A History of Saudi Arabia

I found this book to be the most informative and concise introduction to modern Saudi Arabia currently available. I lived and worked in the Kingdom in the late 2000s during which time I read most of what had been recently published. Much of what was available was written by western journalists with only a very superficial understanding of culture, politics and economy of KSA and much seemed to be aimed at satisfying the market for sensational anecdotes of their short "bungee jumps" into the region. Ms. al-Rasheed's book is a well researched and beautifully written study of the making of modern Saudi society and its role in the region.

Before reading this book, I knew little about the history of Saudi Arabia. After reading it, I know a lot. So the book definitely served its purpose. But there are a few weaknesses that I must mention:1) The book is definitely written in an academic style. As an academic myself, I can appreciate that. But for a more casual reader, this fact might be somewhat off putting.2) Perhaps this comment is a continuation of the first, but why must Arabic words be so heavily emphasized? Do so when there is no English word but come on, a phrase such as "... the head of the royal court (diwan), who was appointed as clerk (amin sir)." verges on showing off.3) The first 7 chapters were written for a 2002 edition; the 2010 edition adds two new chapters. But it seems as if the author did nothing to revise the first chapters. For instance, the old Chapter 6 says about Bin Laden's blame for the 9-11 attacks that "... hard evidence remains at this point very elusive." Probably in 2002 this statement would have been acceptable. But for a book copyrighted in 2010, the statement is ludicrous. When updating to a new edition, checking everything is a good idea.4) Chapters 7 and 8 show the author looking at very current events (ie, for Chapter 7 current in 2002 and for Chapter 8 current in 2008) and vastly overstating their importance. In particular, not every small London-based group and not every proclamation of the king will be crucially significant. Mentioning these without going into detail is a good idea, at least until the group or proclamation has proven to be important.While I have mentioned 4 flaws, I still liked the book quite a lot, hence its high rating. If you are looking for a good history of Saudi Arabia from 1900 to 2000, this is a book to consider. It's a little weaker on the period before 1900 and after 2000.

not worth the time reading it. the author is biased