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March 14, 2010
8 Down, 44 To Go "Journey to the End of Islam" (52 Books, 52 Weeks)
Journey to the End of Islam is an eye opening book written by Michael Muhammad Knight. A young white American Muslim, Knight travels to Islamic holy sites in Pakistan, Syria, Ethiopia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. His travels explore and introduce the intricacies of the Muslim faith as well as his own personal history. Knight is a fascinating tour guide and fills the book with pop culture references (note the Star Wars figures on the book's cover). His pilgrimage to Mecca alone is worth the price of the book.
Often compared to Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs, Michael Muhammad Knight offers rare insight into the modern Muslim faith through the eyes of a talented young writer.
Since reading Journey to the End of Islam, I have devoured Michael Muhammad Knight's other books. His novel, The Taqwacores is an especially vivid account of Muslim youth in America. His other nonfiction books are also recommended, Blue-Eyed Devil: A Road Odyssey Through Islamic America, Impossible Man, and The Five Percenters: Islam, Hip-Hop and the Gods of New York, as well as his Osama Van Halen.
My next book is The Velvet Underground: An Illustrated History of a Walk on the Wild Side, by Jim DeRogatis.
also at Largehearted Boy:
52 Books, 52 Weeks
Online "best of 2009" book lists
Online "best of 2008" book lists
Book Notes (authors create playlists for their book)
Note Books (musicians discuss literature)
