HOLY WAR, INC. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1957-    2. Bin Laden, Osama,    3. History    4. History: World    5. Islam    6. Islamic Studies    7. Middle East - General    8. Modern - General    9. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Qaida (Organization)    12. Religious aspects    13. Terrorism    14. History / General   

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (4)

Used it for history
I had to buy this book as the textbook for my History of the Ancient Near East class, and it ended up being fairly good.Textbook reading is never the most exciting, but it was decently well-written and easy to understand.The timelines at the beginning of each chapter definitely helped.It's not exactly and exciting topic, but for what it is I think that this was a helpful book.

Detailed and straightforward
The author here manages to write a chronological account from the dawn of civilization in Mesopotamia to the coming of Alexander the Great without getting boring.While it is pretty detailed, it could use a bit more fleshing out in my opinion.In terms of history and political developments, the author obviously knows what he's talking about, although I do think his statement about the spread of Indo-European languages from the Eurasian steppes being an "outdated nineteenth century concept" is a bit ignorant as to the state of that field.Other than that, the book is well-written and makes ample use of primary sources.

Practical and well-written
This is a very good introduction to mesopotamian studies. I was impressed by the very good quality of the information given and the effectiveness of short and well-articulated chapters. The book does not assume that the reader is familiar with ancient history and explains step by step the history as well as the culture and social development of the ancient near east. I did not give five stars to this very good book because I thought it did not dwell enough on the linguistic aspects of the matter. Otherwise all is very well explained, without needless lengthy digressions. Pictures are kind of limited, but still enough to follow the descriptions. The inserts are particularly interesting featuring mainly translations of ancient text, as for example passages taken from the Amarna letters. The list of kings at the end of the book is particularly interesting. I recommend this book to all who are interested in having a basic knowledge of ancient near east history and even to those who are already introduced to the subject, because this can be considered a good quick-reference book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Civilization    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Middle East    7. Middle East - General    8. To 622    9. ASIA    10. Ancient World    11. Asian / Middle Eastern history: BCE to c 500 CE    12. History / Middle East    13. MIDDLE EAST_HISTORY_TO 622   

Editorial Review

As the death toll mounts in the Iraq War, Americans are agonizing over how the mess started and what to do now. George Packer, a staff writer at Read more

Reviews (108)

"Different mistakes, same hubris"
With a futile effort at journalistic objectivity, Packer lays out step by step the incompetence and lack of planning that led to the botched war in Iraq.He shows both the political and the human face of the war and weaves them together into a coherent whole.
The conservative objection
It's a great book, a stunning portrait of the contrast between grandiose ideas and the realities of life in Iraq. The protraits of Iraqi citizens, their perspectives and experiences, is pretty compelling, and great reading.
They lose faith in us by the minute
My headline is a quote from the book and refers to Iraqis' attitude soon after the invasion. The level of neglect and incompetence was beyond belief and gave rise to the most amazing conspiracy theories.
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Subjects:  1. Civil war    2. History - Military / War    3. Insurgency    4. International Relations (General)    5. International Relations - General    6. Iraq    7. Iraq War, 2003    8. Middle East - General    9. Military - Iraq War    10. Political Science    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Political Science / International Relations   

Reviews (60)

Solid, important and highly informative book.
A very solid, important and highly informative book. Norman Finkelstein provides extensive details and analysis, with considerable historical depth and expert research, of a very wide range of issues concerning Israel, the Palestinians, and the U.S.
A Follow-Up of Sorts to the Holocaust Industry
In this book, Finkelstein extends his seminal work on the Holocaust Industry to encompass (what he considers to be) the uncritical support for Israel regardless of (what he contends to be) her repeated criminal acts against the Palestinians. For example, he discusses the decades-old massacre of Arab civilians by Israelis at Deir Yassin as well as larger, lesser-known Israeli massacres of Arab civilians in the early days of the State of Israel (Lydda, 250 victims; Ad Dawayima, "hundreds"; p. 263). Unlike most other reviews, however, this one focuses on Finkelstein's latest views on the Holocaust Industry.
Beyond Chutzpah: As powerful and well-documented as they come!
This book is a must read for every person interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It breaks through the artificial complexity and explains the core problems (occupation, expansion and human rights abuses) in a simple and direct manner. The book is a powerful blow to the "pro-Israel" forces that approve of Israel's illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories. It demonstrates pretty well the consensus among human rights organizations about Israel's widespread abuse, torture and war crimes. It also exposes the fabricated smoke screen stirred in the US to divert attention away from Israel's atrocities.
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Subjects:  1. Arab-Israeli conflict    2. Case for Israel    3. Crimes against    4. Dershowitz, Alan M    5. General    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Judaism - General    10. Middle East - General    11. Middle East - Israel    12. Palestinian Arabs    13. Zionism    14. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    15. History / General    16. Israel    17. Jewish studies    18. Palestine   

