Citizen of the Global Village
He may not be a household name yet but take note, I’m confident that one day soon more people will know of Hamad Algubllan. Hamad is a Saudi originally from a small village (in fact the same village as my spouse) Unayzeh and when he was about 18 he arrived in the states as a Saudi student. He has recently written and self published “Citizen of the Global Village” in which he candidly shares his experiences, his life and his journey from the small desert village to his years as a student in California and how those times shaped him into the person he is today. His stories and experiences will make one smile and laugh out loud as well as open ones eyes to how one from the East views life and traditions and culture of the US. Hamad’s stories go far towards bridging the gap between East & West and shedding more understanding on the differences as well as the similarities in culture, customs and traditions. I’m very honored that Hamad was kind enough to share a copy of his book with me. I like the way that the front and back cover run together with a picture of Hamad in his traditional Saudi dress on the front cover with a photo of his native village and then the desert sands gradually fade into the backdrop of a sprawling US metropolis and another photo of Hamad in western clothes and sporting a baseball cap.
Girls of Riyadh
Girls of Riyadh is written in an enjoyable and easy-to-follow form about four young Saudi women. This book enters into the private side of Saudi life and society that happens in the Kingdom but seldom spoken about or spoken about so candidly such as relationships, courtships before official engagements have taken place, sex before marriage, adapting to marriage and divorce. Rajaa Alsanea writes the book as if messages are being posted into a private Internet forum which only select individuals can access and read. What makes this book stand out is that it is written by a young Saudi woman and how some young Saudi women have learned to circumvent the traditional and conservative practices of life and culture in Saudi Arabia where young women are typically prohibited from having any contact with a man who is not a sanctioned relative such as a father, brother, uncle, husband or grandfather.
If Olaya Street Could Talk — Saudi Arabia: The Heartland of Oil and Islam
John Paul Jones worked for a period of time in Riyadh at King Faisal Specialist Hospital. In his book, “If Olaya Street Could Talk – Saudi Arabia: The Heartland of Oil and Islam” he shares his experiences, views and perspectives of life in Saudi Arabia during that period of time.
The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam’s Holiest Shrine and the Birth of al-Qaeda
The Siege of Mecca provides a concise account of Saudi Arabia’s history and a detailed account of the 20 November 1979 Siege of Saudi Arabia’s Holiest Shrine, The Grand Mosque (Haram) in Mecca. This book is a must read for anyone interested in Saudi Arabia’s history and the beginnings of Al Qaeda. 
As the title implies, “Discovery! The Search for Arabian Oil” takes the readers to the origins of when and how oil was first discovered in Saudi Arabia. It also serves as a reminder of how welcomed Americans once were in Saudi Arabia as well as illustrating the changes which the discovery brought upon the Kingdom as a nation.
The Burning Veil is a work of fiction written by author Jean Grant. I found that once I picked up this book and began reading, I could not put it down and finished it by the next day. Jean Grant presents an accurate and believable depiction of romance between an American woman and a Saudi man. The couple meets while the Saudi man is in the United States. The American woman is a doctor and therefore has little difficulty obtaining a job in the Kingdom after her Saudi returned home. Working in the Kingdom allowed her to not only get to know her Saudi better on his home turf but to experience firsthand the customs, cultures and traditions of day-to-day life in Saudi Arabia. The Burning Veil illustrates well the communication and cultural challenges an American and a Saudi face when forging a relationship and new life together. Jean Grant also does an excellent job in incorporating real life incidents and experiences of Saudi life into this compelling work of fiction.
While a work of fiction, The Burning Veil contains many truths that anyone who has had a relationship or married to a Saudi can readily relate too. The Burning Veil is published by Mishmish Press and available via Amazon.com.
And stay tuned…American Bedu had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with Jean Grant which will be forthcoming in June.
I would also recommend ” What a World…What a World! Life on 2 Western Compounds in
Saudi Arabia—Post 9/11 by Lin Simpson for a view of what life in Saudi Arabia is like from the point of view of an American expat woman. Lin lived at Jadawel in Riyadh before she and her husband moved to Khamis. She is now back in the states but maintains contact with her many friends in the kingdom. A good read, especially from a woman’s point of view.
Sky King – thank you! I have not heard of this book and will investigate. Always appreciate recommendations.
