Review:
"A fascinating [story], and exceedingly well told.... What makes this book particularly useful is the way it situates [the Arab-Israeli conflict] within the wider context of the Arabs' long, and still unsuccessful, struggle to come to more equal terms with the West.... An exemplary history."--Economist
"An outstanding, gripping and exuberant narrative, full of flamboyant character sketches, witty asides and magisterial scholarship, that explains much of what we need to know about the world today."--Simon Sebag Montefiore, Financial Times
"An entertaining, gracefully written, and eye-opening look at a diverse people whose history, culture and character are often badly misunderstood (if not actively distorted) here in the United States. Read it. You'll learn a lot."--Stephen M. Walt, ForeignPolicy.com
"[Rogan] provides a prism through which the lay Westerner can view five centuries of tumult, zealotry, and complication.... Deeply erudite and distinctly humane, Rogan consistently plays up (and never papers over) the bountiful East-West parallels."--Atlantic
"Readable and reliable, this sweeping survey balances the unity of a coherent story with due attention to detail. As such, Rogan's contribution belongs in the company of the earlier classics by Hitti and Hourani."--Foreign Affairs
"Rogan manages the somewhat staggering feat of outlining nearly 500 years of history in a way that is neither cursory nor overwhelming--and is based in the experiences of the people themselves.... [Rogan's] ability to gather and synthesize such a wealth of information, showing both the humanity and malice present on all sides, while neither bowing to nor accepting conventional wisdom, is truly remarkable. It's to be hoped that America's decision makers get their hands on a copy of The Arabs--and take very good notes."--Dallas Morning News
"A straightforward, careful primer on Arab political history from the rise of the Ottoman Empire to the forging of modern fundamentalist Islamic entities.... A sweeping history."--Kirkus Reviews
"An excellent book.... Eugene Rogan has written an authoritative and wide-ranging history."--Times Literary Supplement
"There can be few books better than this one to put in context the ongoing protests throughout the Middle East."--Guardian (UK)
"An eloquent grand narrative of optimism and despair.... Rogan's book is evocative, timely and illuminating for the general reader. The individual Arab voices that he uses to structure the narrative--ordinary people, intellectuals, activists and political leaders--provide a much needed insider perspective, which nuances stereotypical images of the Arab world in the media. Moreover, The Arabs discloses unfamiliar and unsettling truths on the vexed and often over-simplified relationship between the Arab world and its historical 'others, ' Europe, the west and Israel. Compelling as it is in its own right, this is indeed food for thought also for its relevance to world affairs at large."--BBC History Magazine
From the Publisher:
"A rich, galloping narrative that spans the Arab world...outstanding, gripping and exuberant...full of flamboyant character sketches, witty asides and magisterial scholarship, that explains much of what we need to know about the world today." Simon Sebag Montefiore, Financial Times
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