Reviews (5)

Sentimental plus
OKI admit I read it in one sitting.But during that whole time, kept thinking the same embarrassing thought "This book is as sentimental and idealistically patriotic as a Leni Riefenstahl film (but, unfortunately, not quite as artistically fascinating.)
I would give this book five stars simply on the basis of its main idea
Alan Dershowitz gathers the evidence of eighty distinguished witnesses who tell what Israel means to them. These are all basically pro- Israel voices though there are some sharp critics of Israeli policies among them. Among those whose testimony is included are: William Bennett,Hillary Clinton, Barbra Streisand, Al Gore, Henry Kissinger, Elie Wiesel, Saul Bellow, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Jerry Seinfeld, Sir Martin Gilbert, Harvey Weinstein, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Ron Silver, Barney Frank, Larry King, Natalie Portman.
Wonderful tour of Israel from so many different perspectives.
What's wonderful about this book is that it isn't just one person's take or one person's dogma.Some of the writers are passionate defenders, some are critics, some are sentimental, and some are intellectual.All viewpoints (except anyone who would not like Israel to exist at all) are represented, articulately and readably.Quite a few of the essays were surprsingly moving.I'd especially recommend this book for someone about to take a first trip to Israel. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Attitudes    2. Celebrities    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Israel    7. Middle East - General    8. Middle East - Israel    9. History / Middle East    10. Jewish studies   

Editorial Review

Picking up the thread where her debut memoir-in-comics concluded, Read more

Reviews (35)

Awesome!
This book was great! I found myself laughing sometimes as well as intrigued. This is a kind of book that once you start reading it, you can't put it back down. If you read and liked Persepolis 1, you'll like this one.

More scenes from one woman's life
This time, the scenes are drawn from her teen years through young adulthoood. Some of the moments should be familiar to anyone - like that pre-adult growth spurt where all the parts seem to be in the wrong places. Other themes will sound familiar, though not in such literal ways. For example, Satrapi describes living in peaceful Europe, herself a daughter of war; at the same time, she describes holding western views about freedom in a country where a pair of red socks is grounds for adminstrative discipline. That sense of being an alien everywhere will ring true for many readers, whether or not their reasons are as overwhelming as hers.
Surprisingly interesting
It causes wonder with its sensitive and prudent style and, ultimately, by its incredibly smart, honest and thoughtful result. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1969-    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography And Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Comic books, strips, etc    7. Ethnic Cultures - General    8. Fine Arts    9. Literary    10. Middle East - General    11. Personal Memoirs    12. Satrapi, Marjane,    13. Women    14. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Reviews (8)

Only Rama V did better what dont you like about this book?
This book was authorized by the Thai king, there is no ban on it
Next to worthless
Without doubt, this is one of the worst books in recent memory -- and not just books about Thailand. The author, who can't write coherently and is even worse at fact checking, had unusual access and wasted it shamelessly. Your rating system should make it possible to rate items with no stars at all!

