Alan Mikhail, *God's Shadow: Sultan Selim, His Ottoman Empire, and the Making of the Modern World*. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2020.

Historically overlooked, the Ottoman Empire was a hub of intellectual engagement, geopolitical power, and progressive governance. At its zenith in the sixteenth century, the Ottomans demonstrated extraordinary military prowess and held exclusive control over vital trade routes, governing a territory and population larger than any other global entity, effectively driving Europeans from the Mediterranean to the New World. Yet, despite its profound influence and crucial role in shaping the contemporary world, the narrative of the Ottoman Empire has been misrepresented, distorted, and even suppressed in Western accounts for centuries. In light of this, Alan Mikhail presents a crucial reinterpretation of Ottoman history, detailing the empire's global conquests through the fascinating biography of Sultan Selim I (1470–1520). Born to a concubine and the fourth son among his father's ten children, Selim was not initially expected to ascend to the throne. However, through a blend of personal charisma, military acumen, and the backing of his exceptionally gifted mother, Gülbahar, Selim took control of the empire in 1512. His unyielding ambition led to nearly tripling the territory under Ottoman governance, establishing a political framework that endured into the twentieth century. At the same time, Selim, honored by his subjects as "God’s Shadow on Earth," fostered religious pluralism by welcoming Jews and other minority communities into the empire; he advocated for education and philosophy; and he even wrote his own poetry.