What do you think?
Rate this book
What Every American Should Know About the Middle East
The What Every American Should Know series returns with a timely guide to the region Americans need to understand the most (and know the least)
The latest edition of Melissa Rossi's popular What Every American Should Know series gives a crash course on one of the most complex and important regions of the world. In this comprehensive and engaging reference book, Rossi offers a clear analysis of the issues playing out in the Middle East, delving into each country's history, politics, economy, and religions. Having traveled through the area over the past year, she exposes firsthand the U.S.'s geopolitical moves and how our presence has affected the region's economic and political development. Topics
· Why Iran is viewed as a threat by most Middle East countries
· What resource is more important than petroleum in regional power plays
· What's really behind the fighting between Sunni and Shia
· How Saudi Arabia inadvertently feeds the violence in Iraq and beyond
· How monarchies like those in Jordan and Qatar are more open and progressive than the so-called republics
With answers that will surprise many Americans, and covering a vast history and cultural complexity that will fascinate any student of the world, What Every American Should Know About the Middle East is a must-read introduction to the most critical region of the twenty-first century.
The latest edition of Melissa Rossi's popular What Every American Should Know series gives a crash course on one of the most complex and important regions of the world. In this comprehensive and engaging reference book, Rossi offers a clear analysis of the issues playing out in the Middle East, delving into each country's history, politics, economy, and religions. Having traveled through the area over the past year, she exposes firsthand the U.S.'s geopolitical moves and how our presence has affected the region's economic and political development. Topics
· Why Iran is viewed as a threat by most Middle East countries
· What resource is more important than petroleum in regional power plays
· What's really behind the fighting between Sunni and Shia
· How Saudi Arabia inadvertently feeds the violence in Iraq and beyond
· How monarchies like those in Jordan and Qatar are more open and progressive than the so-called republics
With answers that will surprise many Americans, and covering a vast history and cultural complexity that will fascinate any student of the world, What Every American Should Know About the Middle East is a must-read introduction to the most critical region of the twenty-first century.
512 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2008
21 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
October 5, 2010
So far, I would say the book is interesting and full of useful facts about each country in the Middle East, but it's got a somewhat angry, blame-filled tone.
April 2, 2020
I thought this book was very informative, although boring at many times. I like the formatting- how different sections and countries are sorted into chapters- so you can pick what to read if the need arises. Overall, boring and slightly biased, but valuable if looking to research a certain topic/country.
February 7, 2010
It's embarrassing to admit, but it took me months to get through this book. Mostly because I didn't like it much in the beginning so I would set it down for weeks at a time. With situations in the Middle East changing daily, the book did a good job of reporting on events up to the time of its publication in 2008, but was a little dated by the time I finally finished it in February 2010.
The book starts with four general chapters: Misunderstanding the Middle East, Jogging Through the Millennia, Pulling the Pieces Together, and European Design: Hacking Up the Middle East. These give good background for the rest of the book, which contains chapters by individual countries.
There are multiple reasons that the book didn't initially appeal to me. First: Ms. Rossi quite openly showed her biases and political leanings. Whether or not I agreed with them was not the point; I wanted facts and not editorializing. Second: almost every page has a least one and often more inset boxes, and it was hard to read the text without a loss of continuity. Third: Perhaps the style of writing was an attempt to make the text more entertaining or lively, but it often came across as only flippant, snarky, or sarcastic.
I never gave up completely on the book, and I'm glad I did not because it does contain a huge amount of information. It helped me tie together some of the events that have happened in the different countries but that are so intermingled. It certainly helped with my understanding of why some of them happened. There are maps of the Middle East as well as of the individual countries. While helpful, I wish they had been more detailed because even in the case of the individual countries, the text mentioned places that were not on the maps. There are also numerous black and white photographs as well as three cheat sheets that do help. Some of the inset boxes include Fast Facts, What Matters, Hot Shots, and Hot Spots. Those were very helpful and more logically placed than some of the other insets. While notes and references are included, it seemed to me that quite a few of the statements needed sources which were not given.
