Quote Originally Posted by Tukhachevskii
....And last but not least M. R. Izady, The Kurds: A Consise Handbook (1992)....
Izady's book is significantly flawed. Not to say that there isn't some content of value in there, but the author's substantive bias coupled with his ambitious scope resulted in a book that isn't exactly the most accurate reference piece on the Kurds. Much like how those Complete Idiot's Guide to....books tend to be exactly that.

If you wish to learn about the Kurds, a much better broad overview is David McDowell's A Modern History of the Kurds. With regard to socio-cultural dynamics, Agha, Shaikh and State: The Social and Political Structures of Kurdistan by Martin van Bruinessen is very highly recommended.