Middle East

The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers
The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers

Review:Loved this book, saw the movie and although decent movie, as usual, the book was far superior. A great rundown on how the Army Special Forces soldiers undertook an extremely difficult, to say the least, mission. RECOMMENDED! Read more

The Forgotten History of Britain's White Slaves in America
The Forgotten History of Britain's White Slaves in America

Review:It is significant that two journalists wrote this extremely important book. Many professional historians don't want much attention paid to white slavery for fear that it will take something away from black slavery or make whites feel less compassion for black slaves. That is foolish. People must realize that anyone could (and still can) fall into bondage under whatever name if the circumstances are right. Other books that covered similar subject matter (but received little attention) are:Read more

Israel's Solution for a Water-Starved World - Let There Be Water
Israel's Solution for a Water-Starved World - Let There Be Water

Review:Seth Siegel has written a fascinating, engaging and highly readable book telling the story of how Israel went from chronic water shortages to being a water-exporting nation roughly between 2001 and 2013. Most people probably don't feel they need to know how this happened. But the story of Israel's struggles and ultimate triumph over the scourge of water scarcity is a drama so exciting, and it has such an exhilarating ending, that anyone who picks up this book will end up being very happy they d... Read more

The Rise of Disaster Capitalism - The Shock Doctrine
The Rise of Disaster Capitalism - The Shock Doctrine

Review:Naomi Klein has summed it all up. There definitely is a lot of history to go through, but it is so interesting and keeps your interest all the way through. It is far from a personal perspective on Global and Domestic Shock Economics. She backs up everything with citations from a multitude of sources, worldwide. Her allusions and similes based on hard facts scared the hell out of me of what the government has been capable of over the past 60 years.

It seems like she has "outed" the Shock... Read more

Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts
Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts

Review:This is one of the books by Finklestein and Silberman. Based on verified archaeological finds, they reconstruct the history of the early Bible and show it did not happen in the time period or in the way claimed by the Bible. The conservative Christian will not like this book, because it contradicts much of what many consider to be the history of the Bible. I found the book to be scholarly and very well documented. If Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not exist, or did not exist in the appropriate... Read more

The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda - Not a Good Day to Die
The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda - Not a Good Day to Die

Review:The takeaway for me was how the Military-Industrial Complex conducted the war in Afghanistan exactly the opposite of what was taught to us at US Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia. We were always taught that the feet-of-clay of the Soviet style of military command and control was the refusal to delegate authority down to the lowest levels of command; down to where the tactical situation was clearest to the officers, non-coms and troops on the ground in the fray of battle. For multi-star... Read more

Forever War: Dispatches from the War on Terror
Forever War: Dispatches from the War on Terror

Review:Gooder. A unique on the ground "I was there" perspective. Never heard anything like this in any news reports either left or right. If you have an interest in how and why things happened in Iraq, this book is invaluable. In fact It is a "goodest". Read more

The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West
The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West

Review:I chose to read 1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West for my World History book review because I have always been interested in the history of Constantinople, especially its fall. Roger Crowley introduced the story with an attention-getting prologue that gave me an overall idea of the actions to come. When I began reading the book, I was surprised that Crowley began the story from the very beginning of the attacks on Constantinople in 669 by Caliph Muawiyyah... Read more

The Great War in the Middle East - The Fall of the Ottomans
The Great War in the Middle East - The Fall of the Ottomans

Review:First rate telling of the host of problems and lack of solutions that swallowed this empire. Provides a much more detailed description of the individuals and issues that were, or were not, dealt with in the course of the power vacuum and collapse. Read more

The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East
The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East

Review:An absolutely terrific book, and anyone who wants to understand the mess in the Middle East should fully absorb it. First-rate scholarship and writing. Do not read the review--read the book.

SC Smith Read more

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