Reviews (12)

A REALITY CHECK
I read the early news reports of the looting of Baghdad, and many of them were so emotionally charged. It amazed me that people who most likely haven't been to a museum in decades, could become so charged up about the looting of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. I smelled politics and forgot about the story. Bogdanos spoke at a biblical archaeology conference I attended in Philadelphia last fall. I later bought the book on Amazon. I found it VERY helpful to get a firsthand account of things from, not the local politicians and not from columnists who did not like the war itself--but from someone who was THERE....and not just there to do his job, but also a lover of ancient civilizations. I appreciated his insights, was intrigued by his comment that "the press was duped" into reporting the loss of 170,000 pieces when that was not true, and that they never corrected their reporting. I was especially intrigued by the observation, near the book's end, that many of the "looted" artificats had obviously been moved from secure to less secure parts of the museum by someone or some group of persons who knew which keys would or would not have been needed--as if pre-arranged for the truck that someone knew would pull up and receive the loot which then went to middlemen who already had buyers throughout the world--wealthy folks who watched the news and saw the opportunity to add a rare item to their personal collections. VERY INTERESTING OBSERVATION.........It may not be the whole story, or the only story--but it certainly is quite likely to be a larger aspect of the story.

Thief of Limelight
This book started with a great deal of promise and ended with a purpose.Much of what's in between, however, disappoints.I was looking for facts and policy implications and instead I feel like I read a memoir, one that was sappy all too frequently.
The End of the Rainbow
Through all the foggy media hyperbole surrounding the Iraq war, one reasonable question emerges with persistent frequency: what price are we paying for being there, and is the cost worth it?The multitude of offered answers come tainted in full, depending on one's take on internal Iraqi strife, regional politics, and US motivations in the war on terror.But there's one fact, almost always forgotten in the morass of ink and flashbulbs, that should serve to define this conflict and underline the stakes for all of us.The Euphrates of present-day discord is also the cradle of our very civlization.It's the bigger questions about the future of that civilization that are playing out in Iraq.The story of the looting of the Iraq National Museum, and the subsequent recovery efforts by collaborative teams of Americans and Iraqis, is a sobering reminder of how far humanity has come, the richness of our common heritage, and how much we risk losing by succumbing to the tyranny of violence.
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Subjects:  1. Archaeological thefts    2. Archaeology    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Destruction and pillage    5. History    6. History: World    7. Iraq    8. Iraq - History    9. Iraq War, 2003-    10. Middle East - General    11. Military    12. Military - United States    13. Personal Memoirs    14. Personal narratives, American    15. War Crimes And Criminals    16. Political Science / International Relations   

Subjects:  1. Foreign relations    2. History    3. History: World    4. Iran    5. Iraq - History    6. Iraq War, 2003-    7. Middle East - General    8. Modern - 21st Century    9. Moral and ethical aspects    10. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    11. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    12. Politics / Current Events    13. U.S. - Contemporary Politics    14. United States    15. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    16. British Isles    17. International relations    18. Iraq    19. Political Science / International Security    20. USA    21. War & defence operations   

Reviews (1)

An excellent, balanced account
Shawcross is an excellent observer and journalist of international politics.His account of the Shah's final days is balanced, interesting, and clearly written.While it does provide considerable background on the recent (as of the book's publication) and longer-term history of Iran, that truly is background.Issues like the Ayatollah Khomeini's consolidation of power, and the hostage crisis, are treated only peripherally to the extent they are relevant to the strange odyssey on which the Shah embarked.There is, for example, for more information about the "political" bickering among the many physcians retained to treat the Shah's cancer than about American and international efforts to obtain the release of the hostages.
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Subjects:  1. 1919-    2. 1919-1980    3. Biography    4. General    5. History    6. Iran    7. Kings and rulers    8. Last years    9. Mohammed Reza Pahlavi,    10. Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, 1941-1979    11. Politics - Current Events    12. Politics / Current Events    13. Politics/International Relations    14. Shah of Iran,    15. Biography & Autobiography / General    16. Biography & Autobiography-General    17. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    18. Political Science / General   

Reviews (7)

The truth versus slanders about "Assassins"
By this detailed book Daftary submerges into 12th century politics. He carefully retells the history of islam and all of its various sects. The Assassins legends are carefully explained and the truth behind the slanders has been brought to light. The middle-age politics were made under the veil of islam in the middle-east back then. The sect's political ambition is to rise against foregin invasion(that is Selcuk rulers)No credit to tales about drugging men into sacrificing their lives for the promise of heaven. This group were made out of then-persian patriots defending their culture as a way of life.All in all a well-written book worth reading several times all over

