A Clash of Expectations

The Crusades: a Beginner's Guide by Andrew Jotischky
London : Oneworld, 2015.
xi, 180 pages : illustrations ; 20 cm    

I guess it's just really, really hard to write a short and memorable introduction to a subject as sprawling and complex as the Crusades.  It might be like asking someone to write a short introduction to contact between Europeans and American Indians - the first 200 years.  There's just so much time and geography to cover, and so many important figures to include.  I liked reading The Crusades by Jotischky, but after finishing it, I retained the broadest outlines of the history.

Perhaps that is the best a lay reader can hope for.  Jotischky does a fine job of laying out the major events of the Crusades which spanned the period of 1095 to about 1291.  He also provides some of the major forces underlying the Crusades (the complex web of papal, nobility, state and royal power, the role of religious belief, the cultural differences of both allies and enemies, etc.).  It is an interesting period for certain, but I'm afraid it's just too much for one short book.

I would recommend this book to a student who is already interested in the Crusades, or one who is researching the Crusades, but I would hesitate giving it to a student who is just interested in a non-fiction work of history.


    

The Big Split

After the Prophet: the epic story of the Shia-Sunni Split by Lesley Hazleton
New York : Anchor Books, 2009.
239 p. : geneal. table, map ; 21 cm.

This is a great book for understanding the schism between Sunni and Shia Islam. What makes it a compelling read - in addition to it being very well written - is the fact that the story reads like a Greek tragedy or play by Shakespeare. Taking place in the mid to late 7th century, there is romance, betrayal, mystery, murder, heroes and villains - all playing out with consequences that are still with us today.

I really like how Hazelton writes with obvious passion, and clearly has her own idea of whose actions are most noble, but leaves a lot of conclusions to the reader. Did Muhammad really want Ali as his immediate successor? Was Ali's son foolhardy or Christlike in heading into the obvious tragedy of his death? Was Aisha a vainglorious, spoiled favorite, a brilliant political strategist, or some combination of the two? Is the Shia or Sunni interpretation of the succession true? She manages to leave all these open-ended without seeming evasive or vague.

With its index, this is a fine resource for student research on the origins of Islam and for any student of ancient history it is a great read.