I read this book in preparation for my trip to Turkey. Very informative to learn about the birth of the modern Republic of Turkey and the life and career of Kamel Ataturk the country. I learned of the efforts form a secular county with many progressive ideas and rejecting Muslin fundamentalism. Interesting to see the relationship between the civilian government and the military, Greek relationship, Kurdish issues and ramifications of the 1999 earthquake. The book only covers the period up until 2000 so I’m next reading about the next 25 years.

A good introduction to Turkey, but is repetitive, has spotty coverage of some issues (i.e. the EU acceptance issue), and often veers towards a neo-liberal bent. Regarding its repetition, there are constant exhortations that Turkey democratize which seem to be directed to Turkish officials, which does not make for interesting reading if you are not, well, a Turkish official. Still a worthwhile introduction to Turkish political issues keeping in mind these caveats.

Kinzer was a NY Times correspondent to Istanbul and lived there 6 years. His writing is compellilng and concise. He describes the current culture and political structure of Istanbul, and much of TUrkey, within an historical context. Turkey is a very important nation, geographically, with eight borders - Bulgaria, Iraq Iran, syria, Kazakstan, Armenia, Georgia, and Greece and has two major seas, the Meditteranean and Black Seas. Istanbul has been the prize for kings, sultans and rulers for hundreds of years. Reading this book made my trip much more rewarding. Kinzer also explains the challenges to modern Turkey and its h opes for the future.

Excellent survey of Turkey, insightful context for our trip.

A delightful blend of summarized history, political commentary, and personal vignettes.

a Turkish testament

I don't know Stephen Kinzer from a bar of soap, but I could bet he's a very likeable guy. I used to read his articles in the New York Times with great pleasure, back in those years when he was covering Turkey and wrote many pieces on the new nations in the Caucasus and Central Asia too. For the first time, in Kinzer's articles, the subscribers got more than just election or disaster news---we got coverage of all kinds of cultural, social, and economic trends in Turkey. I always hoped Kinzer would write a book on the country. He did and I bought it. If I compare it to an academic tome like Caglar Keydar's "State and Class in Turkey", CRESCENT AND STAR reads as smooth as silk, even if the depth of the ideas is not so great. It is a highly informative, journalistic look at modern Turkey, a country at a political, historical crossroads. Turkey had managed to burst the economic straitjacket that bound it for decades; the Kurdish insurrection had been squelched, and relations with Greece improved beyond all belief. There was a strong possibility that the country would join the European Union in the next decade. [*Erdogan was not on the scene when Kinzer wrote.] Yet, a number of political problems remained. Kinzer points out again and again that the conservative, but secular military elite dominated the civilian politicians, who often were not the sharpest knives in the drawer. In turn, civil liberties were denied because the behind-the-scenes military class felt that Turkey "was not ready" for full freedom. The role of religion, i.e. Islam, in society had yet to be decided. There are a few hotheaded fundamentalists, many who want a stronger role for Islam under democracy, and many more who don't want Islam to play any role at all. Is it a good idea to push the whole issue into a corner ?

Kinzer liked Turkey. You can feel that on every page in the book. Liking the country, having friends there, he wanted to use his journalistic power to best advantage, to strike a blow for his friends, who like him, believed in freedom and democracy, and saw a bright future for Turkey if it went down that road. I too, from a great distance, sympathized with this picture. I like people who don't hide behind some abstract "objectivity". But I am afraid his desire to help turned the book into something of a polemic. As he discusses each of the main aspects of modern Turkish politics and society---Ataturk, the party politics, the military, the Kurds, Islam, censorship and repression, the great earthquake of 1999, and relations with Greece-we receive the same lecture a number of times. Encourage dissent, he cries, embrace ethnic and religious diversity, own up to the Armenian massacres of 1915 or at least discuss them, give religious people a voice in society, let Parliament have the ultimate power instead of the soldiers, decentralize, don't lose Ataturk's desire for change and modernization, and above all, trust your own citizens to be mature enough to choose what they want in government. If you don't mind this rather heavy-handed insistence on the same theme, then CRESCENT AND STAR is an excellent book for anyone wanting to know the main issues, trends, and political feelings in modern Turkey. The sections Kinzer refers to as "snacks" or meze are all very interesting. Another book on modern Turkish life and culture as seen by an American ? Please.

Postscript of 2021: I wrote this review in 2004. The last 17 years have changed a lot as we know. Erdogan got hold of the political process and everything that Kinzer hoped for was crushed. Not being a fan of religion in government or of strong men jailing thousands for personal power, I am very sad about what has happened.

I've been very impressed by everything by Kinzer that I've read, yet this book was somehow the one I objected to the most. Admittedly I view much of his political writing from a differing position so I'm in no way surprised that a heavily personal book didn't quite gel with me. But therein lies one of my favourite things about the book - Kinzer unashamedly injects personal experience, opinion and personality throughout the book and so I found that the italicised portions gave the following chapters incredible richness. I usually find Kinzer's style incredibly satisfying to read at the worst of times and this book's tone and level of personal engagement gives vibrancy to his otherwise usually somewhat detached prose.

Highlights: his interviews with ordinary Turks of polar opposite opinions, his interviews with Kurds and account of travelling in remote Kurdish areas.

Weak points: his occasionally patronising attitude when it comes to solutions for the Kurdish and Armenian problems, his somewhat wavering position on the European Union as regards Turkey (I am no fan but even I think his invective is a little misplaced)

An excellent book on the paradox that is Turkey: historic and modern, religious and secular, east and west. If you are interested in Turkey it's well worth the read.

The book was a good introduction to Turkeys very complicated history. The book did a good job of introducing some major conflicts but of course does not give a full detailed history of some of the tensions regarding Armenians or the Kurds. Kinzer will definitely pique anyone’s interest in wanting to read up more about Turkey.

I don't know nearly enough about Turkey to judge whether this book was even-handed or comprehensive. It was, however, an very readable, easy to follow, and informative.

Excellent! Until I read this book, I had no idea how extraordinary the history of Turkey has been during the last 100 years.

Crescent and Star is an excellent introduction to Turkey. I enjoyed his interspersion of cultural tidbits as 'meze' - it worked well as transition and as a way to insert additional information. Not a note of criticism, but simply a note, for Turkey, which has multiple identities as a country, this book took the perspective of the more Euro-aligned part of that identity - it was not completely balanced in its presentation of the culture.