readerpants's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the narrative, colloguial tone of this one. I wish I knew how accurate it was, but I guess I'll have to trust in the extensive footnotes. A fascinating read about a subject that was new to me.
nickjagged's review against another edition
5.0
I would heavily recommend it to anybody who wants to get some sort of a grasp on Islamic history. It's very comprehensive without either getting bogged down in the lines of succession or skipping over the odd century here or there. It does a great job of contextualizing the bits of history that are less taught than passively known, so that the reader has enough places to hold on to the narrative. My only criticism is that it's a bit too colloquial, but the author says so in the introduction and it doesn't veer into being more flippant than the topic can handle.
read_100_books's review against another edition
4.0
A great introductory history to the Middle East for readers who want some insight into one of the most complicated peoples and regions on the planet. Tamim Andary does a remarkable job of distilling 3000+ years of history into 357 pages while still retaining and explaining the nuances between the differing groups that make up the Western concept of the Middle East. I highly recommend this book for general readers.
For a more in-depth look at the Arabian Peninsula and the creation and growth of Islam as a worldwide religion and government power, I suggest reading “Arabs: a 3000 year history of peoples, tribes and empires” next.
For a more in-depth look at the Arabian Peninsula and the creation and growth of Islam as a worldwide religion and government power, I suggest reading “Arabs: a 3000 year history of peoples, tribes and empires” next.
canadajanes's review against another edition
5.0
Very good history book on a part of the world that we don't really focus on in school. Highly recommend to anyone interested in history.
amid's review against another edition
4.0
The title should be “through Persian Eyes”. Nonetheless, a fun read.
jay_sy's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Destiny Disrupted by Tamim Ansary provided an interesting overview of Islamic history. This is an area that I personally know very little about so I found the book quite informative and it helped me to make sense of what was happening in that area of the world.
I found it interesting to see the roots of Islam and ideals of the early figureheads. In their day, they would have been seen as progressive, championing the rights of the downtrodden in society and I can understand how they attracted a following.
Later, there was the interest in Greek philosophy because they believed science and philosophy could use logic to prove their religious ideals. I always like to see what forces shape a society and the directions they take.
I found the segment on Mukluks to be quite fascinating, since they were being used as guards because they aren’t native and have no ties to home, only to become unruly and take power, showing how despite the intentions of the rulers, the end result was the opposite of what they might have wanted.
Another thing that stood out was the brutality of the crusaders from the west (cannibalism of women and children), and how it wasn’t seen as a war, so much as a disaster of barbarians. There was also the explanation of how status symbols (wives that didn’t need to work and could be kept out of sight) led to increased oppressive circumstances for women.
Finally, I was intrigued by how cultural values (like individualism) aided the industrial revolution because people weren’t thinking about the effect of their actions on neighbours and kin.
The book covers an extensive period of time up to 2001, and a part of me wished there was a little bit more detail about some of the more interesting historical figures, and the way the common people lived. But I'm glad to have read it and would give it a 3.5 out of 5
I found it interesting to see the roots of Islam and ideals of the early figureheads.
Later, there was the interest in Greek philosophy because they believed science and philosophy could use logic to prove their religious ideals. I always like to see what forces shape a society and the directions they take.
I found the segment on Mukluks to be quite fascinating, since they were being used as guards because they aren’t native and have no ties to home, only to become unruly and take power, showing how despite the intentions of the rulers, the end result was the opposite of what they might have wanted.
Another thing that stood out was the brutality of the crusaders from the west (cannibalism of women and children), and how it wasn’t seen as a war, so much as a disaster of barbarians. There was also the explanation of how status symbols (wives that didn’t need to work and could be kept out of sight) led to increased oppressive circumstances for women.
Finally, I was intrigued by how cultural values (like individualism) aided the industrial revolution because people weren’t thinking about the effect of their actions on neighbours and kin.
The book covers an extensive period of time up to 2001, and a part of me wished there was a little bit more detail about some of the more interesting historical figures, and the way the common people lived. But I'm glad to have read it and would give it a 3.5 out of 5