Inaccurate
This book is riddled with inaccuracies it boggles my mind how it was published.
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Subjects:  1. Biography/Autobiography    2. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    3. Biography: royalty    4. Thailand   

Reviews (23)

Could not put this book down!
I lost sleep because of this book, LOL! Crowley packs his history of this important event with so much information that one gains a very clear impression of what transpired, as if from a bird's eye view. One gains as well a strong sense of the personalities of both Mehmet II and Constantine XI, as well as those of other key persons.
An amazing book from a modern Herodotus
Roger Crowley's amazing feat truly stands as a modern testament to great historical writing. Many of the other reviewers have already emphasized the lucid, insightful, and verily entertaining writing. Crowley handles his source material not just even-handedly and scientifically (like a historian should), but even artistically, making this not just great history but a great read as well! As Crowley himself puts it, his aim was "to capture the sound of human voices - to reproduce the words, prejudices, hopes, and fears of the protagonists firsthand - and to tell something of 'the story of the story'" (page 263 in the hardcover edition). Sharing "the story of the story" with their readers is something that, alas, many scholars omit in favor of dry lists of facts and analysis. Crowley transports the reader into a lost, forgotten world, resurrecting the past from the dust and ashes of time and space to speak vividly and directly for new generations.
The strategy of war in 1453
I enjoyed this book, and learned from it as well. The description of the siege was excellent: sufficient detail to provide context, not so much detail that the tempo was lost.
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Subjects:  1. East and West    2. Europe - General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Islam and world politics    7. Istanbul (Turkey)    8. Medieval    9. Middle East - Turkey    10. Siege, 1453    11. History / Middle East   

Reviews (80)

Yes, this is true!
This was a very confusing time for us at home trying to read the news. Bing West explains the interaction between the politicians and military commanders. My brother was in Fallujah at this time and enjoyed finding new information.

Average "Joe" view
It's truly amazing what our military men an women go through in Iraq (and elsewhere). Unselfissly risking their lives to help total strangers.Very intense. The book puts you right there in the action.The author comes across as very objective about the war.

Marine dad's view.
My Marine son gave me this book for Christmas 2005 after his deployment to Fallujah. I could not put it down from page one.Bing West is the "real deal" and sets forth the compelling story of the Battle of Fallujah as only a Marine can do. This work is a true and fitting tribute to the brave men who exemplify the best of the Marine Corps core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment."No True Glory" is a must read for any parent with a son in the Corps.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - Military / War    3. Middle East - General    4. Military    5. Military - Iraq War    6. Military - United States    7. Military History - 1990-    8. Rebellion And Insurgency    9. History / Military / United States   

Features

• Audiobook

Reviews (22)

Mediocre
As other reviewers have pointed out, this book is generally mediocre.It teaches you think in a piece-meal, unsystematic fashion...which oftentimes can be a good thing, but here proves to be disorienting and uninstructive.Not only that, but as others have pointed out, at every step it pushes a dopey, anti-Israel political agenda.This book is a joke, botch intellectually and politically.
Imcomplete
The CD's which are required as a part of our class are not part of this book as they would be if ordered through the university bookstore.

Better books in terms of happiness level
Uningaging. Not for self study. Heavy to the point of being inconvenient to bring home on most days when my backpack is heavy to start with, which has discouraged me from studying as much as I would like. Not fabulous in my opinion. Doesn't make me a happy lil Arabic student. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arabic    2. Foreign Language Study    3. Language    4. Unabridged Audio - Misc.Nonfiction    5. History / Middle East    6. Language teaching & learning material & coursework   

Editorial Review

When a millionaire adventurer goes in search of the true Mount Sinai, he gets more than he bargained for. Spies, missiles, and secret military installations are just some of the obstacles that Larry Williams and his sidekick Bob Cornuke must confront in their unprecedented journey to find the lost treasures of Moses.In Read more

Reviews (67)

