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Don Putnam

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Letters on Ethics: To Lucilius (The Complete Works of Lucius Annaeus Seneca)

by Seneca

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Apr 19, 2026 09:40AM

Don Putnam rated a book it was amazing

Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West

by Raymond Ibrahim

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read in April 2026

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Don Putnam said: " There are many reasons I read this book, but the catalyst was reading Victor Davis Hanson's Carnage and Culture. In that book, I read of the Siege of Vienna. Granted I was not a history major, but I was still blown away that Muslim invaders almost co There are many reasons I read this book, but the catalyst was reading Victor Davis Hanson's Carnage and Culture. In that book, I read of the Siege of Vienna. Granted I was not a history major, but I was still blown away that Muslim invaders almost conquered Vienna! That book set me on a course of learning that continues to this day. Since then, I've learned so much about Greek, Roman, European and world history in general, especially after earning a philosophy degree and learning so much about the genesis of these ideas which become catalysts for movements and war.

I will simply note a few things that I will never forget after reading this book, and then I would suggest anyone reading this, to go read all the other reviewers of the book. This book is eye-opening, and even if you are critical and think the author shows too much bias, there is still the matter of the cold hard facts of history. I would go so far as to argue that once you have read this book, you will begin to see current events in a different light.

Now, just a few points that I will never forget after reading this book.
1. This book should have an "explicit content" warning on it. I've watched graphic and violent movies, but I wasn't prepared to listen to the atrocious and horrific acts of violence done to anyone who would not submit to Islam's rule. I used to think Vlad the Impaler was a bad dude, but now I respect him.

2. May 29, 1453 ... I weep. By the time I read Ibrahim's account of the fall of Constantinople, I had already read and listened to many versions and details of the fall of this glorious city. As I listened to Ibrahim describe it and what was done in the Hagia Sophia after the fall, my stomach churned, I had an apple in my throat and I grieved. Even though I am 573 years, 10 months and 25 days removed from that sorrowful day, I had a visceral reaction as I sunk into a quasi depression while listening to Ibrahim's account. And even before the fall of Constantinople, there was the sack of Alexandria and so many other civilized countries, and cities. It took days before I was able to stop grieving after listening to this account again.

3. I used to think the Spanish were kind of crazy, with all their inquisitions, and bloody expeditions to the new world. I used to think that Christopher Columbus was simply trying to find another trade route to India (e.g. an easier more efficient route). But that just shows how poor a job my teachers did. The reason King Ferdinand and Isabella sent Columbus was to bypass Muslim control of trade routes as well as to secure Christian allies who were east of the Ottoman Empire. The Spanish figured that if they could secure allies to the east, together they could squash the Turkish empire. And related to this, we Westerners owe a debt of gratitude to the Spanish and French for holding the line as long as they did, otherwise we might all be under Sharia law today.

Those are the core ideas that really stuck out to me. Besides those, my interest was piqued in his treatment of the Russians and Muslims and their fights. It is sad to learn that parts of Europe allied with the Turks to fight the Russians. After learning of the atrocities of Muslim slaving, I wish our critical and vocal thinkers would be just as vocal of this slave practice as they are of the American South slave practice. Also, I now have a better appreciation for why Bosnia, Herzegovina and the Crimea pop up in recent history ... almost all of it (the reasons for war) goes back to ancient history of war between Greco-Roman-Christian culture and Islam. And today, while I write this, the United States and Israel are defending themselves and middle eastern countries against the radical ideologies of Islam as practiced in Iran.

The next book I'll be listening to is Ibrahim's Defenders of the West. ...more "

Apr 23, 2026 06:03AM · see review