My Library

Updated as regularly as I read, this is what I have and what I plan to read on the subject of West Asia and North Africa.


Books Read

The Arabs, Eugene Rogan, was the first history book to suck me in. Rogan begins his telling of events with the fall of the Mamlukes to the Ottoman Sultan Selim 'the Grim' in the early 1500s. This event marked the beginning of over four hundred years of Arabs under foreign rule, the overarching theme of Rogan's book - how the Arabs have dealt with foreign rule, the difficulties and the numerous attempts for independence, and the struggles they faced once it was achieved. The story jumps all over the Middle East and North Africa as events occur, from Morocco to Iraq, though its greatest focus is on Egypt and Palestine. They're both important after the second world war, but it does mean that less emphasis is put on events in Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. It's recent too; published in 2009, the book ends on a hopeful note that the new Obama administration will herald a new era in Arab-American relations.

Ataturk, Andrew Mango, is unfortunately the only book on Turkey I have under my belt. The story of Ataturk is the story of modern Turkey. He's definitely one of the most important statesmen of the 20th century, and this is a good read on him. Apparently, the biography by Lord Kinross is amongst the best on the man, but it's expensive and hard to find. Being Arab, Samir Kassir, is perhaps the most philosophical of the books here. Kassir details what he calls the 'Arab malaise', its sources, its consequences and its detriment to Arab society. He concludes with possible solutions to this malaise. It was published in 2004 in Arabic and French, then translated to English, I  believe, posthumously. Kassir was a Lebanese journalist assassinated in 2005. It isn't so representative of the Arab world after the Arab Awakening we've witnessed, but it's an important reminder of where we were before.

Beware of Small States, David Hirst, is a 20th century history of the state of Lebanon, with a big focus on its relation to the Palestinian Jews, and later the state of Israel. It's a decent book, though I haven't gotten to finish it yet. My only issue with Hirst's book is that he doesn't even try to hide his biases against Israeli leadership. His descriptions of them may be true, but it's difficult to be sure when the language he uses can be so virulent against them. I had to stop to distinguish fact from author bias at times.

The Great War for Civilisation, Robert Fisk, is as much an autobiography as it is a history; the mammoth volume traces his time as a war correspondent in the Middle East, beginning with his chronicling of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

A History of the Arab Peoples, Albert Hourani, is an encompassing history roughly from the rise of Islam to near the end of the 20th century (the book was published in the early 1990s). It's a decent book, though I don't necessarily put it above Rogan's title listed above. One of the most interesting things about the title is Hourani's painting of the lives of Arabs in any on period of time, and how political/technological developments affected them.

Inside the Kingdom, Robert Lacey, tells the story of Saudi Arabia from the 1970s to the mid-00s, when the book was published. It's a sequel to The Kingdom, also by Lacey, which I believe is out of print. It's not necessary to understanding this book, however, which deals primarily with the rise of political Islam and how the Saudi regime has tried to deal with it. It makes the 1979 siege of Mecca by militant wahhabis a focal point of the country's story, and runs with it from there.

The Middle East, Bernard Lewis, is a telling of the story from before Islam to the 20th century. I never finished it, as I found it frustrating more than anything. Just as Lewis creates a picture of the current era he's on and I find myself getting sucked into its story, he moves on to the next part of the story. It's all a bit too brief for my tastes, but might make a good introduction to others.

What's REALLY Wrong with the Middle East, Brian Whitaker, is a study of, well, read the title. Whitaker's book is constructed from case studies/interviews he conducted across the full spread of the Middle East, from Morocco to Iraq. It's a good book; the edition published earlier this year (I own the older edition in print, the newer on kindle) has a new introduction that takes into account the Arab Awakening. Like Kassir's book, it is an important note of where the Arab was, and where it can go. Unlike Kassir's, it is less philosophical and more scientific in its approach.

Books I Haven't Yet or Have Barely Read

Bahrain, Emile Nakhleh, is a study of the country's political development in its first five years following its independence from British protectionism in 1971. I haven't given it a good read yet, but it's a well-respected book, as I understand.

The Balfour Declaration, Jonathon Schneer, on the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The Berlin-Baghdad Express, Sean McMeekin, is about the German-Ottoman alliance of the First World War; how the Germans tried to turn the Middle Eastern front of the war in their favour. Another book I haven't given a proper read yet, but which would compliment the other WWI books on this list.

Desert Queen, Janet Wallach, a biography of Gertrude Bell, who might be called the female T. E. Lawrence.

Hero, Michael Korda, is a biography of T. E. Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia.

A Line in the Sand, James Barr, is about the Sykes-Picot agreement which chopped the Arab parts of the Ottoman empire in half to be shared between Britain and France. It's been a good read so far, but I haven't gotten far into it yet to say much.

Orientalism, Edward W. Said, is a work from the 170s that greatly influenced the studies of the region that have come after it. Said argues that the study of orientalism has origins in 19th century colonialism, which seeked justification behind it. This previous orientalism, he says, paints the 'East' as being lesser and different from the West, in an way irreconcilable without Western 'help'. Whether his assessment is right or wrong is a hotly contested debate, but it's an important book nevertheless.

When God Made Hell, Charles Townshend, on the creation of 'Iraq' during and after the First World War.

The Invention of the Jewish People, Shlomo Sand, on Israel, how it identifies its people and how its people identify themselves.

The Makers of the Modern Middle East, Tom Fraser, Andrew Mango, Robert McNamara, on three of the essential men of the region in the early 20th century: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Emir Feisal of Hedjaz and Chaim Weizmann.