The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts

If you enjoy the music of Ali Farka Toure and other musical artists from Mali (West Africa) you will enjoy this book. If you are a librarian, particularly working with special collection, you will appreciate this non-fiction account of Abdel Kader Haidara's life long vocation to collect and preserve ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts. In the first part of the book, Haidara begins his life long effort to collect ancient Islamic manuscripts from the collections of individual families in Mali. Owned personally for generations of Malian families these manuscripts faced destruction from insects, sand, heat and moisture. Haidara obtained donations from Western governments and cultural institutions for the preservation in several new libraries in Timbuktu. If Haidara had only accomplished this initial feat, it would be a monumental life's work. In addition to collecting and preserving the manuscripts against the elements, Haidara also acted nimbly to protect the manuscripts when the Northern Mali Conflict caused the radical fundamentalist Al Ansine and Al Qaeda in in the Maghreb to occupy Timbuktu and threaten the physical safety of the manuscripts. The importance of the Timbuktu manuscripts lay in preserving for the world the work of enlightened, and peaceful Islamic and secular scholar. The reader will find a riveting historical account of West African history culture and music that previously they may not have encountered. While reading this book I made the effort to compile a publicly available Spotify playlist of the the musical artists and music from Mali mentioned in this history. I was inspired to do this because of his example in "Every Song Ever: Twenty Ways to Listen in an Age of Musical Plenty Here is a product link: https://www.amazon.com/Every-Song-Ever-Twenty-Musical-ebook/dp/B011I2MNRG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1463351133&sr=1-1&keywords=every+song+ever Here is my review of the book: https://www.amazon.com/review/R3C9R1D3H2171J/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B011I2MNRG I also have a soundtrack/playlist for R. S. Batchelder's "Brotherhood of the Wheel". Here is a product link: https://www.amazon.com/Brotherhood-Wheel-R-S-Belcher-ebook/dp/B013P25LIA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1463351393&sr=1-1&keywords=brotherhood+of+the+wheel Here is my review of the book:: https://www.amazon.com/review/R5VWYYCWFPOW2/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B013P25LIA

This was a truly eye-opening and thought-provoking book, and I am truly in awe (in the full and original sense of the word) of what Abdel Kader Haidara and his incredible team of librarians, manuscript couriers, and manuscript owners did to rescue and preserve the cultural treasures of Timbuktu and Mali. I found myself in tears at points in the narrative of how the rescue was accomplished and even had moments where my heart raced in fear as I imagined myself riding alongside some of the couriers. Although I didn't know the extent of the manuscript tradition in the area, I learned something of the cultural flourishing of the region several years ago, especially focused on Mansa Musa of the Songhai kingdom in the medieval period because of a student's exploration of this culture as part of a World Literature course project I was teaching several years ago. It made me very curious to know more about the area and its history. Having taught World Literature for several years, I have long been aware of the cultural, scholarly, creative, and literary accomplishments of the Arab, Persian, and African societies at a time when Europe was still struggling to move forward after the fall of the Roman Empire (although I hesitate to call early medieval Europe a true "dark ages" as there was actually a strong cultural tradition there, too - just not one as robust or as manuscript-based). So, the focus on the Timbuktu and Malian manuscript treasure troves were a welcome expansion of what little I did know already. As a medieval scholar, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and respect for the truly epic lengths that Haidara and his team went to preserve these cultural icons - I cannot begin to imagine how devastating it would have been to lose it all. I found Hammer's extensive detail into the terrorist activities both enlightening and enraging - enlightening because it helped me understand a bit better how extremism grows and "entrances," but enraging because of the devastation and brutality that it invariably brought (and still continues to bring). Extremism in any form - religious, philosophical, ideological, political, and social - is dangerous - no matter the "good" intentions that may lie at the foundation - in the case of religious zealots like those in this book, a desire to return to an imagined "purer" version of the religion of Islam. That "purer" version, of course, in the hands of zealots (any zealots) is really a thinly veiled motivation for taking and wielding power - it's NOT really about the religion itself. And, to impose that power in the name of some divine cause, it turns brutal, dictatorial, rigid, and extremely volatile. Unfortunately, the history of humanity has way too many examples of this - in EVERY religious, political, ideological, and philosophical tradition - NO ONE is immune. I have seen other reviewers mention that they felt the book veered too much into the politics and military aspects of both the terrorist groups and those fighting against them and that not enough was focused on the manuscripts themselves - and I agree to a degree. But, I do think that it was necessary to understand the full context of the danger in the area because it brings to light just how important those manuscripts are for a more global understanding of the history of the area AND the religion from which so many of those manuscripts emerged - showing us that what we see in our news feeds about "radical extremist Islam" is NOT Islam but a rigid and brutal perversion of a religious/spiritual tradition that was a catalyst for the kind of scholarly and creative output these manuscripts attest to. My 4-star rating comes from a desire to have a bit more description of the Islamic tradition that Haidara himself calls a religion of peace in a more contemporary setting - the descriptions of what the manuscripts contained give us a sense of the foundations of a more inclusive and wider-ranging Islamic tradition, but it is too far removed from that wider-ranging more inclusive Islam of today - and THAT is what I would have liked to see more of to juxtapose it to the details of the brutal and rigid version the terrorists wanted to impose. It would have helped readers see that the Islam depicted in the manuscripts is not a thing of the past. Focusing on the terrorists' version - their excuse for wielding their obsession with power - only gives more power to THAT version. As difficult as some of the sections were to read - there were times I had to put the book aside for a bit because it became too emotionally-draining - this is an important book to read.

