A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East by David Fromkin

This critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller, the author tells how and why the Allies drew lines on a map that eventually became the new countries of the Middle East. Most interesting is his account of the formative years between 1914 and 1922. This book and Michael Oren's 6 Days of War are essential to understanding the modern middle east.

Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Michael B. Oren

Oren gives us a history of The Six-Day War of 1967. The events leading up to the war bear a striking resemblance to what is happening now. This book and David Fromkin's The Peace to End all Peace are essential to an understanding of the modern middle east.

2003 Pulitzer Prize winner