Reddit reviews Islam: Faith and History

Here.
Are.
Some.
Books.

Some.
More.
Books.

Would you like a link to my amazon wishlist to see all the books? There are a lot of non-Islamic stuff there to that you might like.

I know a couple books at an academic level that are easy reads but they might not fit nicely into what you're looking for.

For example the book that I have in mind describes politically driven events and the motivations behind them but because it's a book about Islam before anything else, you may have to connect some of the dots yourself. If you'd like a quick summary, what happened is that after the Prophet (PBUH) passed away there was a discord as to who his "successor" should be. This splintering would result in a new sect of Islam, civil wars, corrupt leaders, and the expansion of Islam which in turn would introduce a huge amount of culture and scientific advancements. This book covers all that.

Another easy read would be Islam: Faith and History. It covers the tribal structure of society before Islam, the major wars that would occur (their motivation/impact) and how Islam would eventually change this idol worshiping society. Again, it's a book about Islam rather than the politics but the two are so intertwined that I feel like it makes for a good introduction.

I'll take a look through and see what else I've read that might be useful if those don't fit the bill. If you're unsure about the recommendations, I can certainly scan a few pages and send them your way for review.

Edit: Both the books can be read by (I'd say) someone in late highschool or above. The first book is a bit dry and long while the second one is some small, non-intimidating primer.