should be "A born-again neocon's version of reality"
I did not/could not know enough in advance about this book before buying it that it comes from a political, historical, economic and religious viewpoint VERY different than my own. However, I believe that it is good to take in information and viewpoints from people who DON'T share one's own sensibilities and convictions. I don't blame the vendor, nor do I blame the author. The buying/selling experience (multiple items) was picture-perfect.
I bought the book because it is timely, albeit written a few years ago, because the Middle East IS the contemporary "Epicenter" of much of today's news events. Therefore, the more that 'interested laypersons' and citizens who would like to be current with today's events are aware of the previous historical events of that area, the better informed they will be when TV and other media show us and discuss daily happenings.
I WANT to know why so many countries' governments seem not to like Americans, while the citizens of those countries tend to emulate American fashions, styles, music, etc. I WANT to know what America's interests are in that region. I WANT to know how Israel fits into all of this 'realpolitik.'
In short, while this book would not be my choice as a textbook, I would certainly put it on any student's serious books-to-read list, in order to compare and contrast the points made by THIS author to the points made by other authors, as well as how all of that fits into the generally-accepted history of that region.
And no, I am NOT a teacher; I studied Economics, Government, Money-and-Banking, History and Languages when I was in college, then traveled to more than a dozen countries after I left school. As an aside, I love mid-Eastern food, several of my closest friends are from that general area and they are the finest people I know: Jews, Christians and Muslims. I'm not sure I'd want to live in any of those countries (the Caribbean is my favorite part of the world), but I do believe that the mid-East is the most important region for anyone... EVERYONE... to be concerned about, therefore it is incumbent for us to know as much about the history as possible.Read full review
