Inside the Kingdom

As the conflict between Israel and Palestine continues, I found myself more and more interested in reading about the Middle East. After finishing David Fromkin's A Peace to End All Peace, I bought a number of related works focusing on various countries and events. The first one I tackled was Robert Lacey's Inside the Kingdom and it was a great read.

The author's first work on the topic, The Kingdom, was banned in Saudi Arabia. This one wasn't, so I was concerned that it might be a "state-approved" work. It doesn't appear to be the case, as Lacey doesn't shy away from elaborating on the country's many contradictions and sensitive subjects.

This book is an essential read for anyone interested in Saudi Arabian history, politics, and culture, or anyone interested in understanding the modern Middle East.

Here's the blurb:

What happened in the Middle East's oil-rich powerhouse while we weren't looking? Saudi Arabia is a country defined by paradox. It's a modern state driven by contemporary technology and possessed of vast oil deposits, yet its powerful religious establishment would have its customs and practices rolled back 1000 years to match those of the prophet Muhammad.

With Inside the Kingdom, journalist and bestselling author Robert Lacey has given us one of the most penetrating and insightful looks at Saudi Arabia ever produced. While living for years among the nation's princes and paupers, its clerics and progressives, Lacey endeavored to find out how the consequences of the 1970s oil boom produced a society at war with itself.

Filled with stories that trace a path thru the Persian Gulf War and the events of 9/11 to the oilmarket convulsions of today, Inside the Kingdom gives a modern history of the Saudis in their own words, revealing a people attempting to reconcile life under religious law with the demands of a rapidly changing world. Their struggle will have powerful reverberations around the globe. This rich work provides a penetrating look at a country no one can afford to ignore.

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