Treasure Now Found
In the book, there are two guys. Their names are Larry Williams, a self made millionaire, and Bob Cornuke, a retired police officer and a former Swat-team member. Larry Williams is also an archaeologist and he hears rumors that the real Mount Sinai (the mountain where god gave Moses the Ten Commandments) is actually in present day Saudia Arabian, on Mount Jabal al Lawz. They want to make sure that they are right, so they actually follow the route on which they believe the Hebrews used to get out of Egypt. After a couple of days, they realize that this must be the way that they took. Every single detail that is in the bible they find. When the get to what they believe is the Reds Sea, They go scuba diving in it. They find the prove that they need and Larry almost gets eaten by a shark.
Bad, bad book
This book is written like a 4th-rate children's adventure story. From the spy story to the lead "characters" furtive journey into Saudi Arabia to their diving expedition - it's all so full of hyperbole and exaggeration that the pictures of the book are needed to convince the reader that the trip happened at all.
Unlikely tale with no research content
I have the hardest time getting rid of books, and every purge of the family library ends up being a long series of painful decisions. Yet I had no trouble giving away this book after the first reading.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1979-    2. Adventure    3. Archaeology    4. Archaeology / Anthropology    5. Biblical Archaeology    6. Espionage    7. History    8. Israel    9. Israeli espionage    10. Middle East    11. Politics and government    12. Social Science    13. Sociology    14. Special Interest - Adventure    15. History / Middle East   

Reviews (8)

Excellent Resource
Leila Ahmed's "Woman and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate" is an outstanding contribution to the field of Middle Eastern Women's Studies. Ahmed explores and effectively dissects the many intersections between women, gender, and Islam. Her book is readable and makes an excellent sourcebook for those who are interested in the historical foundations of women and Islam.
Everyone should read this
By far the best scholarly and historical work amidst the increasing number of books on this topic.Particularly interesting is the discussion of how Muslim caliphs adopted the Persian custom of having huge imperial harems.Of course, this is one of the aspects of "Muslim" culture that really tantalized the early Orientalists, as discussed by Edward Said in his book on the subject.

Good history book
This is a good book for anyone to read who doesn't know much about Islam.The author gives several chapters of in-depth history of the rise of Islam.It is interesting to read--not dry and boring like a lot of other detailed history books. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Arab countries    2. Attitudes    3. General    4. History    5. Middle East - General    6. Muslim women    7. Sexism    8. Social conditions    9. Sociology    10. Women    11. History / Middle East    12. Islam    13. Islamic studies    14. Women's studies   

Reviews (18)

Second best survey on the middle east
It seems that some reviews are evaluating this book based on current politics rather than academic standing.Yes, Cleveland likes to throw his opinion in every once and a while and it often becomes patronizing to the reader.However, this book was written before 9/11 and this edition (3rd) includes a brief afterward on the subject.The bulk of this book is an extraordinary survey on the Middle East focusing on the 19th - 20th century.There are a couple of chapters that introduce you to Islam and the medieval era, but they are mainly to give context to the reader for the main part of the book.Starting with the Ottomans Cleveland covers an enormous amount of issues that have affected the region and does so in a clear and articulate fashion.There are only two things that Cleveland fails at.First, he dedicates about a total of a paragraph (maybe a little more) to economic policies of the modern states; this is mainly a problem of space as with any survey.Even so it deserves far more attention than it receives, to compensate I recommend R. Steven Humphreys' Between Memory and Desire: The Middle East in a Troubled Age.Which is dedicated to demographic and economic issues.The second is that on some of the issues he addresses his sources are very controversy mainly the one on the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.I personally don't think that the statistics used are wrong, but in this case he should have noted the controversy.I have professors (who are not Zionists FYI) who fought in that war and are very offended by it.
Mixed Feelings
On the one hand, this book addresses a lot of important issues that are overlooked by other history books.However, it is a book that discusses issues in history, not events in history, which I don't think is ideal for an introduction or overview.There is very little context for the beginner to Middle-Eastern history, and very little is learned about the who-what-where-when, although you'll get plenty of "why."
Excellent guide to Near Eastern history
I read this book my freshman year at NYU and my perspective on the Middle East hasn't been the same since. This book is exquisitely written and although it is pretty short for what it covers, it is remarkably thorough. Additionally, I found the author's usage of irony and sarcasm as very funny and appropriate, and I remember laughing at the Ottoman diplomat's remark regarding how many wives he had. Any history book that can make you laugh while reading it and teach you so much at the same time is definitely worth a read by anyone interested in the topic. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1517-    2. 20th century    3. History    4. History & Theory - General    5. History - General History    6. Middle East    7. Middle East - General    8. Middle East - History    9. Political Science    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 1500 to c 1900    12. Asian / Middle Eastern history: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (7)

Gold standard
The other reviewers have made the points that I would have liked to have made. I have read every significant book that has been written on the Egyptian economy in the last 20 years, and this is better than all of them. By skillfully combining acute technical analysis, the best available data, and insider knowledge of the thinking of international agencies and Egyptian policymakers, this book sets the standard by which all subsequent studies of the Egyptian economy will be judged.

