This book covers a vast amount of information about the often misrepresented and misunderstood Middle East region and after consuming this, I feel as if I learned an enormous amount of information as well as laid a relatively unbiased foundation for my further exploration into Middle Eastern.

One thing I would say, though, is it's also better to read a book about a particular place, religion, peoples, etc. that is written by someone within that group and I think this is especially true when referencing an entire region, worlds away from the Pennsylvania that professor Goldschmidt Jr. was constructing this textbook from. Nevertheless, this is a good book and a good foundational read for those interested in the history of the Middle East and, most specifically, for those interested in the Palestine-Israel conflict!