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ofjohnson's review against another edition
So dry. I'm sure the story is fascinating but I just couldn't get past all the setup and changing time periods and changing people I'm supposed to keep track. And again, it was so dry.
honeywaffles's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.25
Ugh. Not what I thought it would be at all. Should have been a DNF. It was much more about the political landscape of the region than the efforts of the people who rescued the materials. Some context was necessary, but the ratio of political landscape to rescue efforts did not match the book’s title or description.
lazy_raven's review against another edition
3.0
It was OK. Could have been a short story for the manuscript saving. The rest was about Islamic extremists in Africa from 1990-2013
jilly7922's review against another edition
5.0
This book is about one man's courage in saving a giant piece of history among the violence of Islamic terrorists. This one man hero Abdel Kader Haidera with help from others pulled off an extremely dangerous heist right under the noses of the terrorists occupying their city of Timbuktu, Mali.
Overall I rated this book four and a half stars out of five. What made this book extremely good was that this whole heist that was pulled off is a true story. And it is one that certainly needs to be told. I am very happy that Joshua Hammer brought this story to the forefront for the world to read. For all of the book lovers out there like me, this is a must read. It is a story of a book lover's dream come true. It discusses the thousands of manuscripts/books filled with gold and ancient calligraphy. Can you imagine coming across a treasure like this? Abdel Kader Haidera is just like any of us, he fell in love with these manuscripts and risked his life to save them. This book shows the importance of history, and of preserving it. For if these manuscripts were to be destroyed that is like destroying hundreds of years of history, as if the past had never happened. I said earlier that this story is one that needs to be told. Why? Because it brings forth a story of Islam, in showing how it is supposed to be, in how it is and can be a peaceful religion. To show the world that there are good people and not everyone who practises Islam is a terrorist. There are and always have been terrorists in every religion, and there are plenty of bad people. But a group of people does not speak and should never speak for the whole population, in any case whether it be religion, race, gender, sexuality, or political affiliation. We need to infiltrate the world with stories like this. This is how we change perception. This book shows the power that books, and reading holds. So while you are reading this sit back and imagine yourself reading one of the manuscripts described in this book.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Joshua Hammer, and Simon and Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Come and read my blog for more reviews at: http://turnthepagereviewsbyjill.blogspot.com/
Overall I rated this book four and a half stars out of five. What made this book extremely good was that this whole heist that was pulled off is a true story. And it is one that certainly needs to be told. I am very happy that Joshua Hammer brought this story to the forefront for the world to read. For all of the book lovers out there like me, this is a must read. It is a story of a book lover's dream come true. It discusses the thousands of manuscripts/books filled with gold and ancient calligraphy. Can you imagine coming across a treasure like this? Abdel Kader Haidera is just like any of us, he fell in love with these manuscripts and risked his life to save them. This book shows the importance of history, and of preserving it. For if these manuscripts were to be destroyed that is like destroying hundreds of years of history, as if the past had never happened. I said earlier that this story is one that needs to be told. Why? Because it brings forth a story of Islam, in showing how it is supposed to be, in how it is and can be a peaceful religion. To show the world that there are good people and not everyone who practises Islam is a terrorist. There are and always have been terrorists in every religion, and there are plenty of bad people. But a group of people does not speak and should never speak for the whole population, in any case whether it be religion, race, gender, sexuality, or political affiliation. We need to infiltrate the world with stories like this. This is how we change perception. This book shows the power that books, and reading holds. So while you are reading this sit back and imagine yourself reading one of the manuscripts described in this book.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Joshua Hammer, and Simon and Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Come and read my blog for more reviews at: http://turnthepagereviewsbyjill.blogspot.com/
tedbaldwin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
ccollard58's review against another edition
2.0
Yawn. Really wanted to learn something about sub-Saharan Africa. This is not the vehicle to do so. Watched some YouTube videos instead. Nothing bad-ass about this book ore the people it documents.
aranafyre's review against another edition
3.0
Excellent documentation of the conflicts and struggles Timbuktu has faced both historically and much more extensively recently. Hammer documents the people and events around the Al Qaeda take over of the city in the winter of 2012-2013.
The beginning of the book was a extensive overview of the history or Timbuktu and the manuscripts. This was tedious reading in part because my background knowledge was limited. It was informative but I do not know how much I will retain.
I loved the section describing Haidara's history and introduction to the preservation of ancient works. It was fascinating how families just own these ancient books in the desert.
I do wish the book focused more on Haidara. It felt more like the story of the three commanders of Al Qaeda than Haidara. It seemed like he took a minor role to show how regular people responded to the events and terror.
I also wished the novel had images of the manuscripts especially the ones referenced in the text. They talk a lot of the digitalization of the collection. Is there an online catalog to see the manuscripts?
Overall dense read but well worth the information provided.
The beginning of the book was a extensive overview of the history or Timbuktu and the manuscripts. This was tedious reading in part because my background knowledge was limited. It was informative but I do not know how much I will retain.
I loved the section describing Haidara's history and introduction to the preservation of ancient works. It was fascinating how families just own these ancient books in the desert.
I do wish the book focused more on Haidara. It felt more like the story of the three commanders of Al Qaeda than Haidara. It seemed like he took a minor role to show how regular people responded to the events and terror.
I also wished the novel had images of the manuscripts especially the ones referenced in the text. They talk a lot of the digitalization of the collection. Is there an online catalog to see the manuscripts?
Overall dense read but well worth the information provided.
e_ennis's review against another edition
It read too much like a history book. So many dates, names, etc. I wish they put a timeline in the beginning and just stuck with the story. The members of my book club that finished it did enjoy it though and the conversation was very good.