Reviews

The Uncertain Future of the Turkic World may have been a more apt subtitle for this book, as economic stagnation and totalitarian governments plague many of the countries in question. Pope (Istanbul news bureau, the Wall Street Journal; Turkey Unveiled: A History of Modern Turkey) examines the ties that bind together the various Turkish-speaking regions of the world, and finds that relationships are often strained or practically nonexistent. The interests of more powerful nations loom large, for example, often overshadowing relationships between countries with large Turkish populations. Interesting vignettes and glimpses of past grandeur ornament Pope's account, but the present lack of substantial relationships among the countries he examines cannot help but translate into a volume that seems to be cobbled together out of disparate, unrelated narratives. Perhaps best described as a travelog with higher aspirations, the book does vividly portray what it is like to live in diverse corners of the Turkic world. Readers more interested in historical dimensions may want to examine Carter Vaughn Findley's The Turks in World History. Most libraries can safely forgo this title.-Sean Michael Fleming, Lebanon P.L., NH Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.