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The Tenth Parallel

Dispatches from the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam
by Eliza Griswold
The Tenth Parallel: Dispatches from the Fault Line Between Christianity and Islam. Farrar. Aug. 2010. c.336p. maps. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-0-374-27318-7. $27. REL
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The Middle East is often viewed as the religious epicenter of the world, but journalist and poet Griswold here educates readers about another significant spiritual hot spot, taking her title from the line of latitude about 700 miles north of the equator where Christianity and Islam are burgeoning. Griswold decided to observe firsthand this "faith-based fault line" in 2003, spending several years studying and traveling across Africa and Asia to visit Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. She introduces readers to countless Christians and Muslims (e.g., pastors, missionaries, businesspeople, rectors of Islamic universities) who live, toil, and interact in this region. Though the text addresses the religious tension between two of the world's dominant theistic faiths, on a deeper level Griswold highlights the complexity and intricacy of global interactions and conflict, where worldviews and beliefs undergird the struggle for survival and natural resources: land, oil, water, jobs, etc.
VERDICT This beautifully written book will appeal to religious scholars who study pluralism, syncretism, and exclusivism. Moreover, journalists and those interested in global studies, international relations, and sociology will appreciate it as well. The "human interest" angle and Griswold's skill in storytelling cannot be gainsaid, either.
Reviewed by Brian Smith McCallum, Arlington Heights Memorial Lib., IL , Jul 01, 2010
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