Scan barcode
blevins's review
3.0
Interesting book regarding heavy metal and rap music and its popularity in Islamic countries in Africa and the Middle East. Some of these people who play/listen to this music have to do so under secrecy or danger to their well being because of religious leaders and governments who brand them as Satanists or against God. Jail, beatings and persacution may come their way. Now, that's dedication.
The problem is LeVine seems almost like a cheerleader for the cause rather than just being a journalist--he's a musician who has played w/ a lot of these people so that has skewed his coverage. I do hand it to these people as they are true rebels to get into metal/rock/rap at this time in some of these places.
The problem is LeVine seems almost like a cheerleader for the cause rather than just being a journalist--he's a musician who has played w/ a lot of these people so that has skewed his coverage. I do hand it to these people as they are true rebels to get into metal/rock/rap at this time in some of these places.
vdarcangelo's review
3.0
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jul/24/heavy-metal-islam-rock-resistance-and-the-for-of/
This review originally appeared in the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS
Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam
* Nonfiction. By Mark LeVine. Three Rivers Press, $13.95. Grade: A-
Book in a nutshell: As a professor of Middle Eastern history at the University of California, LeVine has spent a lot of time in the cradle of civilization and has written three scholarly books about his experiences, including 2005's Why They Don't Hate Us: Lifting the Veil on the Axis of Evil. But LeVine isn't some stuffy old professor. He's also an accomplished rock guitarist who's played with the likes of Mick Jagger, Chuck D and Ozomatli.
Just as there's more to LeVine than academics, in his new book he argues that there's more to Muslim culture than what Americans consume on the nightly news. There are thriving heavy metal, hip-hop and punk rock scenes in places like Egypt, Israel and Iran, and their numbers are growing as Middle Eastern youth listen to musicians as much as mullahs.
LeVine interviews members of this Middle Eastern subculture - people who risk legal prosecution for their musical proclivities - and claims that the success of this cultural movement may be a signifier of hope for democracy in the Middle East. Perhaps peace, he posits, can come through power chords.
Best tidbit: LeVine does a great job of drawing parallels between American metal in the 1980s - when metal artists were accused of practicing Satanism, promoting suicide and were even the subject of a Senate hearing - and Middle Eastern metal's present.
Pros: LeVine deftly showcases both the struggles and successes of Mideast metal artists, including the recent acceptance of concert festivals like the Desert Rock Festival in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Boulevard des Jeunes Musiciens in Casablanca, Morocco; and the Barisa Rock for Peace Festival in Istanbul, Turkey.
Cons: The author organizes the book by country, and after a while it loses steam as the plights of the artists become too similar.
Final word: This is an excellent and entertaining read for metalheads or anyone interested in a different look at Mideast culture.
This review originally appeared in the ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS
Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam
* Nonfiction. By Mark LeVine. Three Rivers Press, $13.95. Grade: A-
Book in a nutshell: As a professor of Middle Eastern history at the University of California, LeVine has spent a lot of time in the cradle of civilization and has written three scholarly books about his experiences, including 2005's Why They Don't Hate Us: Lifting the Veil on the Axis of Evil. But LeVine isn't some stuffy old professor. He's also an accomplished rock guitarist who's played with the likes of Mick Jagger, Chuck D and Ozomatli.
Just as there's more to LeVine than academics, in his new book he argues that there's more to Muslim culture than what Americans consume on the nightly news. There are thriving heavy metal, hip-hop and punk rock scenes in places like Egypt, Israel and Iran, and their numbers are growing as Middle Eastern youth listen to musicians as much as mullahs.
LeVine interviews members of this Middle Eastern subculture - people who risk legal prosecution for their musical proclivities - and claims that the success of this cultural movement may be a signifier of hope for democracy in the Middle East. Perhaps peace, he posits, can come through power chords.
Best tidbit: LeVine does a great job of drawing parallels between American metal in the 1980s - when metal artists were accused of practicing Satanism, promoting suicide and were even the subject of a Senate hearing - and Middle Eastern metal's present.
Pros: LeVine deftly showcases both the struggles and successes of Mideast metal artists, including the recent acceptance of concert festivals like the Desert Rock Festival in Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Boulevard des Jeunes Musiciens in Casablanca, Morocco; and the Barisa Rock for Peace Festival in Istanbul, Turkey.
Cons: The author organizes the book by country, and after a while it loses steam as the plights of the artists become too similar.
Final word: This is an excellent and entertaining read for metalheads or anyone interested in a different look at Mideast culture.
choirqueer's review
3.0
This was an interesting read. I'm not very well-versed in heavy metal or Islam, and I appreciated that the book felt accessible to me even without a lot of prior knowledge about the subject matter. I felt like I learned a lot, though the author's sense of entitlement, as a male American outsider to the cultures he was visiting, got a little infuriating at times. I really enjoyed getting a window into how these particular forms of music are integral to social justice and claiming of identities in different cultural contexts, even through a somewhat imperfect window.
erudani's review
4.0
Un excelente viaje por la actualidad (as of 2008) de la música 'moderna' en medio oriente.
ironi's review
4.0
As an Israeli Jew, this was important for me to read, especially after reading "Why I Left the Islam". I wanted a positive description of the Islam. This was definitely that.
