If you are reading and watching American news in the last few weeks, you are probably simultaneously seeing a lot and very little about Islam in America today. The conversation surrounding Park51, the Islamic community center slated to be built in Lower Manhatten, is often very shallow, with little explication of terms and nuance. Words are being thrown around — Muslims, freedom, the Muslim Brotherhood, jihad – as though they are self-explanatory and monolithic. Here are a few titles I have reviewed recently that might give a deeper understanding of the issues behind this politicized debate: Read more on Deeper Reading: Recent Titles on Islam around the World…
Tag Archives: books
Book Reviews: Full List
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Asia
The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa
by Deborah Brautigam
March 9, 2010
If the headlines are any indication, it’s time for a proper China scare.
Read more on Book Reviews: Full List…
Weekend Reading
If you are looking for downtime reading, here are a few of my favorite, most enjoyable nonfiction choices from my reviews for Zócalo Public Square:
Posted in China, Korea, world Also tagged Asia, China, Demick, Korea, nonfiction choices, North Korea, Peter Hessler, Zócalo Leave a comment
Life at the Speed of Books
I’m spending most of this month and last looking over the Hudson River, from Jersey City to New York. It’s a good vantage point to be an observer of global interactions and politics. It is from here that I have read most of the books I have reviewed so far for Zócalo Public Square.
Three of those books have been about American foreign policy in the Middle East. To be sure, the three were very different in style and content, but in so many ways they all underscore the simple need for context. It is a desperate need in these days of information overload and soundbite news. While the foreign policy histories and opinions in the books that I reviewed are essential for thinking about monumental existential issues like national security, the act of consistently reading books is a reminder to take more time to think about, well, everything. Sometimes it’s best that life move at the speed of books.
Here are some excerpts and links in case you’re interested. Read more on Life at the Speed of Books…
Posted in Afghanistan, United States, world Also tagged Afghanistan, foreign policy, obama, stephen p cohen, vali nasr, Zócalo 2 Comments
