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4.34 AVERAGE
4.34 AVERAGE
This was an absolutely excellent overview of the history of the Middle East. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and perspectives narrated throughout. This one is going on my permanent bookshelf and I highly recommend it.
informative
medium-paced
challenging
informative
medium-paced
This book was asigned for summer reading and it took some serious work to ge through. Enjoyed the more contemporary towards the end chapters.
informative
reflective
fast-paced
wasn’t reading it consistently (unforch) but it was so nice to read history not thru the lens of the West i need to read more arab/middle east-dominated literature
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A great overview of a history I was never taught in school. It wasn’t too dense or difficult to follow for someone who is not a typical nonfiction history reader. I enjoyed listening to this on audio book but missed the opportunity to highlight. While I hope I remember more than I probably will of 1000+ years of history, I’m glad I am no longer clueless about the topic!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, War
I absolutely loved reading this. I was engaged and actually enjoyed reading it!!!
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
It's really hard not to read this through the lens of my own experiences as a different minority because I inevitably relate questions of historiography and self-reflexive narrative to how we do that within the realm of history and OUR history.
There was this one line near the end where Ansary talks about the fact that we (even as cultures) tend to see others through the role they play in our stories and they are in a totally separate story. We are bit players in their narrative, not the protagonist against whom they are antagonist.
And that, retrospectively, shapes a lot of how I see this book and the way that the stories that come in conflict are less even about what happened but more about who is the main character. And if "we" are, it's a totally different story every time the "we" changed.
The history itself was fascinating and really helpful, but I also can't help but think of all the ways that religious stories change as the world changes. (Also hoo boy did everyone have a haskalah and backlash).
There was this one line near the end where Ansary talks about the fact that we (even as cultures) tend to see others through the role they play in our stories and they are in a totally separate story. We are bit players in their narrative, not the protagonist against whom they are antagonist.
And that, retrospectively, shapes a lot of how I see this book and the way that the stories that come in conflict are less even about what happened but more about who is the main character. And if "we" are, it's a totally different story every time the "we" changed.
The history itself was fascinating and really helpful, but I also can't help but think of all the ways that religious stories change as the world changes. (Also hoo boy did everyone have a haskalah and backlash).
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced