Book Review: Muhammad of Mecca: Prophet of Islam by Elsa Marston

Muhammad of Mecca: Prophet of Islam, written by Elsa Marston is a historical fiction piece which attempts to be as unbiased as possible. The first chapter is an introduction, which really serves as an author's note to the reader to explain the complexities of writing a historical fiction book. Marston begins this first chapter by introducing the Islamic faith, the God Allah, and the prophet Muhammad. The very first line of the text reads, "La ilaha illa Allah... Muhammad rasul Allah." Marston explains that this statement, " is the basic creed of every follower of the religion known as Islam." Marston also explains in this introductory chapter that the past biographies written about Muhammad are biased due to religion and personal views, but she wants to write a narrative that can be as objective and authentic as possible. So, the story begins with Muhammad's life and how he became the prophet to Allah, and establish the holy book, the Koran. The story is based on historical facts and extensive research. The book also contains a timeline and glossary of Arabic terms. The timeline gives information about Muhammad's life, including all of his cultural and spiritual impacts. I believe this book to be a good source of multicultural literature in the area of Middle Eastern culture, because it provides tons of historical information about the origin of the Islamic faith, which impacts today's modern Muslims. Elsa Marston is an author with an invested interest in the Middle East. Her late husband, Iliyah Harik, was born in Lebanon, which gave Marston many opportunities to reside in and visit Arab nations and learn first-hand about the culture. Marston has published many books, which are diverse in their content containing information and characters from the Middle East.

Book Info: Marston, Elsa. Muhammad of Mecca: Prophet of Islam, Grolier Publishing, Library of Congress, 2001.