“The World Through Arab Eyes: Arab Public Opinion and the Reshaping of the Middle East,” by Shibley Telhami, could not come at a more opportune time. The recent Arab Spring heralds the beginning of participatory politics in several states of the Middle East and North Africa, and has spurred the unelected monarchs of other countries in the region to launch democratic reforms. What ordinary Arabs think matters more than ever.

Telhami distills a decade of polls into this essential handbook on average Arabs’ opinions of everything from US foreign policy to Sharia. Along the way, he provides commentary and anecdotes drawn from his own experiences, breaking the monotony of charts and graphs. Full story for BostonGlobe.com subscribers.

Rayyan Al-Shawaf, a writer and book critic in Beirut, can be reached at calaboose@gmail.com.

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