Islam: Continuity and Change in the Modern World, Second Edition

I've been reading this book in class and I think it's a great book. It's definitely packed with good information. Sometimes it can get tough getting through it when I need to read a ton of pages...

This book is not an easy read and people without at least some background in Middle Eastern or Islamic studies are likely to get lost. That being said, there are some strong reasons to recommend this book. First, Voll takes the idea of Dar al-Islam, the Islamic World, seriously and treats a whole variety of societies, ranging from Sub-Saharan Africa, to the Middle East, to South East Asia, in a single narrative and utilizing a persuasive framework of analysis. Secondly, while Voll gives ample treatment to state actions, he also demonstrates that a whole range of non-state actors were equally or even more important in developing Islamic reactions to modernity. Finally, Voll's treatment of the eighteenth century is simply seminal within the literature of the Middle East... a very basic and important revision to the scholarship that every student of Islamic societies needs to address. In short, not a book for pleasure, but one that every serious student of the field needs to read.

This book delivers what it promises in the subtitle. The book's strength is that it is comprehensive, covering the wide range of manifestation of Islam in the modern world from the 18th century onwards-even with a short introductory chapter to get you up to pace from Islam's advent. However, though it is a must read for scholars in the field, this Georgetown prof's writing style can make what I find to be one the most exciting historical movements in human history very dry and dull; therefore, I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. He has no flare or excitement, especially when compared with such excellent writers as Karen Armstrong. Nonetheless, if you study or are seriously interested in understanding modern Islam, this is a must buy. If not, buy the Battle for God by Karen Armstrong and get 3 religions for the price of 1.