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A History of the Arab Peoples

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A History of the Arab Peoples

By: Albert Hourani
Narrated by: Nadia May
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Summary

 Despite the turmoil of Arab nationalism and fundamentalism, Middle Eastern wars, and oil crises, the history of the Arab world has been little known and poorly understood in the West. One reason may be that, for more than half a century, there has been no up-to-date single volume work that chronicles the story of Arab civilization - until now. Albert Hourani, distinguished historian and interpreter, has written a masterwork, a panoramic view encompassing twelve centuries of Arab history and culture. He looks at all sides of this rich and venerable civilization: the beauty of the Alhambra and the great mosques, the importance attached to education, the achievements of Arab science - but also internal conflicts, wide-spread poverty, the role of women, and the contemporary Palestinian question.(P)2000 Blackstone Audiobooks, Inc. Ancient Middle East World
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All stars
Most relevant
a bit stiff for me - little colour or added value analysis - juts a linear history read in a dour tone with author careful not to challenge any sensitivities

Disappointing

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Whilst I enjoyed this book I have a few issues on it's focus. 40% of this book focused on history after 1900 ie WW1 and WW2 as well as the history of the cold war in the Middle East. I had hoped more on the rise and spread of Islam as well as the Sunni and Shia schism and the spread of the various sects eg Wahabis and others. There was also very little on the Crusaders or how important this area was in the Middle Ages where Baghdad was practically the centre of the world and a high point of enlightenment at the time.

Arab History

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A detailed review of Arab history, culture and politics. I found the book enlightining. However I also found it dry and hard to follow (to keep engaged), particularly in in the middle chapters. I would have liked more critical analyses of the historic events. Still a good book though.

A good read

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The one thing I dislike about this excellent history is that it equates Arab with Muslim. This is a great read for a history of Islam and the Islamic peoples and powers. But, while it makes regular mention of non-muslims, and overviews how the groups related, the history begins with the birth of Islam. Nessisarily, a huge part of the political and cultural makeup of the region is excluded to allow a detailed discussion of Islamic history. I missed this information at several points though.

I began this book because I felt I lacked a great deal of knowledge regarding the cultural history that makes this area so important in political life today. As a lay person, it was at some points overly detailed for my needs, but it remained interesting and thought provoking.

A good thought provoking history

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This text really did cover all possible bases. I was particularly impressed with how it managed to convey a picture of life for ALL kinds of Arab peoples. In terms of the recording, the text probably doesn't translate that well to audio, which is why some negative reviews seem to have emerged. I thought, however, that the reader did a perfect job of animating complex language in a very listenable way.

Comprehensive, easy-to understand

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