Short Synopsis
Bestselling author Robert Lacey tells us what happened in the Middle East's oil-rich powerhouse—while we weren't looking.

Full Synopsis
Saudi Arabia is a country defined by paradox. It is a modern state driven by contemporary technology and possessed of vast oil deposits, yet its powerful religious establishment would have its customs and practices rolled back a thousand years to match those of the prophet Muhammad.

With Inside the Kingdom, journalist and bestselling author Robert Lacey has given us one of the most penetrating and insightful looks at Saudi Arabia ever produced. While living for years among the nation's princes and paupers, its clerics and progressives, Lacey endeavored to find out how the consequences of the 1970s oil boom produced a society at war with itself.

Filled with stories that trace a path through the Persian Gulf War and the events of 9/11 to the oil-market convulsions of today, Inside the Kingdom gives us a modern history of the Saudis in their own words, revealing a people attempting to reconcile life under religious law with the demands of a rapidly changing world. Their struggle will have powerful reverberations around the globe, and this rich work provides a penetrating look at a country no one can afford to ignore.

"This is high drama and an epic tale. Dazzling---on every level." ---Tom Brokaw

"The most penetrating and substantial book on the Saudi state and society since September 11.... This is a thoughtful masterpiece about a country that lies at the heart of the Muslim world." ---Ahmed Rashid, author of Descent into Chaos

"Lacey's eye for sweeping trends and the telling detail combined with the depth, breadth and evenhandedness of his research makes for an indispensable guide." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Lacey does a good job of encapsulating Saudi domestic history over the past 30 years." ---Washington Post

"An insightful and intimate portrait of a country---and a family---chained to tradition and challenged by the remorseless march of modernity." ---Lawrence Wright, author of the Pulitzer Prize winner The Looming Tower

Publishers Weekly Review