It also seemed that the snarkiness was toned down as the book went on, or perhaps I just got used to it. I also got used to the constant breaks in the main text, and grudgingly concede that they might have actually made the book easier to read in the long run, simply because all the main text without breaks might have seemed a little daunting for the casual reader like I am.
I now know a good deal more about the Middle East than I did before I read the book and am glad I kept with it (despite frequent and long vacations) and finished it.
The book starts with four general chapters: Misunderstanding the Middle East, Jogging Through the Millennia, Pulling the Pieces Together, and European Design: Hacking Up the Middle East. These give good background for the rest of the book, which contains chapters by individual countries.
There are multiple reasons that the book didn't initially appeal to me. First: Ms. Rossi quite openly showed her biases and political leanings. Whether or not I agreed with them was not the point; I wanted facts and not editorializing. Second: almost every page has a least one and often more inset boxes, and it was hard to read the text without a loss of continuity. Third: Perhaps the style of writing was an attempt to make the text more entertaining or lively, but it often came across as only flippant, snarky, or sarcastic.
I never gave up completely on the book, and I'm glad I did not because it does contain a huge amount of information. It helped me tie together some of the events that have happened in the different countries but that are so intermingled. It certainly helped with my understanding of why some of them happened. There are maps of the Middle East as well as of the individual countries. While helpful, I wish they had been more detailed because even in the case of the individual countries, the text mentioned places that were not on the maps. There are also numerous black and white photographs as well as three cheat sheets that do help. Some of the inset boxes include Fast Facts, What Matters, Hot Shots, and Hot Spots. Those were very helpful and more logically placed than some of the other insets. While notes and references are included, it seemed to me that quite a few of the statements needed sources which were not given.
It also seemed that the snarkiness was toned down as the book went on, or perhaps I just got used to it. I also got used to the constant breaks in the main text, and grudgingly concede that they might have actually made the book easier to read in the long run, simply because all the main text without breaks might have seemed a little daunting for the casual reader like I am.
I now know a good deal more about the Middle East than I did before I read the book and am glad I kept with it (despite frequent and long vacations) and finished it.
December 30, 2013
Great explanation of the physical and human terrain, geopolitical wavetops, who hates who and why, etc. Very heavy on anti-neocon rhetoric, some crossing the line into conspiracy theories. Still, very well written, accessible, and interesting for its pre-Arab Spring perspective. If you don't have time to get your flaming liberal policy wonk friend drunk enough to try to explain the Middle East before last call, this book is for you.
June 12, 2020
The American-born writer and journalist Melissa Rossi’s 2008 edition of the book, What Every American Should Know About the Middle East, was written during the presidency of George W. Bush before the Arab Spring, but the book is still insightful reading. For example, Rossi predicted the Yemeni Civil War. Rossi has written for Newsweek, National Geographic Traveler, Newsday, and other publications. Rossi has mainly written about the Middle East, Europe, and Asia for these publications. Rossi divides the countries of the Middle East into two groups: the countries “that ring the Persian Gulf” (Rossi 107) (these countries are in order of the chapters in the book are: Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates [UAE], Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman) and the countries neighboring Israel (these countries are in order of the chapters in the book are: Israel, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt). The book also has chapters introducing Middle Eastern concepts and Middle Eastern history until the year of 1979. 1979 receives its own chapter, Rossi writes that “1979 in many ways marked the beginning of the modern Middle East” (105). Each countries’ chapters have a section on figures to be aware of called “Hotshots” and places to be aware of called “Hot Spots.”I am not of Middle Eastern descent nor have I been there, but Rossi seems like an insightful observer of Middle Eastern geopolitics.
September 8, 2024
It's hard to read "current history" when the world changes so fast. Good background read
March 11, 2009
What Every American Should Know About the Middle East is really a reference guide for navigating the world section of the newspaper. In it are statistics and government facts to every middle eastern country along with a collection of blurbs regarding current events (most of them crises)and what led up to them. Reading it cover to cover, one comes across a good deal of repetition in that each country has its own chapter and many of the middle eastern nations are tied up in the same events. I didn't mind this so much, as it really helped me understand past and present global alliances and differing viewpoints. The themes here are oil and Israel, two ever prevalent subjects that that have galvanized alliances and provoked the ire of middle eastern peoples. Unsettling is that far more important than either of these contentious issues is arms and the US gives them out to ALL countries, with the exception of Iran (except for in Iran-Contra), in abundance.
