The Saudis : inside the desert kingdom

Format:

Book

Title:

The Saudis : inside the desert kingdom

Author:

Mackey, Sandra, 1937-2015.

ISBN:

9780393324174

Edition:

Updated ed.

Publication Information:

New York : W.W. Norton, 2002.

Physical Description:

xvi, 446 pages : map ; 21 cm

Contents:

I. The Oil Boom, 1974-1980. 1. The Coming of a Foreigner. 2. The Magic Kingdom. 3. Managing the Boom. 4. Servants of God. 5. Living with Islam. 6. Bedouin Pride. 7. The Shackles of Sex. 8. Mysteries of the Hareem. 9. Putting the Saudis to Work. 10. The Royal Tribe. 11. There Was No Tomorrow -- II. The Twilight, 1980 and Beyond. 12. The Press: Pride and Denial. 13. Jail: A Clear and Present Danger. 14. Swords and Missiles: The Search for Security. 15. The World Creeps Closer. 16. The New Realities. 17. Castles of Sand. 18. Stalled Between Seasons.

Summary:

"Sandra Mackey lived in Saudi Arabia for four years, ostensibly - as far as the authorities knew - as the wife of an American doctor. But she saw things and traveled to places rarely seen by an outsider (let alone a Western woman), and writing under the aliases Michael Collins and Justin Coe she successfully smuggled out a series of crucial articles on Saudi culture and politics."

"The Saudis offers a panorama of Saudi life, chronicling Mackey's extraordinary travels and experiences, and depicting Saudi Arabia's strange metamorphosis from a backward desert kingdom into a world power. In this skillful and thorough examination, Mackey reveals the schizophrenic nature of a country in transformation: grappling with modernity, coming to terms with its own wealth, and battling to maintain a position of influence in a new world. With a new introduction and afterword, The Saudis provides essential background to the Saudi crisis as the country finds itself the mother state of international terrorism."--Jacket.

Subject(s):

Saudi Arabia.

Geographic Term:

Saudi Arabia.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Dallas Public Library	965 M19	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Sandra Mackey lived in Saudi Arabia for four years, and as far as the authorities knew, she was simply the wife of an American doctor. But she saw things and traveled to places rarely viewed by any outsider, let alone a Western woman, and she succeeded in smuggling out a series of crucial articles on Saudi culture and politics. The Saudis offers a fascinating portrait of Saudi life, chronicling Mackey's extraordinary travels and experiences and depicting Saudi Arabia's strange metamorphosis from backward desert kingdom to world power. Mackey reveals the chaos of a country in transformation: grappling with modernity, coming to terms with its own wealth, and battling to maintain an influential stance in an altogether new world. This updated edition provides the essential background to the new Saudi crisis as the mother state of international terrorism.

Author Notes

Sandra Mackey is a veteran journalist who has written many books on the Middle East. She lives in Atlanta.

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

For four years beginning in 1978, Mackey lived a double life: as a journalist and professional she objectively observed and analyzed the changes transforming Saudi Arabia; as an expatriate American she was exasperated by the inefficiences and personal inconveniences endemic to that rapidly changing society. Her book outlines the impact of the oil boom on a conservative society, filling in background on the nature of Islam and traditional Arab life. Although fond of the country, she shows little empathy, concluding that Saudi Arabia suffers as ``a people who have lost their way, whose heritage proved unequal to the demands of modernization, whose leaders became corrupt, whose idols floundered . . . .'' Sarcasm and intolerance undermine her factual reporting, and make this a volume that libraries can pass up.Elizabeth R. Hayford, President, Assoc. Colls. of the Midwest, Chicago (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.