Essential Reading on the Ismailis and "Assassins"
There's no question that Daftary's work -- like Bernard Lewis' -- is essential reading for anyone studying the Ismailis, or the various legends surrounding the so-called hasheeshians, or assassins. I came across Daftary's work and his Institutue of Ismaili Studies in London as I was preparing the first English translation of ALAMUT, Vladimir Bartol's novel of Hasan ibn Sabbah, the original so-called "assassin."
The expert's perspective
As the Head of the Department of Academic Research and Publications at the Institute of Islamic studies it is safe to say that Daftary is the foremost expert and scholar in Ismailism today. What makes this book so compelling is that it dares to defy the age old myths of the so called "Assassins". Few books, if any, have provided readers with this perspective, and Daftary pulls it off exceptionally. While the book may be heavy in names, dates and facts they serve to provide credibility and work to dispel the myths that many have worked hard to create. Finally, a piece that gives competing works a run for their money. Anyone who has read other, older and perhaps more popular works about the "Assassin Terrorist" are highly recommended to read Daftary's works as they make a much more convincing argument. The book also elucidates the origins of myth and folklore and how they develop into acceptable facts with time. With all the negativity surrounding Islam and Ismailism today The Assassin Legends gives an opportunity to step back and look the entire picture. Any real scholar would admit that there are two sides to every story, and to study the Assassins without consulting Daftary's works would be committing a sincere injustice. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Assassins (Ismailites)    2. Folklore & Mythology    3. Historiography    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Middle East - Iran    8. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 500 to c 1500    9. Middle East    10. Myths & mythology   

Reviews (8)

How We Know
This is a detailed study of what we know about the different atomic weapons holdings and development efforts and how we obtained that knowledge.Jeffrey Richelson describes all the development efforts from war-time Germany to Iran and North Korea today.He particularly brings across the importance of the different airborne and satellite surveillance programs, showing how the need for airplane over-flights diminished as higher and higher resolution imagery became available from the KH series reconnaissance satellites.
The Definitive History of Nuclear Espionage
Dr. Jeffrey T. Richelson, arguably the most prolific and certainly the most technically correct writer about the U.S. intelligence community, has done it again. "Spying on the Bomb" describes, in Dr. Richelson's usual thorough and well-researched manner, the U.S. intelligence community's efforts to track--and influence--other nations' attempts to develop nuclear weapons.
A fascinating account on what our activities and capabilities have been in discovering the development of nuclear weapons.
Jeffrey T. Richelson chronicles the efforts the United States has made to deal with the threat of atomic and nuclear weapons from they were first conceived in the 1930s and `40s through the gathering of intelligence.You know, spying.The building of our own (the United States') nuclear arsenal is well chronicled in other books.This volume is more about the kinds of methods that were developed in the human intelligence and technical intelligence areas and the debates that have raged over the decades in interpreting the meaning of what was found out.I found the gradual growth of the intelligence bureaucracy and how each component of the CIA versus the State Department versus the Military became predictable in its interpretation of evidence of nuclear activity fascinating and distressing.It is hard to have confidence that our nation is getting a handle on the threats facing us when intelligence interpretation is more about turf wars than truly understanding what is happening in the laboratories and processing plants of our enemies.
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Subjects:  1. Espionage, American    2. General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History - Military / War    6. International Relations - Arms Control    7. Military    8. Military - General    9. Military - Intelligence/Espionage    10. Military - Nuclear Warfare    11. Nuclear weapons    12. Nuclear weapons information    13. Research    14. United States - 20th Century    15. Espionage & secret services    16. History / General    17. USA   

Reviews (2)

Global democracy
I went to the eye doctor years ago and told him I had problem with my right eye. He began to look at my left eye. I said to him . . . no that is not the one giving me the problem. The eye doctor became frustrated and said to me "How can I possibly know what is wrong with your right eye without looking at both . . . do you not understand that they are connected."
Good account of Iran
I have read many books on Iran. I liked this one. It is readable and very insightful. There are many new facts in it, and it interprets Iran's history from a new perspective and at times with views that are different from those commonly held. I found it to be balanced, and when it comes to democracy to provide a deep and historical view that goes beyond simple answers in media today. I recommend to anyone who wants to understand Iran. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Democracy    3. History - General History    4. Iran    5. Islam - General    6. Middle East - Iran    7. Political Ideologies - Democracy    8. Political Science    9. Politics and government    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Asian / Middle Eastern history    12. Political ideologies    13. Political structures: democracy    14. Religion & Theology | Islam    15. Religion / Islam   

