Destiny Disrupted

I have quibbles with many of the details of this sweeping history (including its near total neglect of the portions of the Islamic world and its interlocutors anywhere east of Bengal or south of Cairo) but Ansary largely succeeds at what he sets out to do: provide a narrative of world history that centers Islam.

Pretty good summary.

This is the best history book I've read in quite some time. Having mostly read history from a Western point of view, reading this gave me a better understanding of world events that have led us to where we are now. And while it is true that “history is written by the victors”, I find it invaluable to have a different perspective in interpreting historical events.

From the very beginning, the book relates a steady stream of epic battles, characters and lessons in world history, taking care to place all in their proper context. It offers a sweeping view of events from the time of the prophet Muhammad through the fall of the Ottoman Empire, to the crushing defeat of the Six Day War and beyond. It contends that far from a “clash of civilizations” that has raged on and off since the Crusades, today's conflicts and those of the past are “better understood as the friction generated by two mismatched world histories intersecting.”

The author is Afghan-American so while he doesn't condone the atrocities wrought by various radicals and religious extremists, he does situate it in a much broader historical and societal context. He is no apologist either and the book doesn't shy away from the darker side of Islamic history, down to the bloody infightings that have plagued Islam ever since its foundation.

Simply put, this book is an essential part of any attempt to understand the movements and events behind the modern-day hostilities shaking Western and Islamic societies and I highly recommend it to everyone interested in broadening their knowledge of the world.