Really there is no good guy in this book. I think Rossi takes equal stabs at every one. Her language is reader friendly and, at times humorous.
Strangely, the book had no conclusion. I would have thought there would be one. Instead, the chapters just seem to run out with no real final word.
A good book to reference when trying to figure out who they are talking about on the news, it becomes a little too much when reading from cover to cover.
Really there is no good guy in this book. I think Rossi takes equal stabs at every one. Her language is reader friendly and, at times humorous.
Strangely, the book had no conclusion. I would have thought there would be one. Instead, the chapters just seem to run out with no real final word.
A good book to reference when trying to figure out who they are talking about on the news, it becomes a little too much when reading from cover to cover.
June 24, 2010
This is the fourth "What Every American Should Know About..." book I've read and just as fascinating as the others. Published in 2008, this book is filled with facts, history, and the current state of affairs of the countries which comprise the Middle East. Although it's not the sexiest title in the world, it's a book that I read like a page-turning thriller. I kept putting down the fiction titles I've been reading and reading this instead. Before this book, I only had vague notions of what what was going on in this part of the world, and little idea of how it got that way. But after reading this, I've got a much better understanding of the area, it's diverse people, and how they got there. One thing that stands out is how you just can't paint these Middle Eastern countries as simply good and bad, black or white. They all have their good and bad points. And the USA is included in that assessment since the USA has had a big hand in shaping Middle Eastern affairs and it's not always been a helping hand. Nobody comes away cleanly from this book. Not the USA, the British, the French, or the many characters in the Middle East. It's a messy world and this book helped me put it in context. This is just fascinating stuff.
March 2, 2010
Because I was in a time crunch, I only read the chapter on Saudi Arabia but I thought it was a very nice overview. I learned a lot of important information that other books neglected to mention and it is refreshing to see the Middle East through a more positive view point, although she doesn't neglect to mention downfalls. In reading the intro I did find out that the author was not actually able to visit Saudi Arabia, which I think is important to know and understand that her experience isn't first hand.
I found the book very easy to read. Sections are short enough to keep interest but provided enough detail so I don't feel like a complete idiot when I go. The author does make her own views very clear. I tried to keep myself as objective as possible when reading and not let myself be swayed by her biases. Still, a great book for an overview and catch up on this region's past. It was honestly a lot more interesting to me than I expected it to be.
I found the book very easy to read. Sections are short enough to keep interest but provided enough detail so I don't feel like a complete idiot when I go. The author does make her own views very clear. I tried to keep myself as objective as possible when reading and not let myself be swayed by her biases. Still, a great book for an overview and catch up on this region's past. It was honestly a lot more interesting to me than I expected it to be.
July 13, 2012
This should be required reading for all American students. It's a fascinating, cheeky, nuanced country-by-country survey of the region. I suspect a few will be turned off by Rossi's tone, which could certainly be perceived as combative (or anti-American, in today's unhappy phrasing), but I never got the impression that Rossi was outraged by anything not worth getting outraged over.
Alas, this book was published in 2008. It's 2012 now, and it's astonishing how much has changed in those 4 short years. Rossi could probably add another 20-30 percent to her book through updates to the Arab Spring, the Great Recession, and President Obama's capers in Yemen. Still, as a snapshot in time, as well as a history lesson, it's still worth the price of admission.
Alas, this book was published in 2008. It's 2012 now, and it's astonishing how much has changed in those 4 short years. Rossi could probably add another 20-30 percent to her book through updates to the Arab Spring, the Great Recession, and President Obama's capers in Yemen. Still, as a snapshot in time, as well as a history lesson, it's still worth the price of admission.
October 11, 2010
Great book if you're looking for an overview of the middle east...she breaks down the whole history of that region in a chapter called "jogging through the milennia!" And then she spends a chapter on each country. They are really nicely laid out segments with all the pertinent facts, shaded boxes of interesting info, and maps and pictures! I got this from the library, but kind of think I would like a personal copy as a reference. She writes in an easy to understand style, but she does tend to "gloss over" or "make light" of some pretty important things. I did NOT agree with all of her views on Israel (she's definitely very liberal) but that's another story...