Editorial Review

First published in 1934, Freya Stark's classic tale of her travels through Persia has been reprinted once again and is just as much a gem now as when first published. At the age of 37, Stark shocked her fellow Brits by moving to Baghdad, befriending the locals, studying Arabic and the Koran, and then setting out on expeditions to remote and uncharted areas of the Islamic world by foot, donkey, camel, and car. With her fascination for secret Islamic societies, she resolved to travel to the former home of the Cult of the Assassins and locate an ancient fortress described by Marco Polo. (The founder of the cult inspired his recruits to murder through the use of hashish, hence their name Read more

Reviews (4)

Dull, Perhaps, But Groundbreaking
I agree with much of what is said in the reviews below: Stark's travelogues aren't to be read in bed if you have any intention of keeping your eyes open for more than a dozen pages or so. Her writing is clear and concise, but not scintillating by any means.What's of interest in this book is less the style of writing and more the travels themselves. Here was a single woman in the 1930s traveling in an area of the world virtually unknown to Westerners, making the radical choices, for instance, to study the Koran and live with the locals. She was a true radical of her own time who dared to tread places that Marco Polo didn't even approach, despite his (in)famous claims to the contrary.
Surprisingly dull
This book was disappointing, especially considering that some call it a classic. Wonderful Travel Story
Like jeffergray, I wish there were maps and would agree that the title was somewhat misleading.At times, I found myself confused by some of the historical references since they were cursory and seemed to assume a good knowledge of the history of the Middle East.Perhaps I need to go back to school...Read more

Subjects:  1. Assassins (Ismailites)    2. Description And Travel    3. Essays & Travelogues    4. History    5. History: World    6. Iran    7. Iran - History    8. Middle East - General    9. Travel - General    10. History / Middle East    11. Middle East    12. Travel writing   

Reviews (42)

Cut her some slack
I'm surprised by the widely divergent reactions to this semi-memoir. While reading it, I would never have thought it a "polarizing" type of book. I think the answer lies not in the inflated merits or imagined ills of the book itself, or even in the author's writing style, but in different readers' varying expectations and worldviews.
Very Informative, Complete Insider's View
Lipstick Jihad is an incredibly detailed book; it's provides an insider's view on the socio-political situation in the country. The author brings to light various issues and makes the reader want to delve deeper into these issues. Of course, it's a personal account so it's not entirely devoid of biases. But what makes it entertaining is the fact that the book is not sprinkled with light humor and endearing anecdotes. At one point in the book the author mentioned that her father considers Propher Muhammad to be a pedophile because he married a 12/13 year-old. This fact is utterly disparaging and categorically untrue; Prophet Muhammad married several women (in order to support them financially because their husbands had died during wars) and these women were well over 40. In most cases they were fat and not always pretty.
A privileged view . . .
After reading this book, I'm not sure that it can be summed up in a few words, and the title is not much help. A clever contradiction in terms, it reflects the wit of the writer as well as the women's issues often at the center of the book, but it doesn't begin to suggest the book's many other themes. Sometimes it is a memoir of growing up Iranian-American, sometimes a polemic on American misperceptions of Iran, sometimes a search for identity, sometimes an account of a high-risk adventure as a stranger in a strange land, sometimes a story of professional growth as a working journalist. Meanwhile, a theme running throughout is the matter of being an unmarried woman from a privileged background living in a social system that discourages - often by force - her independence.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Ethnic Cultures - General    5. General    6. Middle East - Iran    7. Minority Studies - Ethnic American    8. Personal Memoirs    9. Women    10. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    11. Iran   

Reviews (11)

Mixed bag
The highlight of this book is, far and away, the inside-Iraq perspective it provides.Rosen was constantly out and about (often and great personal risk) and met with all kinds of people in Iraq -Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, in the governemnt, in the resistance and just ordinary people.
Need info on Iraq? Ask Rosen.
Nir Rosen is lucky to be alive. Travelling through Iraq during a very dangerous time, Rosen risked his life every day. He also got some great firsthand information.
Real information about the truth
For anyone interested in what is really happening in the mosques and with the mullahs of Iraq, this is the book to read. As other reviews and the publisher's blurb point out, Nir Rosen had access to the locations and people who are actually making a difference in the hearts and minds of Iraqis and they are not the Americans. Couple this book with Thomas Ricks' newly released "Fiasco" and the case will be made that America in is way over its head in a world inhabited by radical Islam, something not seen in the world for centuries.Rosen says he made his mother cry. This factual, beautifully reported, exquistiely researched book will make you cry, too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Insurgency    6. Iraq    7. Iraq - History    8. Iraq War, 2003    9. Middle East - General    10. Military - General    11. Military History - 1990-    12. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    13. History / Middle East   

