The Genius of Islam

April 11, 2011
"The books we read, the music we play, the words we speak... all were shaped, at least in part, by Islam," writes Barnard in this concise and eloquent exploration of the far-reaching influence of Islam over the centuries. Each spread is devoted to a different subject (writing, Arabic numerals, architecture, astronomy, agriculture), while captioned spot art homes in on specific inventions and innovations (the zither, the astrolabe, advanced medical knowledge). Though the focus is on Islam's manifold cultural contributions, Barnard closes with a chilling reminder of the ways in which 16th-century Europeans, led by Petrarch, worked to claim such advancements as their own and obscure their origins. Ages 8â12.

March 1, 2011

Barnard's brave effort to cram such an immense subject into 40 pages leads to some debatable claims. He opens with a sweeping history of Muslim expansion ("Early Muslims knew they had a lot of catching up to do to equal or surpass the great civilizations that preceded and surrounded them") and continues generalizing throughout ("Until the twentieth century, most buildings in most cities owed much of their look to Islam"). Single-topic spreads cover the development of Arabic calligraphy and the mass production of paper, revolutions in mathematics and medicine, artistic and architectural motifs, astronomy and navigation, plus the importation of new foodstuffs, ideas (e.g., marching bands, hospitals) and technology to the West. The array of street scenes, portraits, maps, still-lifes and diagrams add visual appeal but sometimes fall into irrelevancy. Labored stylistic tics stale (the Caliph's pigeon post was "the email of the day," the astrolabe was "the GPS device of its day," the translation of Classical texts was "the Human Genome Project of its day"). The author winds down with a discussion of how the dismissive attitude of Renaissance "Petrarchists" led to a general loss of appreciation for Muslim culture and scholarship, then finishes abruptly with a page of adult-level "Further Reading." Enthusiastic, yes; judicious and well-organized, not so much. (Nonfiction. 11-13)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

June 1, 2011

Gr 4-6-The early Muslim world contributed much to society that Westerners now take for granted, including innovations in architecture, math, and music. Barnard devotes one spread to each area, explaining its impact on the modern world. The book closes with thoughtful commentary about the intentionality with which the West has "forgotten" the cultural and scientific impact of Islam. Colorful, captioned illustrations enhance the text, but there is no glossary or index and the chapter titles are not particularly descriptive. Maps on the endpapers illustrate the spread of Islam over time. The cover illustration depicts a camel carrying objects shown in the pages, which doesn't represent the "modern world" and unfortunately reinforces the misapprehension that Islam is a "third world" religion. The book itself seems intended to allay that perception. Because of its uniqueness, this volume is a worthwhile addition.-Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2011
Grades 6-9 Artist Barnard, whose book Dangerous Planet (2003) looks at natural disasters, offers a slender, visually impressive book on the historical contributions of the Muslim world to Western civilization. Based on slides for a lecture series on Islam and the West, the books illustrations command attention. Created with oils as well as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, the richly colored artwork shows up well on the glossy, white pages. The book opens with an introduction to Muhammad, Islam, and the development of knowledge and civilization in the Muslim world over many centuries. In the two-page and four-page topical sections that follow, Barnard discusses how Islamic learning influenced the Western world in areas such as mathematics, architecture, astronomy, medicine, agriculture, and music. A bibliography is appended. Although the many accessible illustrations on each double-page spread suggest a young audience, the demanding text is better suited to older students.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)