If the divisive Presidential election stoked your curiosity of politics and history, you’re not alone. Readers United has founded a couple of our discussions consumed by questions and tangents about politics today. In a club that often reads fiction pieces, we thought it would be refreshing to also discuss nonfiction. Imad Rizvi ’18 is here to review couple of nonfiction books, sharing his nuanced and well-informed perspective on political and historical issues.
Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS by Joby Warrick
The Islamic State (ISIS) is a terrorist organization that has not only conquered large regions of land in Syria and Iraq, but has also spread its influence throughout the world. Combatting ISIS is one of the forefront US foreign policy goals because of the rapid rise of the organization and the threat it poses on global stability. To fight the expansion of such an extensive organization, the roots of its creation must be understood. In his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, Joby Warrick explains the series of events that led to the creation of the Islamic State.
The book starts by charting the rise to power of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the man known as the founder of ISIS. Warrick provides information about Zarqawi’s childhood and early adulthood, and he explains how for a long time Zarqawi was under the watchful eye of Jordanian intelligence agencies. While showing Zarqawi gain more power, Warrick begins to include information about the United States and its influence in creating instability in the Middle East. By discussing the various mistakes made by the United States in its invasion of Iraq, Warrick explains how a power vacuum ultimately allowed ISIS to be created from al-Qaeda in Iraq and seize power. Then, Warrick continues to look at US mistakes under both President Bush and Obama at combatting the Islamic State, and after Zarqawi’s death, shifts to a narrative of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi—the current leader of ISIS.
This book is not only a thrilling read for anybody interested in Middle Eastern politics, but is also a phenomenal piece of investigative journalism. Warrick provides accounts from leaders on all sides including citizens who were in contact with Zarqawi, various former CIA operatives, other top US government officials, and members of intelligence agencies in Middle Eastern countries such as Jordan. The accounts from these sources create an engaging narrative of the events that led to the formation of ISIS, rather than a tedious historical summary. The book is full of action rather than just analysis, prompting the reader to keep on reading to find out further about the events that unfolded.
Another reason to read this novel is because of its unforgiving analysis that does not have a partisan bias. Warrick looks at both President Bush and Obama, analyzing their mistakes based on the information they were given and never generalizing their decisions based on which party they belonged to. It is rare to find analysis on such a polarizing foreign policy topic that doesn’t try to shift blame onto one political party. Joby Warrick also is unafraid to criticize American policy when outlining all the strategic blunders made in the region. By presenting information about the horrendous mistreatment at Abu Ghraib prison, the daily break-ins into innocent civilians’ homes, and the disbandment of the Baath party and military, Warrick seamlessly explains some of the forces that led to the radicalization of people who would eventually join ISIS. Warrick has the power to make readers begin questioning the decisions made by their government representatives and wondering whether ISIS would exist had different strategic decisions been made.
Overall, Joby Warrick creates an effective piece explaining the rise of the world’s most prominent terrorist organization. Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS is a thrilling novel that the reader will not want to put down.
Verdict: I would highly recommend this book to anybody interested in Middle Eastern politics or ISIS.
Kwame Nkrumah: The Father of African Nationalism, by David Birmingham
The 20th century was a time of decolonization for the great imperial powers of Europe, as independence movements sprang up across Asia and Africa. In his novel Kwame Nkrumah: The Father of African Nationalism, David Birmingham explains the political and economic difficulties faced by Ghana after independence and how Nkrumah tried to lead Ghana to prosperity.
Kwame Nkrumah today is a symbol of African nationalism and unity, though his reputation at the end of his life was tarnished by controversial events that eventually led to his exile. David Birmingham provides an overview of different aspects of Nkrumah’s personality, the specifics of his policies, and descriptions of interactions he had with organizations like the World Bank and the Kaiser Company. Birmingham mentions the goals Nkrumah had of industrialization for Ghana and his hopes that foreign investment into the Volta River project would help spur on the Ghanaian economy.
Birmingham successfully provides the key events of Nkrumah’s presidency and eventual demise into exile. Through in-depth descriptions of different aspects of Nkrumah’s education and personality, Birmingham allows the reader to understand Nkrumah as a person, rather than as a distant historical figure.
Despite the extensive information provided, there are a few more resources that could have been included to give the reader a better understanding of the Ghanaian President. First, more primary sources form world leaders serving at the same time as Nkrumah might have provided insight into his reputation on the world stage. Additionally, perspectives from different Ghanaian citizens would have provided interesting insight into how Kwame Nkrumah was viewed by his people in his time, especially during his exile. Still, the book provides a great overview for anyone hoping to learn more background information about Nkrumah. Overall, the book provides a fascinating look into the life and rule of Kwame Nkrumah as the first president of Ghana.
