Item Detail

Chronicles the transformation of Saudi Arabia from a primitive Bedouin realm in the desert to a complex and contradictory world power, describing the reality of the kingdom's present and analyzing the forces that will shape its future

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 Cahners Business Information.