The Middle East For Dummies

by Craig S. Davis

Demystifies the area's culture, politics, and religions

Explore Middle Eastern history from ancient to modern times

Looking to better understand the Middle East? This plain-English guide explains the importance of the region, especially in light of recent events. You'll meet its people and their leaders, discover the differences and similarities between Arab and Western mindsets, and examine the wars and conflicts - including the Israeli-Palestinian turmoil - that led up to the current political situation.

The Dummies Way
* Explanations in plain English
* "Get in, get out" information
* Icons and other navigational aids
* Tear-out cheat sheet
* Top ten lists
* A dash of humor and fun

Genres: History, Middle East, Nonfiction, Iran

416 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are clueless about why the Middle East is such a "messy" place and don't want to remain ignorant, this is a good book to start with. It gives a very brief but concise account of the history of the region, from ancient through medieval to modern, focusing rather appropriately on the modern Middle East. Don't expect any in-depth analysis because the book is meant to be a superficial and introductory one. However, you will gain a much better understanding of the events happening in the region and be less inclined to stereotype all things Middle Eastern. True, the place is rife with violent conflicts and is likely to remain this way for a long time, but still wonderful people and things abound. Read all about them, and be enlightened.

[Jose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book to expand on my knowledge of the middle east. After reading about the history of Afghanistan I noticed that I need to look at the entire region as a whole... in order to understand why we are at war in the middle east... and why so much hatred between the east and the west.

This book although very simple to read gives you a very good perspective of what is happening...

The only problem is that it was published in 2003... and quite a few things have happened since then... It would be great if they published a revised edition...

[David Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read to research this post was The Middle East For Dummies by Craig S Davis which is an excellent book which I bought from kindle. The middle east or near east as it is sometimes called extends from Morocco in the west to Pakistan in the east and from Turkey in the north to as far south as the Sudan. This area is predominantly Muslim but there are considerable numbers of other religions like Coptic Christians and Jews. The Coptic Christians have their own pope called the Alexandrian pope. Although many people think the main issue behind the Arab-Israeli War was the fact that the Jews had a homeland in the middle east other issues just as important were the Americans & Russians trying to get the countries on their respective sides and selling them weapons and giving them aid in the process. Also Israel due to its rapidly expanding population often settled Jews in settlements in areas they had invaded and often forced Arabs off land to make way for these. They also gave the Jews licences to drill for water on their land but not the Arabs. In Algeria a million French people governed 9 million Arabs and this has often been called the French Vietnam. Charles de Gaulle whilst president gave Algeria its independence. There is still a civil war going on here. This book looks at all the different countries in this region on a country by country basis. A lot of the problems were caused by the colonialization by Britain, France & the Turks. I enjoyed reading this book and it is very interesting also with sections on the history of this region. Contrary to popular thought when the Muslim's conquered huge areas in the 6th Century people weren't forced to become Muslim. Non-Muslims paid higher taxes and were an important revenue source and becoming a Muslim was considered an honor of which one had to want before it could be conferred. Many became Muslim in order to pay less taxes but there were still large numbers in the region of different religions. There was a case quite recently where a school was on fire and because the girls weren't wearing headscarfs there were men who blocked the exits and refused to let them escape. I think in any religion there are going to be daft radicals. I mean like if you are of a Christian faith like me just look at groups like the Scientologists & Mormons to name but two. Islam is a very varied religion with even groups like Sufism who believe in being spiritually aware and having a spiritual connection with God.

[Anne Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

very useful and informative, and really easy to read with good key to findong out more, or recalling stuff from earlier chapters. I learned quite a lot (and an Iranian person I met recently was hugely impressed that an English person knew any of this!!)
The biggest drawback is that he wrote it in 2002 - ie before the IRAQ WAR against SADDAM HUSSAIN or ANY OF THE FOLLOWING EVENTS! (death of Gaddafi, Arab Spring, Syria, re-emergence of Taliban, daesh/IS etc. So a very good background but leaving a lot more to be analysed ... maybe its too soon.

I recommend this to anyone wanting to improve their knowledge of the area

[Gungho · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book, loved how it easily broke down everything that was going on. I read the 2003 edition.

It was like reading the history of the world... on a flight to and from Israel, a good pairing.

So good!

[David Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overview about the Middle East. The book is dated and was written well before the Arab Spring as well as the rise and fall of ISIS.
However, taking that in mind, this provides a good background to the formation and politics of the Middle East.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this back in 2008-2009 when I was still in high school. It was somewhat dated even back then, having been published in 2003. It was however very helpful for me in understanding the history and demographics of the Middle East. Despite it being dated, I still think it is a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in that part of the world. It is especially good as a starting point for further reading.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped lay a background for me before I took a course about the region at my university. It is very well-structured and very easy to understand. For some important cases such as the 911 events, the book has the timeline for such events which is very useful to review and understand. This book is very good.

[Angie]

Should I admit that I'm reading this?

[Andrea]

Recommended by a colleague - good recommendation! Not 100% current but provides an outstanding background on the Middle East and helps put current tensions into perspective.

[Swiftsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful but needs to be updated.

[Kenneth]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/12059701