Book Recommendation: The Muslim Next Door

I don't have time to read very much these days, but I'm carving out time to read The Muslim Next Door: The Qur'an, the Media and that Veil Thing by Sumbul Ali-Karamali (White Cloud Press: 2008).  

This is a very readable (if somewhat repetitive and ever so slightly defensive) overview of Islam written for Western people, especially Americans, whose principal source of (mis-)information is the media. Ms. Ali-Karamali, a Californian of Indian Muslim descent, attempts to explain the basic tenets of Islam to her fellow countrymen who are woefully ignorant of the subject. She includes personal anecdotes which reveal glimpses of what it is like to be "Other" in post-9/11 America.  

The overview of Islam is very, very basic (which is good because I knew absolutely ZERO about the subject).  This book does a huge service to Americans who believe in a pluralistic society. Sadly, the people  who need it the most won't read it.