Excellent, lucid analysis
This book is a model of what an interesting country economic study should be. The author has the perfect credentials: a long association with Egypt, a previous book on the subject, access to the leading Egyptian economic policymakers, access to the data bases and analyses of the World Bank and the IMF (as director of the World Bank's Egypt department) sound trainingin economics (affiliation with Cambridge and Harvard Universities), and the ability to write fluently. The book, therefore, is informed by acute technical analysis and pertinent personal anecdote. Excellent.

Outstanding study of Egyptian economy and policymaking
In the 1980s, as a post-graduate student in Middle East studies, I read Khalid Ikram's earlier book Egypt: Economic Management in a Period of Transition (Johns Hopkins University Press). My Cambridge University professor described it as "outstanding." Now Ikram has written another outstanding work.
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Subjects:  1. 1952-    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Economic Conditions    4. Economic policy    5. Egypt    6. General    7. History    8. History: World    9. Middle East - General    10. Economics    11. History / Middle East   

Reviews (45)

The Prophet in perspective...
I have often found it difficult to find any good biographies regarding the Prophet of Islam, but this one is truly a gem. Martin Lings has done an amazing job of taking the life of this Man from the most earliest and reliable sources, then turning it into a narrative that is such a pleasure to read. It feels as though one as reading a novel, and it is difficult to put this book down once one has picked it up. The author shows real talent and i can only imagine how great and difficult a task it was to have done research to such a deep level, and then taking it all and writing it in story form. If i remember correctly i think Martin Lings is a Professor at the famous University of Cambridge, England.
Another whitewash of Muhammad
A real waste of time. It is a highly selective suspect interpretation of both Muhammad and Islam drawn from a single source. At least, try to read some of the works by Abdul Hasan al-Tabari, the most prolific writer-doctor-scholar on Islam and Muhammad from the 10th century.
Come out to play Warriors
This book lay on the shelves for years before I read it. As a simplistic narrative about the Prophets life I thought it had nothing significant to say to my esoteric taste.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History: World    3. Islam - Mohammad    4. Middle East - General    5. Religion - World Religions    6. Biography & Autobiography / Religious   

Reviews (7)

Wonderful Book
Tom Reinert is my nephew so I had heard a lot about the "Sammy B" and its accident.However, there was so much more that I was unaware of. Pres. Reagan's response was much greater than I originally thought (at the time I wondered why he only went after 2 oil rigs).There was also a lot of interesting info about details of the Gulf that I was unaware was happening at the time.Kudos to the author for a story that needed to betold!

No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts
I really enjoyed this book. My son is now serving on the USS Samuel B. Roberts, so that made it even more interesting. I also bought the book for him and he is looking forward to reading it.

Great book, Very well written
This is a must have for every US Navy sailor. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction - General    2. General    3. History    4. Iran-Iraq War, 1980-1988    5. Military    6. Military - General    7. Military - Naval    8. Military - Persian Gulf War    9. Naval operations, American    10. Persian Gulf    11. Submarine mines    12. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    13. Middle East    14. Naval forces & warfare    15. c 1980 to c 1990   

Reviews (129)

A must read!!
This book was originally spoke of highly by a friend of mine, and after reading it, I understand why. Having served in the armed forces for 3 years now, and having been to Iraq on two seperate tours, I can finally get a view of what the original mission these Marines went through during the first part of the war. Gruesome and exhausting are probably the best words to describe it. Wright does a magnificant job (hats off) telling in full detail what life was like and the hell they endured. I really reccomend this book to anyone with a knack for American history, regarding war.

Funny - Open - Honest !
Reading about the Marines is always interesting, but who would think that reading about an embedded reporter at war could be as entertaining ?
SUPRISINGLY BALANCED VIEW OF MARINES IN COMBAT
Full disclosure:I am a career Naval officer who has spent more than average amounts of time around Marines.