Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence

Neither a condemnation of religion nor necessarily a political commentary on brutality, Armstrong's (History of God) latest is a meticulously researched, largely nonjudgmental portrayal of violence through the ages and the many circumstances, religious and otherwise, that may have induced its use. Examining Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Judaism from their formative years to their current incarnations, Armstrong illustrates the part that each faith has played in the formation of states and the violence endemic to societies wishing to control particular areas. The author deftly reads this book as if she was presenting a particularly enticing course on the content, skillfully using changes in pacing and tone to keep her listeners absorbed. Like many nonfiction audiobook offerings, this work does suffer from its inevitable lack of images that doubtlessly would accompany the monograph or even lecture versions. Much of the text presents lists and names that are hard to follow without some sort of organizational structure or prior knowledge.