I had no knowledge of the history of Saharan Africa. This book, written as a story rather than a text book, gave tremendous insights into a cultural that is overlooked by most people. Thanks to the author for bringing to light the this ancient culture.

Timbuktu is one of those words that just sounds exotic and interesting - or so I thought when I discovered it on the globe as a child. That it was an Islamic center of learning in Africa was something I discovered in Scales of Gold, a novel in the Niccolo series by Dorothy Dunnett. Her hero ends up there and is caught up in the violence of one of its periodic political upheavals. Then as I read more and more about Islamic history in Africa, the importance of this city was impressed on me. The destruction of such a center of learning and such a repository of books would rival the destruction of Alexandria. I first heard about Joshua Hammer's book as he was interviewed on the PBS Newshour, and I immediately ordered it. I am glad I did because it is a truly amazing story of how a man dedicated to saving the literary and religious heritage of his city and people saved it from destruction by the jihadists sweeping down into Mali to destroy it from Libya. After seeing what cultural destruction was wrought at the hands of jihadists in Afghanistan, there is no doubt that if Al Queda of the Islam Maghreb has found these documents they all would have been destroyed. They did destroy what they did find. But one librarian, Abdel Kader Haidara, prevented the destruction of Timbuktu's heritage. My deep thanks to Mr. Hammer for bringing us this story. Now the quibble. I do not know who decides supporting documentation for non-fiction books. The person who decided that one incomplete map, incorrectly identified as a "map of Timbuktu" (it isn't; it's a map of Mali) as the front inside cover would be sufficient was quite wrong. Mali isn't a country that most people know well. It doesn't help much that throughout the entire book Timbuktu is spelled consistently as "Timbuktu", which is the usual spelling, but the map spells it as "Tombouctou". If this is the correct spell, use it. A detailed map w/ all the towns and cities mentioned in this book would have allowed readers to follow the story more easily. And if the consistently and correct and inform us. If the map had rivers on it, we could have followed the path the documents took as they were saved. It also would have been helpful to have had a street map of Timbuktu to see the layout of the building referenced in the story. And some photos of the buildings and people involved would have been useful. I suppose all of this was omitted to save costs and get the book published more quickly. I would have preferred to wait for them. The manuscript on the back inside cover is lovely.But there is absolutely nothing which identifies it other than a generic "manuscript page". That's helpful but not very. The story is told in bits and starts and could have used a better editor to smooth out the narrative. And I have no idea in the world why the title. It was clearly meat to make the book jump of the sales counters. But it is an odd note for a serious story. These may not seem like serious quibbles to other people, but they greatly hampered my enjoyment of this book.

Joshua Hammer has provided a rare glimpse into a fascinating and frightening period in Malian recent history, as well as a look back in time to the creation and preservation of the exquisite illuminated manuscripts that are the subjects of The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu. It is a worthy homage to the people who risked their lives to save these priceless documents. Highly recommended. I just wish he had included more than one photo of a manuscript page, and that at the very end of the book.