February 15, 2018
A very long and detailed review of the various countries that make up the Middle East. Very good to begin understanding the issues within each country and how that affects the region. Unfortunately the author was biased against Israel, but I was able to work through these biases and learn a lot.
From reading this book, it is very easy to see that the United Kingdom and France did a terrible job of dividing the former Ottoman Empire into separate countries after WWI. Many of the problems in the Middle East today can be connected to the colossal screw up made in re drawing the lines of the former Ottoman Empire.
From reading this book, it is very easy to see that the United Kingdom and France did a terrible job of dividing the former Ottoman Empire into separate countries after WWI. Many of the problems in the Middle East today can be connected to the colossal screw up made in re drawing the lines of the former Ottoman Empire.
Currently reading
July 11, 2010This book is absolutely fascinating. If you've ever wished you understood more about the Palestinian/ Israeli conflict or just wanted to better understand what's happening in Iraq , this book's for you. I'm just a third or so of the way through and I feel I understand more than I have in decades of reading newspapers. It's not the least bit boring either. I plan to finish this book and then read all of her others. Wonderful!!!
November 4, 2011
easy to read - only real complaint is that the author's politics are in your face at times.. I happen to agree with the author's politics but didn't need to have them shouted at me ...to be fair , the author does note her point of view in the intro. Will keep as ref, felt the individual country studies were excellent as well as the 'over view' chapters. Although, since written before the Arab Spring, some conclusions may be inaccurate - still worth it for the individual country chapters.
June 2, 2012
It was a good book. A little out of date and definitely leaned to one side of the political pendulum but if you read it knowing this there is a lot of relevant information in the book. It breaks down each part of the middle east and gives a brief history and description of the country/territory. Wasn't a lot of new information but was worth the read. The area is a political powder keg and it is worth a few days to find out why. I would recommend.
October 1, 2009
This was an eye-opening book about the history and current conditons of the Middle East. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to get a feel for why the Middle East is as complicated as it is right now. However, one warning, Rossi makes no apologies for her dislike and distrust of the Bush administration. That could be distracting for some readers.
September 10, 2011
This is an excellent book if you want to get up to speed on the Middle East. Unlike the other book I read about Middle Eastern History, this book was very easy to read and loaded with great information about each country in the Middle East. I highly recommend this book for anyone who's curious about the Middle East. The title says it all!
January 20, 2013
Too political and confined to the period in which it was written. Some of the views the author gives on the future of the Middle East are almost comical in hindsight in the wake of the Arab Spring and the withdraw from Iraq. Has some good background on each country, however, this info is easily (and more enjoyably) obtained via Wikipedia.
August 30, 2015
Like others have said, this book can be a great reference for various histories and cultures of the Middle East. However this book is extremely liberally biased, and at times hostel (this coming from a person who voted for Barak Obama both times, and is a fan of Bernie Sanders). The first chapters are worth reading, but as you're better off just skipping the chapters on the issues of today.
Want to read
April 4, 2011I was unable to finish this due to the constant presence of the author's biased, vitriolic opinions. I'm no fan of the Bush Administration either, but this doesn't read like an unbiased, non-fiction book about the middle east, which is what I was looking for.
August 6, 2011
A very good book for you to understand the past as well as present situation of the countries in the Middle East. It provides explanations on basic terms relating to Middle East you frequently encountered. So, it can be used as a reference book for you to read other books on Middle East.
August 10, 2013
Published in December 2008, I finished this just in time for everything to change in several of the countries (1st Quarter 2011). Eye opening. Changed my understanding of Israel's place in history. Great insight on Arabian peninsula too.
February 16, 2016
This is a very pedestrian and politically biased discussion of the Middle East and the US relations there with. These detractions obstruct the detailed history and cultural significance the book attempts to establish.
May 6, 2009
eye-opening!
December 27, 2010
Very informative in overall [picture] & detailed sense. To a not larges extent, it's dry...
June 3, 2011
Awful book so far.
July 22, 2015
Excellent book to learn about the basics of the Middle East! A MUST read!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews