Review of Fallaci's The Pride and the Rage

Review of The Pride and the Rage by Oriana Fallaci.

Reading The Pride and the Rage by Oriana Fallaci is a real trip. She is obviously a loon, but in the most charming way. It is clear that she answers to no one. She has a fierce independence of thought and a very unique style. She takes this book as an extension of her article that was circulated a lot after 9/11. The book is a long tirade against Islam and Islamic extremism. It is peppered with personal anecdotes, harsh invectives, and the occasional expletive. The writing is very stream-of-consciousness and idiosyncratic. English is clearly her second or third language, but somehow that only serves to add to the charm of the book. There are no real coherent arguments or deep theological or philosophical discussions, but again the point is to talk about opposing civilizations and the problems with radical Islam.

After all is said and done, I am not sure what one gains by reading it. If one is predisposed to thinking that Islamists are crazy, and that the flow of radical Islam all over the world ought to be stopped now, then you will enjoy reading what Fallaci has to say about it. If you think that Radical Islam is a good thing then you are probably sharpening your pencil to write her fatwah.

It seems like Fallaci is trying to compete with Rushdie on some of these Islamic top 10 lists.