Blog 1

Above, Al-Biruni as depicted by Russian currency in 1973. From Al-Biruni's Wikipedia page. 1. Al-Biruni was a very unique person. This book follows Al-Biruni through his life, and it is quite an interesting one. Al-Biruni is considered a polymath, meaning that he was an expert in a multitude of different fields. However, even among other polymaths, the extent of his knowledge was absolutely astounding. He was an expert in mathematics, physics, medicine, poetry, linguistics, history, astronomy, religion, and much more. He could also speak many different languages. The most impressive fact about him is that he also managed to make major contributions in almost every field he studied, making him a very important scholar and scientist. His life and his studies are very interesting and will keep you sucked in. 2. He is a lesser-known historical figure. Let's be honest, most of you have probably never heard of Al-Biruni before this blog post. However, he was an important scientist...

Benazir Bhutto was one of the towering and ground-breaking political figures of the late-20th and early-21st centuries. As the first female to be elected as the leader of any Islamic nation, she and her party brought reform to Pakistan and fought for the equality of many groups. I decided to read Daughter of Destiny over spring break to learn more about her life and although its not a perfect literary masterpiece, there are many reasons why one should read this book. I will also highlight some of the flaws that this book has but please do not let that discourage you from reading this book. Daughter of Destiny   is a political memoir written by Benazir Bhutto about her life starting from her youth to her election as Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988. The book starts off with Benazir's childhood and details about her aristocratic family. She grew up surrounded by politics and societal change - her own mother, an Iranian Shia Muslim, was modern for her day and didn't mak...

1. It’s a page-turner. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey is book two in the Mysterious Benedict Society series and details a global scavenger hunt set up for four intelligent kids. However, the mastermind and mentor behind the scavenger hunt, Mr. Benedict, vanishes, leaving the children to track him down with evil pursuers on their tails. Most of all, the villain behind the mysterious disappearance, Mr. Curtain, has grand plans for a world “takeover” using knowledge only Mr. Benedict possesses. Despite the story having a stereotypical protagonist-antagonist “duel,” the story seems to build around the kids’ constantly evolving ideas, and the plot and clues provided by Mr. Benedit are never clear enough to predict the ending of the story. 2. The main characters are relatable - they’re kids! Throughout the book, they face constant scrutiny because they are kids. Despite their efforts, nothing seems to go their way (sometimes I feel that way too). For examp...