An Oxford-educated scholar of the Middle East and a former foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, Hugh Pope lived and worked in two dozen countries throughout the region. Following in the footsteps of Sir Richard Burton and Lawrence of Arabia, Hugh Pope's explorations of the people, politics, religion, and culture of Islamic nations shows there is no such thing as a monolithic "Muslim World." His probing and often perilous journeys—at one point he is forced to quote Koranic verse to argue against his being murdered by a top al-Qaeda leader—provide an eye-opening look at diverse societies often misportrayed by superficial reporting and "why they hate us" politics.
With U.S. foreign policy under President Obama aiming to engage more constructively with Muslim nations, this lyrical and often poetic voyage is one of the truly important books of our times.
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"An enjoyable chronicle of a rich life's work."
— Kirkus
" Feels a bit slapped together, but Pope is a good journalist who's been everywhere. I especially liked when he trashed his editors at the WSJ for not knowing anything about the region. "
— Maxstrasser, 3/16/2011" English interloper decides he's in love with the Middle East, before he visits. Betcha can't guess who the bad guys are. Hint: In case you really can't guess, he states that he has an anti-Israeli bias. Twice. "
— Howard, 8/12/2010" English interloper decides he's in love with the Middle East, before he visits. Betcha can't guess who the bad guys are. Hint: In case you really can't guess, he states that he has an anti-Israeli bias. Twice. "
— Howard, 3/24/2010Hugh Pope, currently based in Istanbul, serves as the Turkey/Cyprus project director for the International Crisis Group, a conflict-prevention organization. Previously, he was a foreign correspondent for twenty-five years, the last ten years of which he spent covering the broader Middle East for the Wall Street Journal. He has lectured widely on the Turkic world, including at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Pope is the author of Sons of the Conquerors, one of the Economist‘s Best Books of the Year, and Turkey Unveiled, a New York Times Notable Book.
Paul Boehmer is an American actor best known for his numerous appearances in the Star Trek universe, in addition to Frasier, Judging Amy, Guiding Light, and All My Children. He is a 1992 Masters of Fine Arts graduate of the Professional Theater Training Program at the University of Delaware. As a narrator, Paul has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as an Audie Award.
Paul Boehmer is an American actor best known for his numerous appearances in the Star Trek universe, in addition to Frasier, Judging Amy, Guiding Light, and All My Children. He is a 1992 Masters of Fine Arts graduate of the Professional Theater Training Program at the University of Delaware. As a narrator, Paul has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as an Audie Award.