#30, 50 PoC Book Review

[brigdh]

30. Reza Aslan, No God But God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam

I adored this book. It's a non-fiction book detailing Islam as a religion; about half of it is devoted to an incredibly detailed description of life and culture in the Arabian peninsula immediately before and during Mohammad's life. The second half of the book lays out some of the most prominent evolutions of Islam since then, from the basic branches of Sunni, Shia, and Sufism, to more recent developments like Iran's Khomeinism to Saudi Arabia's Wahhabism.

This book was fantastic. It's perfect both for the reader who knows nothing about Islam and the educated reader. It contains so many details and interesting perspectives that I think there's something new for everyone to learn*, and yet it lays things out so clearly that it's also a great introduction. Aslan is a wonderful writer; despite it being a non-fiction book, it has a very conversational tone, which is totally engaging and enthralling. I have not read many non-fiction books that have sucked me in like this one.

Very, very highly recommended, and I'll be checking out Aslan's other book.


Crossposted to 50books_poc

In particular, I spent a lot of time shrieking "Oh my God! Did you know this?!" during the section about Britain's role in the formation of Saudi Arabia.

Comments

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Here's a good link http://fora.tv/2009/05/15/Reza_Aslan_How_to_Win_a_Cosmic_War

[clari-clyde.livejournal.com]

When Aslan did NPR’s Fresh Air to promote the book, I knew I had to buy it. He interviews great too and if you can, hunt down the interviews he’s done on The Daily Show.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've seen him on The Daily Show a ton of times (because I am addicted to that show). He's always so cute and smart; he's one of my favorite reoccurring guests.