(The Pyramids, Shah Mosque, Nile River, Ishtar Gate, and Jerusalem)
Cradle of Civilization: Ancient Mesopotamia
- The Near East, Isaac Asimov
- The Egyptians, Barbara Watterson
Age of Empires
- The Lost History of Christianity, Phillip Jenkins
- The Persians: Ancient, Medieaval, and Modern Iran , Homa Katouzian
- The War of the Three Gods: Romans, Persians, and the Rise of Islam, Peter Crawford
Dar al-Islam
- Destiny, Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes, Tamim Ansary
- In God's Path , Robert Hoyland
- After the Prophet , Lesley Hazleton
- Sailing from Byzantium , Colin Wells
- Ornament of the World, Maria Rose Menocal (See also: Vanished World, Chris Lowney)
- Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia's Golden Age, S. Frederick Starr
The Turkish Span: Medieval to Modernity
- The Spice Route, John Keay
- Gallipoli , Alan Moorehead
The Widening Gyre
- All the Shah's Men, Stephen Kinzer
- Iran and the United States, Seyed Hossein Mousavian
- Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds, Stephen Kinzer
- What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle-Eastern Response, Bernard Lewis
- The Ayatollah Begs to Differ, Hooman Majd
- Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan, Scott Horton
- The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's 30 Year War with Iran, David Crist
- Inside the Kingdom: The Struggle for Saudi Arabia, Robert Lacey
Fiction
- The Blood of Flowers, Anita Amirrezvani (Persia - Historical)
- Equal of the Sun, Anita Amirrezvani (Persia - Historical)
- The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (Afghanistan - Modern)
- Before the Throne, Naguib Mafouz (Egypt - General)
Literature, Memoirs, and Culture
- Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi
- Funny in Farsi, Firoozeh Dumas
- Reading More than Lolita in Tehran, Fatemah Keshavarz
- Mirrors of the Unseen: Travels in Iran, Jason Elliot
- Neither East Nor West: One Woman's Journey through the Islamic Republic of Iran, Christiane Bird
I must say that I'm impressed at your efforts to read around the world and to see things from other, and often quite alien, perspectives.
ReplyDeleteI think it was Terence who said that 'I am human, and nothing human is alien to me'. It's definitely a sentiment I share and work toward! Thank you. :)
Delete(It helps that middle-east history has many direct links to western history, so it's not as far-removed as Japan or China..)
The most highly-lauded book on the mideast I've seen is Bernard Lewis, "The Middle East". I haven't read it yet. Ansary's "Destiny, Disrupted" was very engaging, but I don't know how factually sound it is. I noticed mistakes in the chapters on Europe, but then that wasn't his subject...he was merely commenting on European developments for context.
ReplyDeleteI think it is impossible to disentangle religion, politics, and culture in general. ISIS, for instance, isn't just a religious organization, it's a lucrative criminal enterprise that attracts many people looking for paychecks. Now that 'we' are going after the money, bombing oil wells and such, their influence is diminishing.
The mid-east problem has a lot of factors, I think -- domestic stress and reaction against outside manipulation, both of which are taking form in Islamist political activism. An ideology by itself has no power unless its adherents gain something tangible from putting it into effect. I think the appeal of ISIS is the same as the appeal of gangs: money and purpose. Gangs provide a sense of brotherhood, a sense of identity, a 'mission'.
I have a few books on Arabia in 'the Pile' which I need to get around to. Not much on Japan or China (except for The Boxer Rebellion). It's a BIG planet so I'm very conscious that I can't read about everything that's happened - unfortunately.Hence the concentration on Europe which is enough to keep me occupied for the next 20-30 years.
ReplyDeleteMy intention is to do a year-long Asian series in 2017 -- something like 2 books per month with a focus on China and India. Just enough to create a rough outline in my head, essentially.
ReplyDeleteI'll look forward to it. I have a few India books in 'the pile' too.... [grin] LOTS around on both areas though. I don't think you'll have any trouble finding something interesting (to both of us).
DeleteQuite an impressive bibliography. My own experience in this area is limited, but includes the classics Seven Pillars of Wisdom by Lawrence and The Cairo Trilogy by Mahfouz. Are there one or two more that you would suggest?
ReplyDeleteQuite an impressive bibliography. My own experience in this area is limited, but includes the classics Seven Pillars of Wisdom by Lawrence and The Cairo Trilogy by Mahfouz. Are there one or two more that you would suggest?
ReplyDeleteThe best overview I've read is "Destiny Disrupted", a highly narrative history by an Afghani immigrant to the US. Thanks for mentioning Lawrence's book -- it's not one I've heard of before!
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