A review by imalahakhund
The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad by Lesley Hazleton
2.0
As a muslim, I like reading books by non-muslims on Islamic history and Islam to see my religion from different view but I had mixed feelings about this book. I loved the author's choice of writing the book in an easy-to-read, story-telling manner but she insisted on giving her own opinion on events. Throughout the book you find her saying "this is what history books say happened but this is what actually must have happened." While I think sometimes people tend to glamourize history and historical people but author's insistance that documentation by historians was only just glamourization really put me off. Moreover Lesley Hazelton had this gossipy way of talking about certain people that is just very annoying. I would have probably encouraged the author's opinion more if there were reference alongwith the events described in the footnotes maybe, but the author didn't do a very good job with that either. There was a short mention of two events I had no knowledge of previously so I can't say what my opinions are on them.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone but also won't discourage people to read this book either. I haven't read enough history books but as a muslim who has some knowledge on Islamic history, I think that this book might be incomplete information for someone who is not so well read on the topic but for fellow muslims I think it's a different perspective.
I have feeling that this review might make people think that I hated the book, which is not the case. I neither hated the book nor liked it. If I took any thing away from this book it was that it challenged me. It made realize there are still many events in the history that I am not aware of. And It made me see a different point of view. The point of this review is not to make people hate the author or prevent people from picking up the book but just to spark up the conversation.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone but also won't discourage people to read this book either. I haven't read enough history books but as a muslim who has some knowledge on Islamic history, I think that this book might be incomplete information for someone who is not so well read on the topic but for fellow muslims I think it's a different perspective.
I have feeling that this review might make people think that I hated the book, which is not the case. I neither hated the book nor liked it. If I took any thing away from this book it was that it challenged me. It made realize there are still many events in the history that I am not aware of. And It made me see a different point of view. The point of this review is not to make people hate the author or prevent people from picking up the book but just to spark up the conversation.