Amanda Roraback has successfully written a book that encompasses the history of Islam while giving up to date information on current affairs. A well written entertaining book with an amazing amount of detail!
Highly recommended.
As a lifelong, card-carrying member of Islam Ignoramus Society, I finally compelled myself to become a proud ex-member in light of all that's happened in recent years. Since there is no such book as Islam For Dummies (Salman Rushdie being disinclined to pen such a book), I opted for Amanda Roraback's excellent "nutshell" version. Islam in a Nutshell deftly (and objectively) whisks us on a journey to the 6th Century A.D. and beyond, carefully educating the reader along the way. Incredibly, I didn't understand how Sunni and Shiite Muslims differed-and, more importantly, why-but this little book (not too little to skimp on some crucial maps of the era) told me clearly and concisely. I highly recommend Islam in a Nutshell, so read it before bed one night and awake the next day a little more enlightened.
