Tag Archives: Middle East

A Country Called Amreeka

Posted on July 18, 2016 by smellincoffee

A Country Called Amreeka: U.S. History Retold through Arab-American LivesAlternate subtitle: Arab Roots, American Stories© 2009 Alia Malek320 pages I discovered  A Country Called Amreeka while looking for the film Amreeka, the story of a Palestinian woman who emigrates to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Crescent and Star

Posted on July 16, 2016 by smellincoffee

Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds© 2001 Stephen Kinzer288 pages Turkey is an anomaly. For centuries, it was the dreaded foe of Christendom, twice pushing at the very gates of Vienna. After the Great War, when the victorious west … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

All the Shah’s Men

Posted on May 29, 2016 by smellincoffee

All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror© 2003 Stephen Kinzler272 pages On one  dismal  night in 1953,  a conspiracy destroyed both Iranian democracy and American honor.  At the dawn of the 1950s, Iran was … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Persians

Posted on May 25, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Persians: Ancient, Mediaeval, and Modern Iran© 2009 Homa Katouzian452 pages Come, let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings. It’ll take a while, because there’s been a lot of them.The Persians: Ancient, … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

In God’s Path

Posted on May 21, 2016 by smellincoffee

In God’s Path: the Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire© 2015 Robert Hoyland303 pages A Roman author referred to the Roman and Persian empires as the two eyes of the world — but they didn’t see the … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Iran and the United States

Posted on May 13, 2016 by smellincoffee

Iran and the United States: An Insider’s View on the Failed Past and the Road to Peace© 2014 Seyed Hossein Mousavian368 pages The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran have not been on speaking terms since the hostage … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

After the Prophet

Posted on May 4, 2016 by smellincoffee

After the Prophet: the Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split © 2009 Lesley Hazleton256 pages When Muhammad lay in his deathbed, legend has it that he cried to God for pity on those who would follow him. With no sons and … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Equal of the Sun

Posted on February 28, 2016 by smellincoffee

Equal of the Sun© 2012 Anita Amirrezvani431 pages When Javaher came to the Iranian court, he did so with a secret mission: he intended to find out who murdered his father, and then return the favor.  So intent was he … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Lost to the West

Posted on February 14, 2016 by smellincoffee

Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire that Rescued Western Civilization © 2009 Lars Brownsworth 329 pages The Roman empire not not fade quietly into history in 474, when a Gothic warlord decided to run the city of Rome directly instead … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

This week: the usual suspects

Posted on February 8, 2016 by smellincoffee

Well, dear readers, it’s another month! I have a serious itch for science and science fiction at the moment, so I have no less than five potential science reads stacked up now, and three potential SF books. Among the numbers…Domesticated: Evolution in … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments