4 Stars
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
This book helped me understand more about the Ottoman Empire, something I feel I should study more since I've been living in Turkey. The Events described were terrible, and the story shows how something can be predictable and still unavoidable. I didn't love the tone of victim blaming, especially towards the beginning, as the same attitudes in our society today about minorities "knowing their role" or "not overreaching" have caused violence.
That being said, there is a clear relationship between the minority group's trying to usurp the power structure and the backlash.
The writing made the figures clear and their dilemmas relatable. I like how the book extended beyond the Events to show the rebuilding period, and how that had its ups and downs as well.

Eugene Rogan’s passion for the subject in this story is clearly evident. Detailing a major event in Damascus that altered Muslim - Christian relations he reconstructs the event with clarity and great attention to detail. I would highly recommend this to Ottoman, Middle East, and/or Christian- Muslim specialists alike.

Fun fact (or maybe not), I was a history student once upon a time, and then spent quite a few years not being able to read history books (the trauma). The Damascus events is the kind of history book that can also be enjoyed by people who are not academics - that's a compliment by the way. Incredibly interesting and I loved that the author reminds the reader that these events can be seen as the one point that led to some of the most important events of early 20th century. Historical events are usually the result of a long line of events, not just one point in time. Also says a lot about the actual situation in the Middle East.