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A History of Islamic Societies
Ira M. Lapidus
Cambridge University Press, 2002
History is not pretty
+ Everything was as I hoped for
+ An excellent comprehensive survey
This is an excellent book of history. It was not intended, I am sure, to be an explanation of "true Islam" as called for by another reviewer. I have a reservation or two about Lapidus's conclusions, but his presentation of the material stands as the best overview of the course of history from ...
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Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution, Updated Edition
Nikki R. Keddie
Yale University Press, 2006
A must read book on Iran
+ Title: A well-balanced and most authoritative book on Iran's modern history
+ Intelligent and readable
+ Authoritative and accessible
+ excellet source on iran
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Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team
George Jonas
Simon & Schuster, 2005
An eye-opener on the nature of counter-terrorism
+ Vengeance holds a special place in my childhood memory
+ The dark side of war
+ Vivid and compelling, a book you can't put down
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Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources
Martin Lings
Inner Traditions, 2006
A great investment!!
+ For The Confused Westerner
+ the best book in English on this topic.
+ Muhammad
+ I liked the Book
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Hezbollah: A Short History (Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics)
Augustus Richard Norton
Princeton University Press, 2007
best balance is criticism for all
+ A great introduction to the Party of God
+ Primer on Lebanese politics
no one is innocent and no one is as evil as the other side's propaganda machine says.
As one who happened to be in South Lebanon at the time the fighting started in 2006, I can say that Norton's description most closely mirrors my experience.
You will benefit greatly by picking up this easy ...
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The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan
Yasmin Khan
Yale University Press, 2007
The Great Partition -- an excellent history
+ Commendable, succinct history
+ An excellent context on partition
+ Erudite reading
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From Beirut to Jerusalem
Thomas L. Friedman
Anchor, 1990
From Beirut to Jerusalem Review
+ From Beruit To Jerusalem
+ From Beruit to Jerusalem
+ Understanding The Middle East
+ Amazing evaluation
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The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
Ilan Pappe
Oneworld Publications, 2006
Zionist ethnic cleansing creates "racially pure" Israel
+ MUST READ!!!!!!!
+ Nazi Rebirth
+ A truthful narration of the biggest robbery of the 20th century
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What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam
John L. Esposito
Oxford University Press, USA, 2002
FAQ Islam
+ Pretty decent
+ good introduction
+ Excellent Reference for Laypeople
+ a welcome new edition
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Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia
Jean Sasson
Windsor-Brooke Books, 2001
God bless you, Jean P. Sasson.
+ A very good read
I read this book without regard to ethnicity or political belief. I read it as a woman -- as a human being who suffered at the thought of what other women are enduring in the name of "religion" or "culture."
There is no explanation possible to make this palatable to anyone with a conscience. To ...
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A History of the Modern Middle East
William L. Cleveland
Westview Press, 2004
Nothing Less than Excellent
+ Thorough narrative of Middle East history.
+ Excellent book
+ WOW
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A Concise History of the Middle East
Arthur Goldschmidt Jr, Lawrence Davidson
Westview Press, 2005
Complete reference work on Middle Eastern history
+ Great overview of middle eastern history.
At more than 500 pages, this textbook is not exactly "concise," as might be expected given the panoramic scope of its topic. Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. and Lawrence Davidson ambitiously try to explain the factors driving Islamic culture and its influence on Western civilization, right down to the ...
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History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict, A (5th Edition)
Ian J. Bickerton, Carla L. Klausner
Prentice Hall, 2006
Good background for starting discussions on the conflict
"History of the Arab-Israeli" conflict appears to be a balanced primer into the Arab-Israeli conflict. One strength of the book are the relevant documents presented at the end of each chapter. The book concentrates more on breadth than depth, but each chapter also ends with a list of references ...
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The Middle East: A History
William Ochsenwald, Sydney Nettleton Fisher
McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2003
The Journey of a lifetime!
+ Interesting and Easy Read
+ Excellent text and overall coverage
Fisher and Ochsenwald are extaordinary as they guide the reader through thousands of years of a truly fascinating history. They give tremedous insight on the development of Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as the importance of the physical borders of the Middle east region. A Tremendous buy ...
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Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September ...
Steve Coll
Penguin (Non-Classics), 2004
Execellent Book -
+ Fascinating and well-researched history
+ bordering on fraudulent
Don't let the size of this book scare you - it is accurate and full of great information! I know some people who were close to the information and say it is very accurate -
Enjoy -
Jan Simpson
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