Ten Indispensable Books on the Middle East - Best Books on the Middle East. While the subject of the Middle East is too complex, too fascinating and surprising to be reduced to one volume, however fat and brilliant, it can be reduced to a pile the size of your average hookah.
Here are 10 of the most essential books on the Middle East, covering a vast range of themes and perspectives, as accessible to the lay reader as they're enlightening for the expert. The books are listed in alphabetical order by author: "Islam: A Short History," by Karen Armstrong. The book lives up to its title and reputation as just about the best one-volume introduction to the history of Islam. The ten best books about America's prisons. This week's cover story, "The Lifers Book Club," reports on the Words Beyond Bars Project, a pilot progam at the Limon Correctional Facility that puts high-security prisoners, many of them serving life sentences, in a room with volunteers to discuss great books.
It's a modest effort that could transform lives -- and certainly provides an interpretation of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men you won't get in your typical high school English class. One of the greatest challenges, WBB developer Karen Lausa found out, is picking the right books. Dark Books Magic Library. Popular Dark Books.