Book Review: Islam, Karen Armstrong

If you’re interested, from my goodreads.com page:
Islam: A Short History by Karen Armstrong

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a solidly written and concise history of this fabulous religion. Not what they say on tv, but very interesting nonetheless. I’d recommend it to anyone wanting a cliff notes version of the history that appeals to Western thinking. However, it is not well-sourced–meaning Armstrong does NOT note if/when her interpretations of Islamic history are supported by Islamic scholars (especially mainstream contemporary Islamic scholars). It would be more useful if she clarified where she was interpreting the history and where other scholars had drawn similar conclusions. I will look at her other books though, especially the history of the three religions she wrote about Islam, Judaism and Christianity.

If you would like to see my other reviews, drop me an e-mail (upper left corner) and I can send you the link!