Nasr's book is stunning in it's ability to educate the reader on Shia-Sunni relations in the middle east. We are witnessing a change in history where a minority sect is rising to power and much of the Sunni middle east is for lack of a better word, panicking. I would highly reccomend this book, both for it's readibility and balanced approach.

There is scant information available to the general public about the state of affairs in the region discussed in Mr. Nasr's book. Most of what we do know relates to how well or poorly the American effort in Iraq or the Israeli effort in Lebanon is going, and most of that info is filtered through a context that stretches back maybe 10 years. "The Shia Revival" takes the reader back to the beginning of the region's history as an Islamic stronghold. It examines the way in which the Shia and Sunni views on Islam determine its role in the everyday political life of believers, (and non-believers). The differences are quite stark and illuminating to the outsider trying to understanding why there are still sectarian battles going on in the "modern" world. He likens the struggle to that of the Catholic-Protestant struggle in Europe, i.e., a struggle between a hierarchical, symbolic tradition in which the church plays a strong role the the political arena, and a more "grass-roots" tradition in which the church plays more of an advisory role.

The author has a great deal of sympathy for both sides in the struggle, but clearly has a soft spot for the Shia. The main theme of the book, (aside from its pedantic efforts), is to point out one of the most important developments arising from the West's efforts in the middle-east: the rise of the Shia as a significant power in an otherwise Sunni dominated region. The most positive aspect of this change is that the Shia will now have the kind of political power they need to avoid being dominated by small minorities of Sunni, (think Hussein's Sunnis controlling the overwhelmingly Shia nation of Iraq). And because the Shia have been a long mistreated minority in the Islamic world, the hope is that they will be more inclined towards religious tolerance. The downside to all this is that Iran is now the center of Shia culture and religious doctrine. The author points out many reasons why the Iranian government has not had the influence it had hoped for, but also points out that that is changing fast.

Overall it is both an enlightening and frightening work that should be read by anyone hoping to get a grasp on what makes the region tick. It will go a long way towards making sense of the otherwise senseless violence and political struggles we see in the news every day.