text: As a former history major and teacher I am very familiar with the history of the Crusades from the Western point of view.  They have been portrayed in literature, movies, and history.  They have been glamorized and vilified by Westerners for centuries.  Reading Amin Maalouf's rendering of this familiar story from the view-point of Arab chroniclers was like looking through Alice's looking glass at a world that is backwards from the one we know.  Here we don't have just Crusaders, advernturers, or even the evil conquerors that deconstructionists portray, but invaders, barbarians, and enemies of God Himself.  
  
  This book is a must read for everyone who is concerned about events in the Middle East today.  It sheds light on a crucial time in history that affects the psyche of Muslims who are living right now.  Especially helpful is the epilogue in which Maalouf explains how the collective memory of the Crusades colors the way many Middle-easterners see the West.  It is not riveting, but very readable considering it is a translation.  I enjoyed it and learned a lot
  