The Cauldron by Simon Sebag Montefiore

Do you think the Middle East is a bit of a mess? You may be correct, but you are probably oversimplifying a bit. If anything, the Middle East is a perfect example of how not to build countries. Drawing lines on a map without the input of the people who live within those lines should be step one. Here to explain all of this in wonderful detail is Simon Sebag Montefiore with his overwhelmingly excellent The Cauldron. And a cauldron it is.

Montefiore starts digging into the details right around 1900 to the present day. There are certain books where I wonder what the author was smoking when they decided to take on a certain subject. There are few books that attempt to be this sprawling. Even fewer succeed with any coherent story. Montefiore admits in his introduction that this book is the culmination of years studying the area (through both books and physical visits). I think this was probably a requirement, but most importantly, the author has a real love for this part of the world. As such, he is willing to see the Middle East with clear-eyed judgment. It does not preclude him from calling out both resident warlords and the colonial powers who thought, “Tally ho, just put the boundary there, old chap.”

In practice, the first few chapters are an exercise in fighting for your bibliophile life. Names you never heard of are attempting to throw other names you never heard of for a group of people who may or may not care about any of this. I urge readers to power through. Montefiore overwhelms the reader only to smooth everything out as the book progresses. The ping-ponging from one country to another settles into a flow where you may not be able to pass a test at the end of the book, but you sure as heck are going to be able to speak more intelligently about the modern state of affairs. (I can probably name at least six countries there now!)

In summary, this book is the gateway to one hundred years of one of the most volatile areas of the world. A lot of authors would use this opportunity to show off how learned and worldly they are. Luckily, Montefiore just wants you to know more at the end than when you started. Knowledge is the first step to understanding.

(This book was provided as a review copy by A. A. Knopf.)

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Recommendation if you like this one:

Jessica Roy, American Girls