The Middle East and Islamic World Reader

Rating:
Summary: Top-Notch Scholarship
Review: Gettleman and Schaar produce a compilation of some of the most insightful and significant documents required for a sufficient understanding of the Middle East/Islamic World. Topics range from the origins of Islam, through the budding of modernity, all the way to the formation of OPEC, Arab/Israeli conflict, and 9-11. The book is set up similar to Gettleman's hugely popular "Vietnam and America Reader." All primary sources are given an in-depth introduction with a readable and complete set of historical context. This book is friendly enough for the layman and yet contains some of the most seminal, current, and balanced scholarship. The primary documents bring Middle East studies alive while providing the key to todays geopolitical and economic issues.