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No Review but Russian Review
Nov. 12th, 2015 01:00 pmHey,
So a few weeks ago I read Zealot by Reza Aslan where he attempts to shed more light on the historical Jesus of Nazareth. It was an interesting read, but Aslan himself is a Muslim and I was curious what he had to say about his own faith. I was also interested in a brief overview of Islam. I can give the basic gist of the Jesus story as told in the gospels, but I’ve never been able to say very much about Mohammed and his life and I’ve always felt that was a bit of a gap I should cover. Mr. Aslan happily obliged my wishes and so I read through No God but God. The book covers more than just the Prophet’s life, it also runs down a high-level overview of the spread of Islam.
As with Zealot, Mr. Aslan’s writing is pretty clear and he provides historical context for the time and place the Prophet was born into and how that shaped his message. Additionally, as the faith spread out from Arabia into the wider world, time and place influenced how his message was interpreted and there’s plenty of discussion around that as well.
I think what comes across in the book is that while there are branches and schools of Islamic faith, Islam has always been a bit decentralized (and in the modern internet-era even more so). In part that goes back to Mohammed’s core message that faith is largely a matter between God and the worshipper. Obviously, people want to consult with imams and religious scholars to help better understand their religion and communal prayer is a visible display that worshippers are part of a larger, worldwide community, but Mohammed was railing against the idea that there were any intercessory beings that stood between you and God. It all starts with a simple declaration of faith.
Overall, I feel like I have a better handle on the subject than I did before. Certainly I can do a short run-down of the life of the Prophet. Actually, I’d hoped there’d be a bit more focus on that. The space devoted to it was OK, but I was hoping for a bit more detail. Still, you get a better feel for how diverse Islam is/can be. Worth checking out if, like me, you’d like a cliff notes guide.
After that, another book suggested by the (sadly canceled) Lapham’s Quarterly Podcast. In this case it was Russian Roulette: How British Spies Thwarted Lenin’s Plot for Global Revolution by Giles Milton. The extended title should give you a clue as to the contents. With the fall of the Tzar and the rise of the Bolsheviks, Britain needed to get a picture of what was going on inside Russia. The book details efforts by the Secret Intelligence Service (later MI6) and the India Bureau to uncover Lenin’s plans.
I’ve read quite a few books discussing the Soviet Union’s skill at espionage during the Cold War, but in the early days, spying wasn’t exactly their forte. Aside from former loyalists worming their way into the new regime to break it from within, British agents managed to operate despite the increasing scrutiny of the secret police. In particular, Arthur Ransome (one of my favorite children’s authors), openly attended high-level meetings with Lenin and other Soviet leaders. The chaos of the revolution provided plenty of gaps for agents to slip through and provide detailed intelligence to British policymakers.
The book is a bit light on some details, especially operations in Central Asia to stop Islamic revolutionaries from sparking rebellion in India, but overall it makes for a fascinating read about the early days of the Soviet Union and the lengths people went to in order to bring back information. Worth checking out for spy buffs.
Finally, although I didn’t read it, I did listen through Half Share and Full Share by Nathan Lowell. We continue to follow Ishmael Wong as he climbs the ranks of enlisted spacer aboard the Lois McKendrick and his eventual decision to enroll in the Academy. Again, the plot sort of bumps along. It’s not even so much a picaresque tale despite the fact that the ship travels from place to place because they’re only ever at the orbital stations which are all sort of the same. Still, the author has a nice reading voice and the chapters slip away easily while driving around. I think I’m going to take a break for a while, but it’s fun stuff while you’re out driving around.
later
Tom
So a few weeks ago I read Zealot by Reza Aslan where he attempts to shed more light on the historical Jesus of Nazareth. It was an interesting read, but Aslan himself is a Muslim and I was curious what he had to say about his own faith. I was also interested in a brief overview of Islam. I can give the basic gist of the Jesus story as told in the gospels, but I’ve never been able to say very much about Mohammed and his life and I’ve always felt that was a bit of a gap I should cover. Mr. Aslan happily obliged my wishes and so I read through No God but God. The book covers more than just the Prophet’s life, it also runs down a high-level overview of the spread of Islam.
As with Zealot, Mr. Aslan’s writing is pretty clear and he provides historical context for the time and place the Prophet was born into and how that shaped his message. Additionally, as the faith spread out from Arabia into the wider world, time and place influenced how his message was interpreted and there’s plenty of discussion around that as well.
I think what comes across in the book is that while there are branches and schools of Islamic faith, Islam has always been a bit decentralized (and in the modern internet-era even more so). In part that goes back to Mohammed’s core message that faith is largely a matter between God and the worshipper. Obviously, people want to consult with imams and religious scholars to help better understand their religion and communal prayer is a visible display that worshippers are part of a larger, worldwide community, but Mohammed was railing against the idea that there were any intercessory beings that stood between you and God. It all starts with a simple declaration of faith.
Overall, I feel like I have a better handle on the subject than I did before. Certainly I can do a short run-down of the life of the Prophet. Actually, I’d hoped there’d be a bit more focus on that. The space devoted to it was OK, but I was hoping for a bit more detail. Still, you get a better feel for how diverse Islam is/can be. Worth checking out if, like me, you’d like a cliff notes guide.
After that, another book suggested by the (sadly canceled) Lapham’s Quarterly Podcast. In this case it was Russian Roulette: How British Spies Thwarted Lenin’s Plot for Global Revolution by Giles Milton. The extended title should give you a clue as to the contents. With the fall of the Tzar and the rise of the Bolsheviks, Britain needed to get a picture of what was going on inside Russia. The book details efforts by the Secret Intelligence Service (later MI6) and the India Bureau to uncover Lenin’s plans.
I’ve read quite a few books discussing the Soviet Union’s skill at espionage during the Cold War, but in the early days, spying wasn’t exactly their forte. Aside from former loyalists worming their way into the new regime to break it from within, British agents managed to operate despite the increasing scrutiny of the secret police. In particular, Arthur Ransome (one of my favorite children’s authors), openly attended high-level meetings with Lenin and other Soviet leaders. The chaos of the revolution provided plenty of gaps for agents to slip through and provide detailed intelligence to British policymakers.
The book is a bit light on some details, especially operations in Central Asia to stop Islamic revolutionaries from sparking rebellion in India, but overall it makes for a fascinating read about the early days of the Soviet Union and the lengths people went to in order to bring back information. Worth checking out for spy buffs.
Finally, although I didn’t read it, I did listen through Half Share and Full Share by Nathan Lowell. We continue to follow Ishmael Wong as he climbs the ranks of enlisted spacer aboard the Lois McKendrick and his eventual decision to enroll in the Academy. Again, the plot sort of bumps along. It’s not even so much a picaresque tale despite the fact that the ship travels from place to place because they’re only ever at the orbital stations which are all sort of the same. Still, the author has a nice reading voice and the chapters slip away easily while driving around. I think I’m going to take a break for a while, but it’s fun stuff while you’re out driving around.
later
Tom
