Bits of this book are great. If you're into understanding why the world is today, then this is a book that deserves your time. It's more of a polemic than a history book, with some great rants. But because its a polemic, there are some problems. First of all, it needs citations, so that the stories attested to within can be confirmed (as much as anything can be in this life). Secondly, Aburish uses 'Bedouin' as a criticism - which is pretty racist. Thirdly, there's too much of it, too much repetition. It can get boring. Fourthly, the aura of smug liberal chicken licken doomsaying has been proved wrong. Since this book was first published Saudi Arabia has survived nearly as long again. Oil has topped a hundred dollars a barrel a couple of times and the world hasn't revolted against the Saudis. Kings have come and gone and come again, and still the House endures. Simply put, Aburish's predictions, whilst grounded in reality, have not come true and that makes this book a bit of a failure. ( )

I read this as Saudi Arabia is a country I am unlikely to ever visit, and because of the western dependence on oil it is a country we ought to know much more about. The close relationship between the Bush family (and therefore US Government) and the House of Saud affects us all. ( )