Inside theKingdom Hardback - 2009

by Lacey, Robert

What happened in the MiddleEast's oil-rich powerhouse-while we weren't looking

Saudi Arabia is a country defined by paradox. Itis a modern state driven by contemporary technologyand possessed of vast oil deposits, yet its powerful religiousestablishment would have its customs and practicesrolled back a thousand years to match those of theprophet Muhammad.

With Inside the Kingdom, journalist and bestsellingauthor Robert Lacey has given us one of the mostpenetrating and insightful looks at Saudi Arabia everproduced. While living for years among the nation'sprinces and paupers, its clerics and progressives, Laceyendeavored to find out how the consequences of the1970s oil boom produced a society at war with itself.Filled with stories that trace a path through thePersian Gulf War and the events of 9/11 to the oilmarketconvulsions of today, Inside the Kingdom givesus a modern history of the Saudis in their own words,revealing a people attempting to reconcile life underreligious law with the demands of a rapidly changingworld. Their struggle will have powerful reverberationsaround the globe, and this rich work providesa penetrating look at a country no one can afford toignore.