Reviews (2)

An Excellent Compilation of Qajar Paintings
This magnificent compilation is th result of hard work and vision.Congratulations on your efforts Ms. Diba.You have brought the best of Persian artistry of this period to the rest of humanity.

Magnificient book
This book is the best about the Iranian Qajar history I've ever seen. The unknown paintings, genealogical tables, beautiful design: all this makes it very important in understanding the great culture not only of Qajar butalso of Zand, Afsharid and Safavid epochs. I wish there were more suchbooks in the great world of not only iranian but of whole world's royalty. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 18th Century Art    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Exhibitions    5. History - General    6. Iran    7. Kings and rulers    8. Middle Eastern    9. Painting, Iranian    10. Painting, Islamic    11. 20th century    12. Art / Painting    13. History of art & design styles: c 1800 to c 1900    14. History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -    15. Oriental art    16. c 1700 to c 1800    17. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (42)

Nicely WrittenUntruths
Read Woodward's book and then look back at this one. Bremer is an arrogant fool as responsible for the mess in Iraq (if not more so) than the Bush admin (except for Rumsfeld)

Still Struggling to Build a Future of Hope
L. Paul Bremer, or "Jerry" as he is called by his friends and coworkers (it's never revealed why, though... why do they call him Jerry?), spent 14 months in Iraq. Not the happiest time in his life he is very quick to point out. Bremer is given an almost impossible task: prepare war-torn and recently tyrant-less Iraq to be a democratic nation.
Burning Poem
bid farewell to a moon in Baghdad Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Coalition Provisional Authority    4. General    5. Insurgency    6. International Cooperation    7. International Relations - General    8. Iraq    9. Iraq - History    10. Military    11. Military - Iraq War    12. Officials and employees    13. Political Science    14. Politics / Current Events    15. Politics/International Relations    16. Postwar reconstruction    17. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    18. Biography: historical   

Reviews (21)

Singeing the King's Beard
OK, Tom Holland gets my vote for fun and read-able history. Although he is not good enough for some of the other reviewers, he is a godsend for the regular guy. For example, he can take an historical event like the Battle of Salamis and rachet up the tension and drama to the point where you feel like you are reading about it in this morning's newspaper. That said, you need to know your Punic from your Peloponnesian War, your Samos from your Lesbos, and your Darius from you Xerxes in order to fully enjoy this account, In that sense Tom Holland's PERSIAN FIRE is probably too middlebrow for the scholar and too complicated for the novice. But boy O boy he he fun for the rest of us.
Disappointing
Very disappointed in the book.Too much drama & not enough history.Felt like I was reading the script from a made for TV docudrama.

Magnificent account!!
Mr Holland's account of Persia and its battles is a great history.His description of the main characters,like Cyrus, is very clear and precise.I also enjoyed the description of the battles.These descriptions were not profound or detailed but it gives you a good overall view of the participants and the aftermath of the battles.Mr Holland also does a great job in keeping the account simple and very entertaining without sacrificing historical accuracy.Great book!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Ancient - Greece    3. Ancient Greece - History    4. Civilization    5. Greece    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Iran    10. Middle East - General    11. Military History - Ancient    12. Persian Wars, 500-449 B.C    13. To 640    14. History / Ancient / Greece   

Editorial Review

Most of the accounts of the Iraq War so far have been, to use the term the war made famous, embedded in one way or another: many officially so with American troops, most others limited--by mobility, interest, or understanding--to the American experience of the conflict. In Read more

Reviews (24)

Ground-based view of a war gone terribly wrong
In mournful yet even tones, Anthony Shadid reports the Iraqi war that many Americans do not see -- the war from the perspective of those on the ground, on whom violence falls, whether from US bombs or sectarian violence. Shadid, an Arab-American reporter for the Washington Post, takes us from the days just before the "Shock and Awe" campaign that signaled the US invasion all the way through the beginning of the insurgency in early 2005. His fluency in Arabic allows him to obtain firsthand accounts of the effect of Saddam's rule as well as the US invasion and occupation th