It was nice that there was a personal touch to the stories. He was friends with the people he talked about and it was great to see. At the same time, he tried to keep an academic approach which led to a confusing reading experience. Is this an academic study or a book about his experiences?
I felt the build was great. I loved how he went country by country and went in depth about the history, culture and vibe. As someone who's a bit ignorant when it comes to Middle Eastern history (that doesn't affect Israel), I'm happy that he explained a bit. I do wish he'd get a bit more technical about the music itself but I realize that would be a different book altogether.
The music was also great and now my iPod is full of music in Arabic which is kinda cool. As I'm hoping to become fluent in Arabic in the next few years, I look forward to slowly understanding more and more, to return to this book's bibliography and get more recommendations.
I do have a point of annoyance with how he writes Israel/Palestine, as if they're the same thing, as if they're both not dependent of each other. I suppose it's an attempt at being neutral but it annoyed me. Israel is an independent and flourishing country, regardless of our issues with the border. Palestine isn't a country yet (by the definitions of the UN, I look forward to the day they will be). Palestine isn't a functioning country. Writing Israel/Palestine feels simply wrong, especially when talking about the culture. Israeli culture and Palestinian culture are so very different.
All in all, this is a great introduction to the Islamic nations and their cultural struggle. The author's friendship with the people described makes this book a great read.
what I'm taking with me
• Pakistani history is fascinating and I must read more about it.
• Metal fans are cool. Go music revolutions!
• I feel like Egypt is to MENA like Sweden is to Scandinavia and I don't know why this feels so accurate.
It was nice that there was a personal touch to the stories. He was friends with the people he talked about and it was great to see. At the same time, he tried to keep an academic approach which led to a confusing reading experience. Is this an academic study or a book about his experiences?
I felt the build was great. I loved how he went country by country and went in depth about the history, culture and vibe. As someone who's a bit ignorant when it comes to Middle Eastern history (that doesn't affect Israel), I'm happy that he explained a bit. I do wish he'd get a bit more technical about the music itself but I realize that would be a different book altogether.
The music was also great and now my iPod is full of music in Arabic which is kinda cool. As I'm hoping to become fluent in Arabic in the next few years, I look forward to slowly understanding more and more, to return to this book's bibliography and get more recommendations.
I do have a point of annoyance with how he writes Israel/Palestine, as if they're the same thing, as if they're both not dependent of each other. I suppose it's an attempt at being neutral but it annoyed me. Israel is an independent and flourishing country, regardless of our issues with the border. Palestine isn't a country yet (by the definitions of the UN, I look forward to the day they will be). Palestine isn't a functioning country. Writing Israel/Palestine feels simply wrong, especially when talking about the culture. Israeli culture and Palestinian culture are so very different.
All in all, this is a great introduction to the Islamic nations and their cultural struggle. The author's friendship with the people described makes this book a great read.
what I'm taking with me
• Pakistani history is fascinating and I must read more about it.
• Metal fans are cool. Go music revolutions!
• I feel like Egypt is to MENA like Sweden is to Scandinavia and I don't know why this feels so accurate.
michaelnlibrarian's review
3.0
Since I am working for a while in Egypt this is somewhat interesting, but it isn't something someone would read for fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not surprisingly, since I am in Egypt, the fifty or so pages in the chapter about Egypt specifically are the most interesting (so far).
I was amused to read, "On the way we passed the local Hardee's - which, as in New Jersey when I was growing up - has become the place for Cairo's metal population to meet after dark. At 1:00 a.m. on any given night, at least a dozen kids with long hair and black T-shirts hang out in front of the restaurant ..." This Hardee's is about 100 yards down the street from the apartment where I'm staying. More telling to me than the kids in black T-shirts is all the graffiti they have covered this one ugly building across from Hardee's with.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Certain things about GoodReads I don't understand - there should be a "stopped reading" or "done reading" choice in addition to "read" (which suggests to me, read entirely).
Anyway, I read as much of this as I'm going to read and gave it to some here.
It's a good book for what it is. Different chapters cover different countries and I got what I was interested in out of the book easily enough. It would have been nice if there had been more photographs. At the end there are lists of relevant web sites.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not surprisingly, since I am in Egypt, the fifty or so pages in the chapter about Egypt specifically are the most interesting (so far).
I was amused to read, "On the way we passed the local Hardee's - which, as in New Jersey when I was growing up - has become the place for Cairo's metal population to meet after dark. At 1:00 a.m. on any given night, at least a dozen kids with long hair and black T-shirts hang out in front of the restaurant ..." This Hardee's is about 100 yards down the street from the apartment where I'm staying. More telling to me than the kids in black T-shirts is all the graffiti they have covered this one ugly building across from Hardee's with.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Certain things about GoodReads I don't understand - there should be a "stopped reading" or "done reading" choice in addition to "read" (which suggests to me, read entirely).
Anyway, I read as much of this as I'm going to read and gave it to some here.
It's a good book for what it is. Different chapters cover different countries and I got what I was interested in out of the book easily enough. It would have been nice if there had been more photographs. At the end there are lists of relevant web sites.
More...