Verdict: I would recommend this book to anybody interested in history who does not have prior knowledge on Nkrumah.
For our third installment, Aisha Pasha ’20 returns to share a couple of books she has been reading over the past couple of weeks.
The Young Elites by Marie Lu
After writing her New York Times best-selling series, Legend, Marie Lu wrote The Young Elites, the start of a new series. This dark novel follows the rise of a villain. In Estenzia, people who survived the terrible blood fever were marred and called malfettos. Some even gained powers and were referred to as the young elites, living in cruel conditions and burned at the stake daily. A scared malfetto teen, Adelina Amouteru, lived in constant fear of her hateful father and the government so when a secret organization, the Dagger Society, offered her a place in their group, she took the chance. As she found her place with the other marred malfettos, she changed. Her strength was known to feed on the fears of others. Her friends saw the growing evil in her. The question was, was she willing to follow the good in her heart or let the evil prevail?
The characters in this novel are like nothing I have ever seen. Adelina is the exact opposite of a hero. Readers get to see into her delusions and get to know her dark heart. Enzo, the fire prince that welcomes her, was an interesting character to see grow. He went from guarded and aloof to more open. The other members of the young elites were a needed light in the darkness. They added a sense of friendship and community to the book.
What made this book so appealing to me was the fact that this book was the story of the anti-hero. Adelina’s terrible and horrifying thoughts are depicted in the story as well as everything wrong in the world she lives in, justifying her dark desires. You can see how the past of a person can shape them into the person they grow to be. Readers also see the impacts Adelina’s actions have on her newfound friends.
The descriptions of the setting, characters, and battles are amazing and vivid. The palace and villages seem to come to life. You never forget what the characters look like since it is an integral part of the story to know what deformations the blood fever left on the malefettos.
Verdict: I would recommend this story to people who enjoyed the Legend trilogy because Marie Lu’s writing has only improved. I was completely invested in this story and was devastated when it ended. The rest of the series increases in its intensity as the darkness surrounding Adelina’s heart starts to consume her. I definitely recommend checking it out.
Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone
Every Last Word is a contemporary novel about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and the effects it has on daily life. This book isn’t a normal story of high school drama. Samantha McAllister is one of the popular juniors in her class and wants to keep it that way. She strives to keep her OCD at bay and away from the prying eyes of her “friends” that she holds so dear. Any misstep will cause her catapulting out of the comfort of normalcy. When Sam meets hilarious Caroline, a girl her friends would never approve of, she cannot mention her new best friend to anyone. Caroline opens Sam up to the poetry group at her school where she actually feels like she can be herself and connect with people like her. She even gets to reconnect with an old classmate, and along the way, learns how to not let her OCD define her. But something she finds out makes her question everything she has ever known about herself.
It was so interesting to see how much OCD affected Sam’s every decision, keeping her from living the life she always imagined living. The book also portrayed OCD accurately and didn’t sugar coat any of the terrifying thoughts that come with this disorder. Sam was the typical popular girl on the outside but a mess of questions, panic attacks, and dark thoughts on the inside. It took immense self control for her for her not to question everything she did. After reading the book I was surprised at the amount of character growth that she went through in the one year when she stopped forcing herself to conform to one image. Caroline’s friendship was also something I enjoyed in the book. It added light to the story and showed that friendship can pull people out of the darkest of times and also impact a person positively and even negatively.
Verdict: If you are looking for a deep and emotional read this book is definitely for you. The writing was absolutely beautiful and descriptive and the poetry in the novel just added to the flow of events. I finished it in one day, not able to pull myself out of Sam’s world and back into my own.
Have you been reminiscing about the days spent pretending to be swashbuckling dragon-slayers or mystical magicians lately? Ava Hathaway-Hacker ’18 offers her sharp, insightful observations on books that can potentially let you immerse yourself in these fantasy worlds—perfect for those rainy days which we’ve been having this week, when all you want to do is curl up in bed and let the world around you melt away as you bury yourself in a book.
Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
“In my time I have been called many things: sister, lover, priestess, wise woman, queen.”
From the first words, The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, turns a well-known tale on its head. The Arthurian legends have been retold time and time again, yet never quite like this. The novel is divided into four parts: Book One: Mistress of Magic; Book Two: The High Queen; Book Three: The King Stag; and Book Four: The Prisoner in the Oak. Told from the often-overlooked perspective of the female characters, principally Morgaine (Morgan le Fay), Bradley’s story twists the narrative, drawing the principal protagonist Morgaine, the half sister of King Arthur, as a Druidic priestess defending her pagan religion against Christianity, a depiction far from the villainous enchantress of the original legends. The book follows Morgaine’s path from her separation from Arthur at the age of eleven years old to her rise to priesthood on the spiritual island of Avalon to her eventual departure. The story also focuses on the female characters of Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere), Viviane, Morgause, and Igraine.
