- Paperback: 480 pages
- Publisher: WW Norton; Revised edition edition (Oct 29 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0393324176
- ISBN-13: 978-0393324174
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 13.9 x 3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 431 g
- Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,045,585 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
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
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
A rare first-hand glimpse into the hidden realm of Saudi social and public life. -- New York Times
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
I AM Michael Collins. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
I AM Michael Collins. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not so updated, is it?,
By A Customer
This review is from: Saudis Updated Edition (Paperback)
Actually, as a Western woman, living in Saudi Arabia for the past year, I found the book very interesting and well-balanced. It largely fits with many of my own perceptions of the country, and provided a very clear historical overview of the time between the old boom of the early seventies and the beginnings of political upheaval of the mid-eighties. HOWEVER, although calling itself an "updated version" -- with this stamped on the cover of the book -- there is little updating apart from the 3 1/2 page Introduction and the 11 page Afterword. I was so disappointed, for example, in the chapter on The World Creeps Closer to find NO updating, at all, as this book was written during the Iran - Iraq war. In fact, it jars the reader, because of this. The use of present tense in the chapters discussing things 15 years previous to the 2002 publication date is confusing, at best, and misleading at worst. I don't think the few pages tacked on at the beginning and the end, make up for this, unfortunately. It seems to be cashing in on the 9/11 tragedy, with minimal effort on the part of the author and/or editors. Very disappointing, that!
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not worth your time,
By A Customer
This review is from: Saudis Updated Edition (Paperback)
As someone who has lived in Saudi Arabia, I find Mackey's book highly innacurate and misrepresented of the Saudi people, which is probably based on her perceptions of living in a confined compound and not intimately familiar with Arabic. It is unfortunate, MacKey did not evolve her book more around interviews with women, of which she probably had unique access. There are far better books recently published on Saudi Arabia to read, especially if one seeks to understand the Saudi relationship to 9/11: These include "The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa'Ud", by Robert Lacey, "Oil Monarchies: Domestic and Security Challenges in the Arab Gulf States", by Gregory Gause, and by far the definitive book on Saudi Arabian culture "Saudi Arabia and the Politics of Dissent", by Mamoun Fandy.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not accurate, not worth your time.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Saudis Updated Edition (Paperback)
I picked up this book a while ago. After living in Saudi for about 12 years I was curious to see how a western author would describe Saudi. My conclusion after reading it is that the book is full of inaccuracies and generalizations. Instead I'd recommned several other books like The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa'Ud, by Robert Lacey, Oil Monarchies: Domestic and Security Challenges in the Arab Gulf States, by Gregory Gause, and the best book I've seen written about Saudi that shows some of the cultural nuances of the country: Saudi Arabia and the Politics of Dissent, by Mamoun Fandy.
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