This is a book you would want to buy just because of the title. However, the title is only a small part of the story. This is an ambitious book about the daring rescue of thousands of precious medieval Islamic manuscripts from almost certain destruction by the Al-Qaeda forces which took over Mali in 2012. However, Hammer tells us many interrelated histories, which may seem overwhelming and distracting at times, but which ultimately serve to provide the necessary context for the significance of the manuscripts at the heart of the narrative. We have the personal family history of the librarian Abdel Kader Haidara, who inherited his responsibility to maintain the family library accumulated over centuries, and who enabled thousands of manuscripts to be brought out, catalogued, restored and shared with the rest of the world. Then we have the cultural, political and religious histories of Mali itself, which allow us to understand the complexity of this region and the forces which enabled the manuscripts to survive for centuries in the hands of people who, regardless of their literacy or lack thereof, deeply value scholarship and their cultural heritage. The generations of Malian people themselves rank among the bad-ass librarians of the title. Paradoxically, their determination to conceal their libraries from potential outside threats protected their precious manuscripts, but also buried the greater world's awareness of Timbuktu's rich intellectual history and led to misconceptions of this region of Africa being backward and uncultured. Finally, the fact that these events took place so recently underscores the ongoing challenges and threats faced in the region, and potentially anywhere in the world where extremism can take root. Because of the intertwining narratives, the book may feel disorienting for many readers as it moves between topics and time periods, and there is a lot of detail about terrorist activities, political developments and the evolution of Islamic thought. However, anyone willing to immerse themselves in these details will be rewarded with a better appreciation of Mali/Timbuktu and the power of a cultural heritage to survive almost impossible odds. Audiobook Note: Paul Boehmer does an admirable job keeping the narrative flowing and easily saying lengthy Arabic names and French phrases. He keeps his tone energetic throughout a narrative which could have easily fallen into a monotone because of the level of detail.

What an extraordinary story this book tells! Without a doubt, this is a real world, true life thriller. There were sections that almost made me flip to the end to see if it would come out all right. This book has historians, taxi drivers, jihadies and the French Foreign Legion as characters. I think this is a book I’ll never forget.

I haven't finished the book yet but I think I have a good grasp of its strengths and weaknesses. Hammer does a very good job of bringing the reader immediately into the scene, introducing us to the "bad ass" librarian and describing how he was hooked despite all his resisting into finding the lost treasures of past centuries. And he does a beautiful job of describing these incredible books, all the different kinds, different sources, the calligraphy and ornamentation - well, I'm a bibliophile and I was drooling...He also does a good job of giving the historical background which is complex and thoroughly relevant to current times. It is necessarily a thumbnail sketch covering a lot of years, a lot of rulers and tribes and kingdoms. This is a good book to get the flavor of Malian history but it does not bog down in details. I especially appreciate Hammer's attempt to educate us about African societies that were highly cultured and valued scholarship and knowledge for their own sakes; he very explicitly rebuts the ignorant comments (still made today) claiming that Africa did not have any high culture. And the destruction of this culture is in good part the fault of European conquerors looking for wealth to steal. I would say the only fault of the book is that Hammer is a workmanlike writer who seldom rises above plain and simple prose. This is a very slight criticism on my part; I appreciate someone who can take complicated issues and turn them into plain words. I think anyone who loves books will love this book, and anyone who is interested in African and Islamic culture will find a great deal to value in this. Oh, and getting past murderous jihadis with boxes of treasures that would be a death sentence - Indiana Jones material!

Recommended to all modern and ancient history lovers. Easy to read, enjoyable for all levels

This is an interesting and fascinating book. It introduced me to many things about Africa that I never knew. As I have learned when speaking with very educated friends from Africa, they never were told, even in university, about "the golden age of Timbuktu" . Well worth reading the book, and following the current news of Mali! EMS

This book is a brilliant analysis of the recent history of Sub Saharan Africa and the school of terrorism which flourished in the region, set against the backdrop of a deeply personal story of cultural preservation. It feels a little too agenda driven in places, and many flaws and errors are glossed over our ignored to drive the narrative, but nevertheless is a worthwhile read.

Tout était bien

A book easy to read. Quite neutral about a very sensitive issue. You can feel the hot breeze of the desert reaching the old books stored in too of the line library. Thanks to those people who risked their lives hiding the books from "them".