The Crusades (Thomas Asbridge)

 Phew!  It took me a month to plow through this one, but there's nothing but goodness here.  In The Crusades, Thomas Asbridge covers the period of about 200 years (1095-1291) when European Christians occupied portions of the Middle East.  I was continuously impressed with the way Asbridge manages to  balance being comprehensive and concise.  He has a knack for giving just enough back-story to an event or person of note so that the reader can comprehend not just what happened but why, without immersing the reader in details.  He provides both Christian and Muslim viewpoints in a way that makes the story flow.  Thus, 200 years of history are covered in just under 700 pages, but it's all meat, with few unnecessary details or digressions.  I came away feeling as though I really understood the crusades after just one book (my previous knowledge on the topic was limited to Sean Connery in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which is to say I knew nothing).

A common criticism I heard regarding this work is, to me, its strength.  One reviewer commented that Asbridge's approach of showing different perspectives to a given event or person prevented the reader from drawing conclusions, because presenting different views tends to make things complex and messy.  This is true- but it's life.  Asbridge, I feel accurately, portrays the Crusades not as a cut-and-dry, Christian vs. Muslim affair, but a series of events played out over centuries where the participants all had good and bad, but in the end self-serving, motives for participating.  I don't know his religious affiliation- I suspect neither one nor the other- but he manages to cover events without appearing bias towards any one party.  At times, you'd have Muslims fighting Muslims, Christians fighting Christians, both groups at peace for mutual financial benefit, etc.  Asbridge gives us a glimpse in these wars of the complexity that exists in each of us- various motives we have for doing things, both good and self-serving, that can lead to ever-changing alliances and struggles in our daily lives.  Because he approaches events from that angle- that humanity does most things because of our inherent selfishness and desire for gain- the account is easy to follow and understand. 

For those interested, a basic chronology of the Crusades is available here.

If you're interested in the history of the Crusades, read this book.  The BBC produced at least 3 episodes on the Crusades based on this book, which I have yet to see, but if they're half as good as this work, check it out, too.

Rating: A+