Destiny Disrupted

A History of the World through Islamic Eyes

By: Tamim Ansary

Narrated by: Tamim Ansary

Length: 17 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Until about 1800, the West and the Islamic realm were like two adjacent, parallel universes, each assuming itself to be the center of the world while ignoring the other. As Europeans colonized the globe, the two world histories intersected and the Western narrative drove the other one under. The West hardly noticed, but the Islamic world found the encounter profoundly disrupting.

This book reveals the parallel "other" narrative of world history to help us make sense of today's world conflicts. Ansary traces the history of the Muslim world from pre-Mohammedan days through 9/11, introducing people, events, empires, legends, and religious disputes, both in terms of what happened and how it was understood and interpreted.

©2009 Tamim Ansary (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Informative and thoroughly engaging....A must read." (Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner)

great great book

this this book is very well written , facts are awesome I suggest everybody to read it brings another view off what's went on in life. very well done

Entertaining narrative style with grand insights

Big picture perspective of Islamic thought, culture, (and yes) history told by narrator who does a great job of referencing Western historical and cultural landmarks to keep the reader engaged.

Completely reframed how I think about the Islamic world and current events thereof.

Very informative

A very informative history of the world - the whole world. Thorough and educating. Well red by author.

I’m so impressed

I learned so much from this author. I’m a history buff and am well versed in the history of Europe and the Americas. I never realized how uninformed I was when it came to middle eastern history and the history of Islam. I’m so impressed with the structure and tone of this narrative. I do wish I’d had the print version, as many of the terms and names were unfamiliar and being able to look back as we crossed hundreds of years would have helped. Narrator was fabulous!

Enlightening and educational

I had no notion of the history of Islam before now and this book so eloquently wove the two timelines if Islam and Christianity together for me.

loved it!

Great read- actually looked forward to what I could learn each day.
Feel a step closer to understanding.

Very insightful walk through of Islamic history

This book was very well done. The author definitely provides an in-depth understanding of the history of Islam and its development.

He did a very good job explaining the mindset of the people thought the history of Islam. I thought that was important rather than just glossing over what happened. He was also very thorough in discussing the vast array of sects that arose in Islam and how they evolved over time and how that plays out today.

As someone who learned more western history in high school and college, this was fascinating.

A Fascinating History by a Master Storyteller

As an atheist, I have long believed in Israel's historical-- as opposed to a Biblical--right to exist, and thus I had a difficult time getting my head around the author's claim that the roots of Jewish Israeli identity are only as deep as modern Zionism. But then, I bought this book for the simple reason that is was "A History of the World through Islamic Eyes," and that's exactly what the author delivered. Mr Ansary opened up a rich, complex often contradictory world to me and his narration is warm, engaging and thoughtful. After finishing, I immediately downloaded Ansary's book on Afghanistan history which is equally brilliant. I haven't read or listened to his fiction yet, (fiction's not my thing) but I will definitely buy and devour whatever new non-fiction he offers up in the future.

Eyes Wide Open Ears Open Wide

What a great read. Factual without emotion. Unbiased and easy to follow with keys to understanding and enlightenment.

After reading this book I read The Destructon of Black Civilization, United States History Through Indegenous Eyes and Denmark Vesey's Garden. This book made those books easier to understand and vice versa

good read

good read of history commenting with recent years. though he didn't go much into partition of subcontinent and how that impacted Muslims of India