Tag Archives: Islam

The Egyptians

Posted on September 26, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Egyptians© 1997 Barbara Watterson368 pages “We stand where Caesar and Napoleon stood, and remember that fifty centuries look down upon us; where the Father of History came four hundred years before Caesar, and heard the tales that were to … Continue reading →

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Ornament of the World

Posted on September 4, 2015 by smellincoffee

Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain© 2002 Maria Rose Menocal315 pages            Ornament of the World is the story of a unique civilization in medieval Europe, one … Continue reading →

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Vanished World

Posted on August 13, 2015 by smellincoffee

A Vanished World: Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Medieval Spain© 2005 Chris Lowney320 pages Vanished World sets medieval  Spain before the reader with the warning; we may be blessed or cursed by emulating its example. The Iberian peninsula is the very perimeter of … Continue reading →

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I Am Malala

Posted on February 17, 2015 by smellincoffee

I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World© 2014 Malala Yousafzai240 pages      In 2012, Islamic fundamentalists shot a girl in the face for refusing to be cowed by their forceful attempt to impose … Continue reading →

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Sailing from Byzantium

Posted on December 17, 2014 by smellincoffee

Sailing from Byzantium: How a Lost Empire Shaped the World© 2005 Colin Wells368 pages                   Isaac Asimov referred to Byzantium as a forgotten empire, lost and dismissed to the western mind as a decayed remnant of a once-great … Continue reading →

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The Last Patriot

Posted on May 16, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Last Terrorist © 2008 Brad Thor 352 pages The Last Patriottakes a modern covert-cops thriller and combines it with The DaVinci Code, though the sinister establishment being threatened by some archaeological find is not the Church of Rome, but … Continue reading →

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The Crisis of Islam

Posted on November 25, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror© 2001, 2003 Bernard Lewis184 pages Bernard Lewis’ What Went Wrong? examined the failure of modernity in the middle east, but did not address its role in the rise of terrorism. The Crisis … Continue reading →

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The Age of Faith

Posted on August 30, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Age of Faith© 1980 Will Durant1200 pages After centuries of economic decay, political corruption, and relentless outside attack, the glory of Rome finally surrendered to the tides of history some four centuries into the common era. The western empire gave … Continue reading →

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God is Not One

Posted on June 24, 2011 by smellincoffee

God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Rule the World and Why Their Differences Matter © 2010 Stephen Prothero 400 pages Despite the promises of modernity to drive religion out of the human mind, the New York City … Continue reading →

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The Evolution of God

Posted on January 9, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Evolution of God© 2009 Robert Wright576 pages Evolutionary psychologist Robert Wright uses the concepts of natural morality and the ‘moral imagination’ to  understand the growth and (arguably) increasing maturity of the three Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. … Continue reading →

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