This is one of the best travel and history books about a country that I have read.

Written in the very early 21st century, this book combines 20th century history with current politics to give the reader a history and contemporary view of Turkey. The author has spent many years in the country as a journalist, and he clearly has a great love of his subject. He serves as a major booster for the country. Since this book was written 10 years ago, much of the contemporary information is dated, but Kinzer has done a good job of predicting future trends. Many of the author's predictions have come true in the last decade. He appears to be perceptive of contemporary society. The book also provides enough history to give th reader a basic understanding of Turkey's history in the 20th century. It would be interesting to have him write an update, based on the changes that have occurred over the past 10 years.

The book's major flaw is the author's overly prescriptive style, combined with the fact that he tries to gloss over many of the problems. Although in some respects, he seems to appreciate Turkey's complexity, on other occasions, he expresses very simplistic views about Turkey's future.

I read this book in preparation for a trip to Turkey, and would recommend it to others with similar purposes. I sincerely learned a great deal, both historically and culturally, from the text, and left feeling like I better understood the country.

Although I can understand the criticisms, I didn't find Kinzer to be overly prescriptive--that is, it was clear to me that this book is not a tome on solutions to Turkey's problems, and that prescriptive instances were based on the author's own feelings. So I recognize those instances were there, but they didn't bother me all that much.

Read this well written and thoughtful history and assessment of modern Turkey in preparation for my upcoming trip. It was insightful and showed the many facets of this complicated culture.

A reporter's affectionate but critical book on Turkey and its history. He shows how Turkey's repression of Kurdish culture and language has fostered extremism, as has its repression of Muslim religious expression. He shows how great Turkey has been, is, and how much greater it could be if it trusted its citizens and the democratic process. His section on the aftermath of the great earthquake when the Greek government and people rallied to Turkey's side, volunteering and donating in droves, is a poignant example of how things could be.

I was equal parts enthralled and frustrated by this book. Kinzer clearly loves Turkey. He adores it. He sees how insanely fucked up it is, but loves it anyway. While he is not an apologist for for the essentially military-run government, he deftly puts it into a perspective in a way only a person who is both an insider and an outsider can, which as a whole makes certain events (like the military coups) much more understandable in post-Ataturk Turkey.
However, he on occasion comes off as the lecturing foreigner who wants to shake Turkey and ask why it is being so stupid. Kinzer goes on for paragraphs at a time sensibly outlining what Turkey needs to do to become a successful modern country but then backpedals a bit by saying he knows that it is not is simple as all that.
All told, this book works, not as a serious look at the complexities of a modern Turkey (although it indeed does a fine job at that), but rather as a letter of unconditional love to his former adopted home.

The author mixes historical facts and his experiences in an excellent flow. As a Turk, I can say that he was successful in capturing the daily Turkish life.

Sympathetic and informed ..very enjoyable

This is the most informative book I have yet found of Turkish history/politics/et cetera. For this reason, I approve.
The two worlds here of the title are that west and east divide that much of world politics consists of: west being new-age and east being old-world. Uh oh, I'm not awake...

*shuts eyes, counts to thirty, returns*

OK, I am sick, so I must get to sleep now. (My illness probably is eating at my opinion of this book.) But, I want to promote it!
If this area and its people are included in my next world voyage, then their marvels as detailed in this book fascinate and excite me.

But Cyprus...! And Pakistan...! And Egypt...! And Brazil...! And Kazakhstan...! And New Zealand...! And the Philippines...! And France/Britain/Ireland...! And Germany...! And Switzerland...! And Belgium...! And Sweden...! And (maybe even especially) Russia...! (I'm forgetting many friends' homelands. I'm sorry to the Canadians, Japanese, Australians, and everyone else - I know there's someone I've been talking to lately whom I missed in this ramble. I may be running a fever. Maybe I'm missing my colleagues here in West Chester.)

Goodness gracious, there's so much of the world I'd love to visit but haven't gotten there yet. I might not even make it to everywhere I want, looking at this precarious level of health...
Oh well, if I have to make a choice, this is close to top, as I have a mission here.

Does my passport expire this year?
...
Yes, in August.

This is what travel history books should be. informative, and filled with interesting pieces of real life annicdotes that bring history of this massively interesting country to your door step.

Interessent bog der giver et udmærket indblik i nyere Tyrkisk historie. Bogen har et lidt pudsigt format hvor hvert kapitel slutter med en længere artikel/rejsebeskrivelse, hvor læseren bliver præsenteret for Tyrkisk kultur på forskellig vis. De fleste af beskrivelserne er sådan set underholdende nok at læse om, men det kan også føles som et lidt underligt stilskifte at gå fra folkemord og militærkup til vandpibecaféer og bluesmusik.

Bogen bærer præg af at den har nogle år på bagen, særligt i beskrivelsen af Erdogan og forfatterens relativt positive forventninger til hans evner og vilje til at lede Tyrkiet i en mere demokratisk retning. Jeg er ikke sikker på forfatterens beskrivelser ville være ligeså forventningsfulde, hvis bogen blev skrevet i dag.

Tyrkiets turbulente historie og de mange militærkup gennemført af den stokkonservative militære ledelse, som siden Tyrkiets grundlæggelse har fungeret som en slags stat i staten, giver dog en vis forståelse for hvorfor opbakningen til Erdogan er så stor i den tyrkiske befolkning og hvorfor han til tider virker noget paranoid.

Generelt kunne jeg godt have ønsket mig at bogen gik lidt mere i dybden med flere af de historiske begivenheder og personligheder, da de 272 sider simpelthen ikke er nok til at komme ordentligt omkring Tyrkiets enormt begivenhedsrige og fascinerende historie.

I greatly enjoyed this book for learning about Turkey’s history and culture. The first 75-80% of it was worthy of 5 stars, but after about the 80% mark, my ADHD brain was starting to get bored, and it felt like the book was dragging on. Maybe that’s my own fault, but regardless, I deducted a star due to the book having trouble holding my attention at the end. Other than that greatly informative and interesting book.