History
Origins of Political Order by Francis Fukuyama. This book is an amazing sweep across history, focusing on the rise and fall of political orders. Fukuyama describes the emergence of each of the three elements of political order: an effective state, the rule of law, and accountability. He describes the unique nature of political order in major civilizations, such as the Chinese, Muslim, Indian, and the West (the Catholic church in particular), to highlight key elements of his theory and to demonstrate why each was different. It might sound like a boring read, but it isn't. For example, to describe the emergence of the rule of law, Fukuyama goes deep into religion, which he highlights as the source of just laws. But for that to happen—for the rule of law to be a check on political authority—religious authority first had to declare its independence from political authority. A pivotal event in history was Pope Gregory VII doing just that with the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV in 1075 when, as part of a series of church reforms, he declared that only the church could appoint bishops, and not the emperor. So Pope Gregory withdrew this power from the emperor. Henry IV attempted to oust Pope Gregory. Pope Gregory excommunicated the emperor. And in 1077 Henry IV came to the pope's residence and waited barefoot in the snow for three days to receive the pope's absolution.
No God But God by Reza Aslan. This book inspired me. Among the many excellent things about this book, such as the history of the ulema, Aslan does an amazing job detailing the goals of social justice within the origin story of Islam. It's unfortunate how much this core element is ignored or overlooked by Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
After the Prophet by Lesley Hazleton. Lesley Hazleton reconstructed the final days of the Prophet Muhammad and the epic battle that emerged to control Islam, primarily between Aisha and Ali, by reading the History of the Kings and Prophets by Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari, who died in 923 AD. Al-Tabari wrote his forty volume history by meticulously documenting specific narrations of events so that each event has multiple versions. The result, with Hazleton's excellent writing, is gripping. It reads like you're there, and like you know the people. The political skill and mastery of the media of the time (plays) by Muawiya is just one of many riveting tales.
The Lessons of History by Will and Ariel Durant. The book is a concise summary of their eleven-volume The Story of Civilization. The insights are incredible, and the language is beautiful.
The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen. This book is a collection of fourteen beautiful essays about India. All are worth reading, but my favorite was “Tagore and his India,” which revealed fascinating insights in almost every paragraph. In particular, I enjoyed the stories about Tagore and Gandhi's different, often clashing, philosophies.
Reading now:
1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West by Roger Crowley.
Antilibrary:
Freedom at Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre. I want to learn more about the partition of India and Pakistan, and this book comes highly recommended.
Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt
A Study of History by Arnold Toynbee
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon.
Osman’s Dream