In June, I heard a Harvard Professor of Religion give a talk on Islam, and afterwards I asked if there was a good overall book on the topic. He said that though it is difficult to find books on the topic that are free of specific agendas, he could highly recommend "Following Muhammad", by Carl Ernst, as an objective and readable book. Since then I've bought several copies as gifts for family members. I appreciate the respectful manner that Ernst uses when speaking of the sources and the religion of Islam, and I like the clarity with which he outlines the often distorted Western views of Islam. Ernst also distinguishes between the basic tenets of Islam and fundamentalist versions of those tenets, and he offers helpful explanations of controversial topics such as veiling. I'm very grateful that the library made this book available for Princeton readers. (SR2007)