The Middle East for Dummies [Paperback]

Jr. Davis Craig (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764554832 | ISBN-13: 978-0764554834 | Publication Date: July 1, 2003 | Edition: 1st

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

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

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

About the Author

Craig S. Davis received a dual PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and Religious Studies from Indiana University. His teaching competencies include Islamic Studies and Middle Eastern Studies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1st edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764554832
• ISBN-13: 978-0764554834
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fact based, unbiased, and informative, March 13, 2005

By 

Michael J. Pishvaian (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Middle East for Dummies (Paperback)

This book serves its purpose well. The author presents the history and culture of the Middle East by laying out the facts, and weaving in editorial comments to enhance understanding of the facts. Reading this book will allow anyone to have a basic, but strong understanding of the region. I disagree strongly that this book is biased; quite to the contrary, it is one of the few English language books about the Middle East that presents the facts and the the persepctive of all sides truly evenly.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative overview of the entire Middle East, December 27, 2006

By 

Tracy Rabold "Tracy R" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Middle East for Dummies (Paperback)

The Middle East for Dummies gives a fairly even-handed overview of the Middle East region - its people, history, traditions as well as political and religious conflicts. The writer has actually travelled to the region and spent time with many ordinary people there. Reading this book really made me think about the fact that people are just people everywhere. I learned a lot about the diversity of cultures and people within the Middle East and got a solid understanding of how the political conflict in the region developed. The writer gives both sides of the story, which is really refreshing for such a charged up subject. If you want to really learn something, this is a great book. I'd also beware of other reviewers here; look at their profiles and see how biased they are. I normally don't write reviews, but when I saw the quality of reviews on books on this subject, I really felt I should write something.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Story Behind the Story, February 26, 2006

By 

Payton Lockett (Champaign, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Middle East for Dummies (Paperback)

I bought this book as sort of a starting point to read other books about the current Middle East mess, and found it to be quite informative; provides a number of maps and pictures to show the layout of the region's past, and brings the reader up to date (though it's ever-changing) on the turmoil going on there now. The Middle East for Dummies, however, is not just Bullets Over Baghdad; it contains information about it's colorful culture throughout the years, and serves well as a reference guide, whether, as other posts state, it is biased or not.