Forged in justifiable anger, this flamethrower of a book will hold the reader’s attention with its heat, but it occasionally...
A Syrian-born psychiatrist argues that “Muslims hate their women…because their god does.”
In 2006, Sultan gave an interview on Al-Jazeera in which she condemned militant Islam as barbaric and predicted its eventual demise. The author writes that she received death threats in response, while Muslim moderates praised her candor. Her first book is a stew of insightful critique and questionable generalizations, informed by her bitter memories of her upbringing in Syria, where, she says, religion sanctioned the treatment of women as little better than dogs. Her psychiatrist’s diagnosis is that Islam’s birth in a harsh desert environment, where survival was a constant struggle, imbued its adherents with a primal, despairing anger that they’ve never discarded. She’s not the first to argue that the refusal to separate church and state in Muslim countries is a fundamental reason for their political repression and poor living conditions. Nor can her criticism of misogyny in some of those countries be disputed. Yet she drops broad bombshells about Muslims that are sure to be highly controversial. Sultan criticizes Colin Powell because he sees nothing wrong with electing a Muslim president, even though “Islam is not just a religion: It is a political doctrine that imposes itself by force.” Though she stresses that she has no “anti-Muslim prejudice,” she adds that “Muslims...can be either good or bad, and the best among them do not act in accordance with the teachings of their religion.” The author also claims that no Muslim, regardless of education or professed tolerance, “can free himself completely of his suspicions when circumstances bring him into contact with members of these two religions [Christianity and Judaism].” Critics may argue that it’s the intent of the believer, not the belief, that matters.
Forged in justifiable anger, this flamethrower of a book will hold the reader’s attention with its heat, but it occasionally singes targets indiscriminately.Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-312-53835-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2009
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular...
A neurosurgeon with a passion for literature tragically finds his perfect subject after his diagnosis of terminal lung cancer.
Writing isn’t brain surgery, but it’s rare when someone adept at the latter is also so accomplished at the former. Searching for meaning and purpose in his life, Kalanithi pursued a doctorate in literature and had felt certain that he wouldn’t enter the field of medicine, in which his father and other members of his family excelled. “But I couldn’t let go of the question,” he writes, after realizing that his goals “didn’t quite fit in an English department.” “Where did biology, morality, literature and philosophy intersect?” So he decided to set aside his doctoral dissertation and belatedly prepare for medical school, which “would allow me a chance to find answers that are not in books, to find a different sort of sublime, to forge relationships with the suffering, and to keep following the question of what makes human life meaningful, even in the face of death and decay.” The author’s empathy undoubtedly made him an exceptional doctor, and the precision of his prose—as well as the moral purpose underscoring it—suggests that he could have written a good book on any subject he chose. Part of what makes this book so essential is the fact that it was written under a death sentence following the diagnosis that upended his life, just as he was preparing to end his residency and attract offers at the top of his profession. Kalanithi learned he might have 10 years to live or perhaps five. Should he return to neurosurgery (he could and did), or should he write (he also did)? Should he and his wife have a baby? They did, eight months before he died, which was less than two years after the original diagnosis. “The fact of death is unsettling,” he understates. “Yet there is no other way to live.”
A moving meditation on mortality by a gifted writer whose dual perspectives of physician and patient provide a singular clarity.Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8129-8840-6
Page Count: 248
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
PERSPECTIVES
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