An epic novel spanning generations, The Mists of Avalon is more than the story of a few women toiling in a changing time. It is a story of religions clashing, beliefs challenged, and truths grasped. The Christian religion wars with the ancient religion of Avalon, promises are broken, birthrights are claimed, romance is sought, and revenge is enacted. This book is full of adventure and suffering, and it keeps readers in suspense from the first page to the last. The characters are rich and multi-faceted, and the original twist on the legends makes the book much more than yet another King Arthur story.
Be warned: if you’re looking for a quick read, this book is not for you. It may take you days, even weeks, to get through the 876 pages. Yet even though parts of it do inevitably drag on, most of the time you will find it impossible to put down. Bradley spins a tale of intrigue, romance, adventure, religion, magic, mythology, and war into a dramatic web that sings throughout the many pages. Though the reading is not especially difficult, the careful language will make you feel transported to a different time. Fans of Tolkein, Game of Thrones, and the other fantasy epics will find themselves at home in this mystical story that artfully weaves fantasy with mythology. Those who have struggled to see themselves in the often male-dominated mythology and literature will find a host of powerful women to respect and be inspired by.
Verdict: Though this book may be long, fans of high fantasy and mythology will love this intriguing and mystical story.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Open The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and enter a world unlike any you have experienced before. A mysterious circus that appears and disappears around the world without a trace acts as the magical anchor for this story. Le Cirque Des Rêves, (The Circus of Dreams) is like no other, and devotees (who call themselves “reveurs”) even wear the colors of the circus to prove their devotion. But all is not as it seems. Behind this bright circus, a slow battle rages. Two magicians train their protégées in the art of magic, a training that will eventually culminate in a deadly dual. Celia Bowen, a talented young girl, is taught by her recently discovered father, Prospero “the Enchanter” in the art of illusions, the ability to manipulate the universe. Marco Alistair, an orphan, is trained by the mysterious Mr. A.H to be her rival. Both grow up with no knowledge of the rules or awareness of their future opponent.
Once the game becomes clear to them, the two compete to outdo one another, with the circus serving as the chessboard for their dangerous game. That game becomes even more deadly when the two begin to fall in love. What follows will change their world, and the world of all around them, forever.
Do not be deceived by the “battle” described, this book is far from an action novel. Instead of quick movement and flashy fight scenes, The Night Circus takes time to focus on imagery and careful prose. This is not a fast-paced book; indeed, its careful attention to detail is what makes it so fantastic. Instead of constant action, Morgenstern’s greatest skill is her imagery, her ability to bring the circus, and all its spectacles to life. Though there are many characters, the circus itself seems to be the most important, a setting so real and vibrant it almost seems alive. Indeed, Morgenstern spends far more time developing the circus than she does most of her characters. The result is an incredibly vivid and magical setting for the story that plays out.
The Night Circus is a carefully spun web of colorful threads. Different points of view, times, locations, mysteries, all come together to create a beautiful and complex story. Though the points of view can get confusing and complicated at times, the narrator remains the same, an omniscient, god-like voice that at times speaks directly to the reader. In fact, some parts of the story are written as if the reader themselves are walking through the circus. The narrative jumps around in time, but it remains tethered in the late 19th and early 20th century.
The writing of The Night Circus is beyond beautiful; it is rich, deep, vivid, and moving. It makes you feel exactly as the circus makes its visitors feel:
“You think, as you walk away from Le Cirque des Rêves and into the creeping dawn, that you felt more awake within the confines of the circus.
You are no longer quite certain which side of the fence is the dream.”
Verdict: The Night Circus combines beautiful imagery, prose, romance, and magic in a unique and amazing way. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys magical realism and doesn’t rely on fast-paced action to stay interested in a book.
Readers United meets every Monday from 5:30-6:00 in the Rare Book Room of the Library. We have decided to start publishing our meeting minutes with our thoughts about the readings we do as club to the blog.
November 15, 2016
At this meeting, we finished our discussions of Monkey’s Paw and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, and we jumped into decisions over what to read over Thanksgiving and winter breaks. The decision came down to:
1. Americanah
2. The Beginning of Everything
3. The Collector
4. Salt to the Sea
5. A Darker Shade of Magic
The club decided on: A Darker Shade of Magic.
Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS by Joby Warrick
