In this book: 'A pioneering writer on Islam' - Guardian Who was the real Muhammad?Muhammad: All That Matters; by bestselling expert on Islam Ziauddin Sardar; seeks to look beyond Muhammad the prophet; to find Muhammad the man. By returning to the original sources; and incorporating new research on pre-Islamic Mecca; Sardar is able to focus on Muhammad's character; his values; and on events in his life which up until now have largely beenignored. The Muhammad you will meet in this book is an individual motivated by a sense of justice and equality;and by a passion to help the marginalized. This is a Muhammad who is engaged in a struggle to establish the good society against all odds. This accessible and concise book will appeal to both students and general readers; of any religious persuasion or none. It is a fascinating introduction to Muhammad; rediscovering the unique attributes which have contributed to his monumental impact on history.The All That Matters series:All That Matters books:All books in the All That Matters series are written by world experts in their subject field. These experts work to distil a topic and get right to its heart; making the book accessible for both students and general readers. Each compelling book contains new and interesting perspectives and tells stories that matter.The Author: Ziauddin Sardar is Professor of Law and Society; Middlesex University and co-editor of quarterly Critical Muslim. He has been described as a 'critical polymath'; and was recently selected in the Observer's list of Britain's top public intellectuals. He is perhaps best known for his wide-ranging work on Islam; including the international bestseller Introducing Islam. Ziauddin is also Chair of the Muslim Institute; London; and appears regularly on radio; television and in the New Statesman; Guardian andIndependent. Keep up with Ziauddin Sardar on his website: www.ziauddinsardar.com .Other books in the All That Matters series:All That Matters - Interesting introductions to important issuesBooks on the following subjects are available from the All That Matters series: Bioethics; God; Water; Political Philosophy; Sustainability; Philosophy; Intelligence; Love; Russian Revolution; War; and Creativity.To find out more visit: www.allthatmattersbooks.com
#1692424 in Books 2015-09-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.18 x 1.28 x 6.21l; 1.60 #File Name: 1442251867388 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. DISPARITY BETWEEN TITLE AND TEXTBy Richard MasloskiSadly; the gulf between theory and execution in INVENTING CUSTER: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN LEGEND is immense. The title and subtitle sounded absolutely intriguing and enticing - but now; having read the book; I am left feeling empty. The main problem is that for the bulk of the book we are treated to a truly dessicated account of Custer's life with a special emphasis on his Civil War years. Instead of using this near 200 pages of biographical backstory to focus in on the purported raison d'etre of the book - and that would be the "invention" of Custer - we are given a plethora of names and places and dates and commanders and brigades and roads and rivers and numbers of troop strengths and casualties and....it goes on and on; in a dry; deadly manner; without a laser focus on its titular subject; no; it reads more like a general and boringly told history of the Civil War instead. If the biographical material that makes up most of this work were only a tenth as good as T. J. Stiles' literate; incisive; evocative approach to Custer as evidenced in the quite epic CUSTER'S TRIALS; the slog through it all may have been worth something. But it isn't. The writing in INVENTING CUSTER is what George Armstrong Custer's life never was - and that is...boring.The rest is a strange smattering of stuff that seems to have been collated just to fill out the rest of the book. There is no discussion of substance of how the invention of Custer continued via paintings and poetry and film. There is a needlessly dense two-page synopsis and brief analysis of THE TWILIGHT ZONE's Custer episode but no analysis of any merit or even mention of many of the entries in Custer Cinema. No discussion of SON OF THE MORNING STAR; CUSTER OF THE WEST; LITTLE BIG MAN and only a blink-and-miss look at THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON. These films are essential building blocks in "the making of an American legend" - but one wouldn't know it by reading this work. There are three and a half tortured tangential pages about Hemingway and Custer that actually go nowhere - yet the authors bizarrely bypass Walt Whitman's very germaine to the "invention" angle laudatory poem about Custer's Last Stand which was inspired by an unmentioned painting that; due to its realism; Libbie Custer could not bear to see. Much is bypassed in this hodge-podge book. On page 299 is a nice photo of David Wright who portrays Custer in reenactments and educational films; but is the "living history" performer interviewed at all? His insights would have been interesting; I'm sure.In summation; the book wasn't cheap. And given its price; there just wasn't enough bang for the buck; not by a long shot.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Mostly a retelling of Custer's early life and military career; the last 100 pages are the main selling point ...By book lover3.5 starsWhen I started this book more than a week ago I thought it was going to turn out better than it did (not that it's bad). The stated topic of the book; based on the book's title; doesn't really pick up until the last 100 pages.The first half of the book is about Custer's Civil War career. If you are new to Custer; the opening chapters are generally a good overview of these years (I'm not that knowledgeable about the Civil War so can't comment on its accuracy but I like the way the authors broke it down into short manageable parts). The second half of the book deals with Custer's years on the plains and closes with a look at books about Custer and the LBH; movies and TV; and the battlefield itself (how it still holds our collective interest). I thought these chapters were the most interesting.On page 223; the authors attribute a quote to Captain Benteen that is incorrect (being that it was given directly to the reporter on July 6 in Philadelphia where Benteen clearly was not). In fact; the speaker is anonymous. Funny; but this detail is made clear in one of their sources which I don't think they read. Then on the same page they place correspondent Keim (who was with Custer in 1868) with Custer in 1876. Apparently he was at the mouth of the Rosebud with reporter Kellogg. There was also a date of June 2 that should have been June 21 (see page 225).Overall I think the book is worth reading. If it gets reprinted they can fix the above errors and any others that might develop.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An interesting take on the Custer story; which puts ...By kindlereadAn interesting take on the Custer story; which puts his "Last Stand" into the context of the political and social conditions of the time. A soldier of his rank didn't set policy; they were ordered to carry out difficult assignments with inadequate support and equipment. At least this author gave him some credit for his hard earned Civil War record.
