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What historian decided that Alexander of Macedonia was "Great"? How do people with only an outsider's view become "cultural experts" whose views are splashed across the airwaves? How do we decide what stories are relevant to our lives? In "The Rise of Revolutionary Islam," the essays of David Grad ask - and attempt to answer - many of those same questions. Grad puts his immense base of knowledge to good use as he examines the very beginnings of "history." He looks into why it is that one of the biggest stories in Judeo-Christian history is frequently taught only once a year. And he spends time raising questions - and a few answers - about how we got into our current global situation. Throughout "The Rise of Revolutionary Islam," Grad takes his readers along as he explores the very foundations of what we call history. His research peels back the layers, from 21st Century talking heads on TV, back through the birth of Mohammad, and on to the Greek writers who first framed the story-telling which we all take for granted. Reading Grad's work, you might just find that it's time you started asking questions of your own.
