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A review by qas242m
Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes by Tamim Ansary
5.0
Destiny Disrupted is a book for people with a good sense of Western history, who are wanting to know more about the Middle World from the perspective of those in the Middle World.
Most books are positioned as a Western look into the Middle East and history of Islam, or entirely from the Middle Eastern viewpoint. Yet, Tamim Ansary blends the two worlds together brilliantly, and the resulting book is told from the viewpoint of those in the Middle World, but with the context of traditional historical events from the West used as framing. This, alongside Ansary’s rather casual style, leads to an effortless and engaging read.
Destiny Disrupted starts around the birth-years of Islam right through to modern life in the Middle World, detailing each era in between. There is always enough to detail to give a comprehensive overview into key historical events, but the pace never slows enough to bog things down or overwhelm readers.
There is a perfect flow to the historical narrative, even though it contains many disparate and branching arcs. Ansary provides enough detail to understand the general picture and leaves us with a strong knowledge base to later pick up more detailed works focused on specific time periods/rulers/civilisations/events. So many sections here piqued my curiosity and made me want to search for entire books dedicated to just those eras of history. Being able to do that over and over and over throughout a book is no small feat, but Ansary does so with ease.
This is a book both enlightening and recalibrating, making me aware of things I’d never known before and making me rethink events I was fully aware of. Because of this, it’s whirlwind of history like no other I’ve read, and is tremendously enjoyable to read to boot.
5 stars.
Most books are positioned as a Western look into the Middle East and history of Islam, or entirely from the Middle Eastern viewpoint. Yet, Tamim Ansary blends the two worlds together brilliantly, and the resulting book is told from the viewpoint of those in the Middle World, but with the context of traditional historical events from the West used as framing. This, alongside Ansary’s rather casual style, leads to an effortless and engaging read.
Destiny Disrupted starts around the birth-years of Islam right through to modern life in the Middle World, detailing each era in between. There is always enough to detail to give a comprehensive overview into key historical events, but the pace never slows enough to bog things down or overwhelm readers.
There is a perfect flow to the historical narrative, even though it contains many disparate and branching arcs. Ansary provides enough detail to understand the general picture and leaves us with a strong knowledge base to later pick up more detailed works focused on specific time periods/rulers/civilisations/events. So many sections here piqued my curiosity and made me want to search for entire books dedicated to just those eras of history. Being able to do that over and over and over throughout a book is no small feat, but Ansary does so with ease.
This is a book both enlightening and recalibrating, making me aware of things I’d never known before and making me rethink events I was fully aware of. Because of this, it’s whirlwind of history like no other I’ve read, and is tremendously enjoyable to read to boot.
5 stars.