Two Hours That Shook the World: September 11, 2001: Causes and Consequences

Rating:
Summary: Great Read for Intelligent Reader
Review: I was very impressed with this book and the information it presented. Halliday really takes a well-balanced approach, something we usually do not see. I said that it was for the intelligent reader because the words definitely do not jump off the page, and reading it takes more time than the typical 200-something page book. (It took me twice the amount of time as "Ambling through History.") It does not talk that much specifically about September 11, like I expected, but it gives interesting context. I was especially interested in the points he made about fundamentalism and modern Kuwait.
I would rate the sections where he takes a look at separate countries a "5." But there are times when it is just so "academic" in tone that even a reader who is up on current events has trouble understanding. For example, he goes into this description of globalism that is very general and pedantic.
All in all, I would recommend this book for someone who is thoughtful enough to read and digest the information. The one major criticism I had is that the title makes it seem as if it deals specifically with bin Laden and Al-Qaida, and it didn't discuss them specifically in too much depth.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read for Intelligent Reader
Review: I was very impressed with this book and the information it presented. Halliday really takes a well-balanced approach, something we usually do not see. I said that it was for the intelligent reader because the words definitely do not jump off the page, and reading it takes more time than the typical 200-something page book. (It took me twice the amount of time as "Ambling through History.") It does not talk that much specifically about September 11, like I expected, but it gives interesting context. I was especially interested in the points he made about fundamentalism and modern Kuwait.
I would rate the sections where he takes a look at separate countries a "5." But there are times when it is just so "academic" in tone that even a reader who is up on current events has trouble understanding. For example, he goes into this description of globalism that is very general and pedantic.
All in all, I would recommend this book for someone who is thoughtful enough to read and digest the information. The one major criticism I had is that the title makes it seem as if it deals specifically with bin Laden and Al-Qaida, and it didn't discuss them specifically in too much depth.