Review -- Occidentalism: The West in the Eyes of its Enemies

This is my first book review, so I hope that it does justice to the book.

Today I finished (and started) reading a book entitled Occidentalism by Ian Buruma & Avishai Margalit. I found this book very interesting, especially since I enjoy dabbling in philosophy and ethics. The entire basis of the book is what opponents of Western Thought find so offensive and also why they would choose to attack any nation or culture that falls into the category of the West. The book explains several major parties in history including Shinto in Japan, Nazi ideals, Islamic radicals today, as well as the Soviet Union during the Cold War era. I found it to be very informative and well-structured with an index in the back so one could easily find a specific subject or topic. Quoting from the book: "The dehumanizing of the West painted by its enemies is what we have called Occidentalism." (page 5) The professionalism and clarity with which this subject was presented earns a 4.5 out of 5. However, I recommend this book only to those who enjoy a philosophic discussion or those who would wish to empathize (not to be confused with sympathizing) with Occidentalist enemies: past, present, and future.

JB