A Concise History of the Middle East, tenth edition by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr, ’55 and Lawrence Davidson. My first impulse after reading this book was to send it off to Jared Kushner. But when Don Routh (my husband) said he wanted it, I decided he would be a better choice since for sure, he would read it. This work contextualizes all the Middle East events we read and hear about in the news in a cultural, historic, and geographic frame. Today’s Middle East is the product of a long journey from the cradle of civilization of lore to Mohammed to myriad tribal and religious conflicts to a series of mostly negative encounters with the West. Anyone in power should read it. As the authors bring us through the complexities of recent history (up to the Obama administration) we can only shake our heads at how little depth of understanding has figured in our life-altering and life-ending decisions for the people of this region. It would take the wisdom of Solomon to sort through the horrors and find a peaceful and prosperous way forward in this region. This book convinces me that nothing could be more important.
