Power, Faith, and Fantasy

America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present

By: Michael B. Oren

Narrated by: Norman Dietz

This is the first comprehensive history of America's involvement in the Middle East, from George Washington to George W. Bush.

From the first cannonballs fired by American warships at North African pirates to the conquest of Falluja by the Marines, and from the early American explorers who probed the sources of the Nile to the diplomats who strove for Arab-Israeli peace, the United States has been dramatically involved in the Middle East. For well over two centuries, American statesmen, merchants, and missionaries, both men and women, have had a profound impact on the shaping of this crucial region. Yet their story has never been told. Until now.

Drawing on thousands of government documents and personal letters, this audiobook reconstructs the diverse and remarkable ways in which Americans have interacted with this alluring yet often hostile land stretching from Morocco to Iran and from the Persian Gulf to the Bosporus. Covering over 230 years of history, Power, Faith, and Fantasy is an indispensable work for anyone interested in understanding the roots of America's Middle East involvement today.

©2007 Michael B. Oren (P)2007 Tantor Media Inc.

Critic reviews

"Engaging....a fluent, comprehensive narrative of two centuries of entanglement." (Publishers Weekly)

Very enlightening

Like many Americans, I have wondered a lot over the past few years about the United States' relationships with the nations and other entities of the Middle East. This book shed some important light for me on America's attitudes and actions toward the Middle East, showing that many of the issues we are dealing with today are related to events in our nation's earliest history. Oren doesn't do much to explain Middle Eastern points of view, but that is not the purpose of this book. He does a nice job with the themes of "power, faith, and fantasy," which are unifying without being overbearing. I enjoyed the narration of this book, and even though it is long I plan to listen to it again--it's that informative.

Best Account of American & Middle East History

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If you think history is boring think again. Michael B. Oren is the best storyteller of history that has shaped Americas foreign policy. If you have no idea of our history with the Middle East this book tells it all. Norman Dietz keeps the reader engaged and on edge from the introduction to the conclusion. Its hard to believe that an account in history can be read with such excitement.

Well worth the read.

He does a great job of presenting facts and events and allowing the reader to make his or her own judgements.

Don't give up

The prologue tells an intriguing tale, but then the introduction mires down into a wretchedly tedious bibliography. If you can suffer through that part, it turns out to be an excellent historical work. Don't give up, but don't try to skip forward, because the second bookmark is Chapter two. So either miss the entire first chapter, or find something to do while the reader expounds on why the book needed to be written.

Wonderfully factual!

What made the experience of listening to Power, Faith, and Fantasy the most enjoyable?

Filled with so many personalized facts and personalities.

What did you like best about this story?

Wonderfully told story of America's link to the Middle East. So many facts and history that never gets told in schools. I have a new appreciation for the complex relationship. Well done!