Rating: 
Summary: A good summary of Turkisk Politics
Review: Kinzer has very nice style in telling the stories, he is great, book covers mostly political issues in Turkey, almost from start of the republic to current. He introduces a lot of his opinions how or what Turkey should do, which takes considerable space in the book but that is part of the style. Individual stories are spread into major theme of the book. He has the grasp of the conditions with some bias but still nice to read some opinions. It is not about history, culture or the turkish land but politics, local
Rating: 
Summary: A review from a Turkish
Review: Being a Turkish citizen living in the states, this book was of utmost importance to me since I knew that Mr. Kinzer spent quite a while in Turkey and he is an intelligent person. There are certain points that I agree with him. I think the "meze" (turkish version of spanish "tapa") sections reflect certain less known jewels of the Turkish culture. On the other hand, he does not have basis for most of his points. He repeats himself throughout the book, without explaining where his theories are originated from. Also, the biggest assumption is that USA should be a model for Turkey, by being the "democracy reference" for the world. This may seem true for people that have never travelled out of the US, but following the developments throughout the middle-east, somalia, japan, vietnam, I definitely know that USA can not be a democracy model. Basing a whole book on such an assumption profoundly affects its reliability. Good observations on Turkey, though.
Rating:
Summary: Repetitive
Review: I found this book to be extremely repetitive. Kinzer takes a look at the same problem in Turkish society (lack of democratization) through multiple lenses (that army, the Kurdish question, torture, etc). However, he always has the same basic conclusion. It made reading the book rather boring after a while. Other than that the book was enegaging and good start for a quick look at modern Turkey and its problems.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is a wonderful book about the challenges and struggles that are facing Turkey today. Written from the perspective of one who loves the Turkish culture but gives clear insight on the problems that lie within this nation. I would highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Know what you are looking for...
Review: This book is for someone who has no or a bit knowledge on Turkey and does not want to go far in terms of history or politics of the country. Book is easy to read as it covers daily life with some shallow history and politics. I dont think that author has done a bad job after all. But it is not enough to understand a culture and its people by staying with them 4 years it's more than that.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good Look at Turkey
Review: I was interested in understanding a little bit about Turkey both because of the role it has played in the current Iraqi war and also because my officemate at work is Turkish. The author can be a little repetitive at times, but overall I found the book pretty interesting. Talking to my officemate I also believe that the author has done a fairly good job of accurately capturing the country of Turkey. I also liked the style of mixing in less formal, more personal short chapters with the more historical and formal chapters. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to better understand the country of Turkey.
Rating:
Summary: Great overview!
Review: I read this book while in Turkey and finished it in a day. It might be the one source for a quick look at the history of this great nation and people. The author who spent a great amount of time in Turkey wrote about the founding of the nation, its hero Attaturk, and its rich history. While it is very general and simple, it is a great quick snapshot into Turkey. This book is great for a traveler and a good starter for a more serious student of Turkey.
Rating:
Summary: A Brisk, Useful Introduction to Turkey Today
Review: In a world of distinctions, everything divides into the thing itself and its negation: in this case, into those who know something about Turkey and those who do not. Looking over the previous reviews of Kinzer's book, it's safe to say that, for the Turkey cognoscenti, little that is written about Turkey for a popular audience will please unless written to exacting specifications (by a Turkish author or heavily credentialed scholar). Mere "observers," such as journalists, will not do. For the general reader, though, everything beyond his or her national border is a potential revelation, which gives the genre of "journalistic account" plenty of room to flourish. And it does. I remember enjoying many of Stephen Kinzer's tales of Turkey in the Times. And I'm somewhere in between on Turkey, with some working knowledge of current issues and a some background in the region and its history. I enjoyed and admire this book for its broad brush introduction to the range of issues that American readers will need to understand if they're ever going to "get" Turkey. Each chapter isolates a specific topic in contemporary Turkish politics - and this is very defintely a work in which the main concern is politics - and lays out useful background and local commentary. Kinzer is helpful on the Turkish concept of "devlet" (the State), the Kurdish issue, Armenians, Turkey and Greece, the transforming effect of the Izmit earthquake of 1999, the military and the civilian political elites, and Turkish Islamism. He uses standard journalistic devices - mostly interviews, first hand eyewitness reportage, and personal anecdotes - to bring arid topics to life. The writing is generally vigorous, swiftly moving, and entertaining. Kinzer also provides useful thumbnail introductions to Atatürk, Kemalism, and the myriad ways Kemalism continues to course through most walks of Turkish life. For seasoned Turkey hands, pages like these will be brief, dispensable detours; for the ignoranti, it's a present help in need and a cue to "find out more" if interested. By all means supplement Kinzer with a reputable history - even though most "history" on the current Turkey lists has also been written by journalists (including one by one of Kinzer's NY Times predecessors in Ankara) - but not as a substitute for Kinzer himself. A history will be likely to omit, for example, a discussion of how all the redlines and taboos that circumscribe public life in Turkey work out in practice. This is the useful province of journalism. One large authorial issue in making of book out of pile of impressionistic pieces written against deadline is in discovering, and imposing, a point of view that leavens the writing and lifts it to a plane more universal that it was in its first, perishable, realization. Here I think Kinzer's publisher, FSG, let him down by permitting him to redundantly opine on the shortcomings of the Turkish political elite, military, and state. Both author and publisher surely viewed this as permissible "analysis," but many readers will find it as cranky, irritating, and preachy as I did. Every single chapter includes a dollop or more of Kinzer's sermonizing injunctions to the Turks, which would best have been factored out and saved for the concluding chapter, which repeats them all. I would not let its shortcomings deter me, though, from picking up Crescent and Star as an introduction to Turkish interests and issues. It is effortless and absorbing reading.
Rating:
Summary: Timely, smart.
Review: Great for those just beginning to understand the complexities of the great country of Turkey. This book is where to start. It gives all the info a newcomer could want without the heavy history of the Ottoman, that has been well written elsewhere. Modern, smooth read.
Rating:
Summary: fascinating!
Review: In this time it is well for us to get to know our friends & Turkey as been America's friend for a long time. This vast & varied nation has the opportunity to be the world's first Islamic democracy. CRESCENT AND STAR explores the reasons why it might & might not become one. From a pre-9/11 perspective, the Stephen Kinzer traces the development of a modern state, explaining the dilemmas Turkey faces, poised between Europe & Asia, caught between the glories of its Ottoman past & its hopes for a democratic future. Stephen Kinzer offers fascinating glimpses & impressions of this modern-day nation, overshadowed by its own history, & that of its neighbors.
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