Showing titles in Middle East

In Out of the Sky, Matti Friedman unravels one of the strangest episodes of World War II: In 1944, a team of young women and men who had escaped the Holocaust made the inconceivable choice to parachute back into Nazi-occupied Europe under the cover of a British military operation. Yet by the end of the mission, not a single Nazi was harmed and not a single Jew was saved, and many of the parachutists died in the process.

What if one land held the story of empire, faith, poetry, and power, all at once? From the first kings who ruled the ancient world to the modern struggles shaping global politics, Iran is not just a country—it is a civilization that has never stopped evolving. This gripping, fast-paced history takes you deep into the heart of Persia—where empires rose with breathtaking ambition, poets reshaped the soul of a nation, and revolutions changed the course of history. Walk through the gates of Persepolis. Stand beside Cyrus the Great as he builds the first global empire. Witness the rise of ...

You've seen the headlines. But do you actually understand why this conflict never ends? Frustrated by one-sided coverage? This 5-in-1 guide offers a balanced exploration of one of the world's most complex conflicts based on historical scholarship. Unlike books that advocate for one side, Civilization, Conflict, and Power equips you with a genuine understanding of all perspectives: Israeli, Palestinian, American, and beyond.

A nuclear device has been assembled inside Iran. One asset knows the disarm code. Two governments want him — for very different reasons. Cole Ryder is a CIA contractor with a Farsi file, a go-bag under his bunk, and a six-year-old photograph of a woman whose father he failed to save. When a source codenamed FIREBOLT reports that a crude nuclear weapon is moving overland toward the Iraqi border, Cole is sent into Iran alone — no uniform, no backup, no official existence — to reach the physicist who built it before the device reaches its target. Yael Katz is a Mossad field operative ...

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR NONFICTION KIRKUS PRIZE WINNER From the author of the landmark bestseller Lawrence in Arabia comes a stunningly revelatory narrative history of the Iranian Revolution...

Stolen Innocence War, Consciousness, and Coming Home What does war take when it does not take your life? What does it shape when it does not destroy you? And what does it mean to come home—when home itself has been changed by distance, vigilance, and time? Stolen Innocence is not a political argument. It is not a battlefield chronicle. It is not a story about strategy or victory. It is a story about what war does to the interior life. Written in three interwoven voices—a Marine Corps veteran watching from afar, a Persian woman shaped by childhood conflict, and their daughter growing ...

On the way home, I turned onto a street demonstration where people were yelling and burning tires. I told my son it was a street repair crew, but I don’t think he believed me. With the windows down we were suffocating on the rubber smoke. Even with the windows up, John and I were coughing and gagging from the smell of burning rubber. I was afraid to open the windows again because the demonstrators had surrounded the car and were pounding on the hood, the sides, and trunk.

The West and Islam - the sword and scimitar - have clashed since the 17th century, when, according to Muslim tradition, the Roman emperor rejected Prophet Muhammad's order to abandon Christianity and convert to Islam, unleashing a centuries-long jihad on Christendom. Sword and Scimitar chronicles the decisive battles that arose from this ages-old Islamic jihad, beginning with the first major Islamic attack on Christian land in 636.

“Dan Jones is an entertainer, but also a bona fide historian. Seldom does one find serious scholarship so easy to read.” – The Times, Book of the Year A New York Times bestseller, this major new history of the knights Templar is “a fresh, muscular and compelling history of the ultimate...

Why immediate and unconditional peace with Israel is a pressing interest for all Arab nations. Before the State of Israel emerged, Arab nationalism and Islamism rejected the European-crafted state boundaries in the Middle East, including the concept of Palestine. Instead, these nations aspired to forge a unified Arab or Muslim nation. This grand vision, however, never materialized. The notion of Palestine as a distinct entity emerged in 1964, largely driven by inter-Arab rivalries rather than a historical reality. Since then, Palestinians have cultivated a narrative of a lost state that, in...

In this landmark work, one of the world's most renowned Egyptologists tells the epic story of this great civilization, from its birth as the first nation-state to its final absorption into the Roman Empire - 3,000 years of wild drama, bold spectacle, and unforgettable characters. Award-winning scholar Toby Wilkinson captures not only the lavish pomp and artistic grandeur of this land of pyramids and pharaohs but for the first time reveals the constant propaganda and repression that were its foundations.

A stunning portrait of the magnificent splendor of ancient Persia and its enduring legacies for today's Iran “A brilliant feat of resurrection.”―Tom Holland, author of Dominion The Achaemenid Persian kings ruled over the largest empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the steppes of...

This history of modern Iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. It offers a revealing look at how events, people, and institutions are shaped by currents that sometimes reach back hundreds of years. The book covers the complex history of the diverse societies and economies of Iran against the background of dynastic changes, revolutions, civil wars, foreign occupation, and the rise of the Islamic Republic.

In a cloak-and-dagger story of spies, saboteurs, and secret agents, Kinzer reveals the involvement of Eisenhower, Churchill, Kermit Roosevelt, and the CIA in Operation Ajax, which restored Mohammad Reza Shah to power. Reza imposed a tyranny that ultimately sparked the Islamic Revolution of 1979 which, in turn, inspired fundamentalists throughout the Muslim world, including the Taliban and terrorists who thrived under its protection.

Discover a journey through the rise, glory, and legacy of the Pharaohs. How did a desert land build one of the greatest civilizations on Earth? If you’ve ever wanted to understand ancient Egypt but found most history books confusing, slow, or overwhelming, this is the guide designed for you. An audiobook that brings Ancient Egypt to life. This guide is written in plain, accessible language with a structure that makes sense from the very first minute.

Iran’s revolution in 1979 shook the world. The Pahlavi dynasty came crashing down, and the Islamic Republic rose in its place. But what led to this seismic event? How did the revolutionary movement gain such strength? And what has its legacy been for modern Iran? In this comprehensive history, Homa Katouzian explores Iran from the 1940s to the present, showing how the revolution came into being.

In 2026, Iran stands at the most dangerous crossroads in its modern history. After regional war, the collapse of nuclear diplomacy, and a domestic uprising that shook the Islamic Republic to its core, the regime faces converging pressures unlike any since 1979. Sanctions have tightened. Proxy networks are strained. Water shortages threaten internal stability. And the nuclear program has moved closer than ever to weapons capability. How did Iran reach this moment? Iran 2026: What’s Next is a sweeping and deeply researched examination of Iran’s long arc—from the Persian Empire and the ...

If you want to understand what the Crusades were, why they happened, and why they still shape the modern world, this book gives you a clear and grounded explanation. It covers Christian crusading, Islamic expansion, Jerusalem, holy war, and medieval power struggles without turning history into propaganda.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The first definitive history of Israel’s targeted killing programs, which have shaped the Israeli nation, the Middle East, and the larger world—from the man hailed by David Remnick as “arguably [Israel’s] best investigative reporter.” “An exceptional...