Dear American Bedu,
Somehow I have been hungering for accounts of people living in different cultures. Your blog has been a joy. I would be very interested in what you thought of the following books:
1) In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta A. Ahmed (very badly edited but interesting read of a woman Doctor’s experience in KSA)
2) Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Memoirs of a Somalian woman who moves to Holland. This is a tough (sad) read so don’t read it when you are going through a hard time)
3) Non violent Soldier of Islam: Badshah Khan: A Man to Match his Mountains by Eknath Easwaran (biography of a Pakistani man who was a contemporary and friend of Gandhi. It is hopeful about Islam)
4) Lipstick Jihad by Azadeh Moaveni. (Memoirs of a young Iranian American who moves back to Iran. A bit angst ridden as she is so young and works as a journalist).
5) Guests of the Sheik by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea (The author and her husband are scholars who lived in Iraq in the 1950s (?). It is well written and interesting to read a first hand experience of an earlier time)
You had some interesting thoughts on the Sultana trilogy. There does seem to be a human tendency that loves to hate. I have a sense that a negative book on Islam is more likely to be a successful seller in the US.
I loved Three Cups of Tea although wished he had written it himself. I got a bit bogged down in The Places In Between with all the mud villages and Afgani names but the book really helped to understand what a cultural quagmire it is for the American military.
Perhaps I should have posted this in the more general area about books as only one is about the KSA.
Best regards and thanks for your blog,
Annie
Hi Annie!
wow — you’ve given me a list of some books to explore that sound very interesting indeed!
The only one I immediately recognized although have not read yet myself is the first one you have cited by Qanta Ahmed.
Yes; I was disappointed to have Three Cups of Tea end and would have liked to have heard more!
Glad you are enjoying the blog.
Best Regards,
Carol
Hey Carol,
On your recommendation, I found Girls of Riyadh at our local library. It seems a bit like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series here in the US only a bit darker.
I would be interested in other blog readers’ opinion of this book. One critic on Amazon said it only represented 1% of Saudi young women; however as novels strive to tell a good story by dramatizing reality rather than striving to represent objective reality so of course it is not exemplary of female experience in Saudi Arabia. I’m not surprised that it created a furor but giggled a bit when I read that the concern was over the depiction of women. The book makes Saudi men look pretty bad to me not the women. . .but I’ll keep reading.
Hi Annie,
Yes…there are some commonalities between Girls of Riyadh and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants!
I believe that Girls of Riyadh does give a fair representation of young women who are from the higher echolons of Saudi society and captures the essence of what these young women feel and how in a few cases, the feelings led to actions. It did create a furor since the young women cited in the book all go against the cultural norms in regards to relationships and interaction between the sexes before marriage. And you’re right…the book does not necessarily portray the Saudi guys in a favorable light either.
I finished Girls of Riyadh last night and enjoyed it. It presented a somewhat concentrated version of what the author of In the Land of Invisible women experienced.
I read an interview with the GoR author and she said the book was based on the experiences of many many women not just four. I did get the feeling as I read that the characters were having an unrealistically hard time with bad relationship after bad relationship but it makes sense when you realize that the author was portraying multitudinous experiences within the lives of four characters.
Thanks Bedu for the recommendation!
Al Salam Alikom, I am saudi and I am very pleased by your posts in this blog. It is so interesting and very cultural. I would like to add a book to your books list about saudi arabia in here. The book is called, The Saudi Enigma – A History, written in French BY PASCAL MÉNORET, TRANSLATED into English BY PATRICK CAMILLER, WITH A FOREWORD BY PROFESSOR FRED HALLIDAY.
This book is worthwhile reading. It talks about saudi culture, oil, wahhabism, saudi identity, 9/11 events and osama bin laden, saudi arabia’s image in western culture. It also sheds the light on the geographical cultural diversities in saudi arabia. I strongly recommend reading it for anyone interested about saudi arabia.Hopefully, you will like it. salam!
Welcome Medina and thank you for nice compliments. I also appreciate the recommendations for additional books. i’m not familiar with the one you have cited and will look for it.
I like The Sheltered Quarter by Hamza Bogary. It is about the author’s childhood in Mecca.
@luckyfatima,
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ve not seen it but will certainly look for it.
Another book is called “Paramedic to the Prince” it is about an American paramedics 10 year adventure working in Saudi Arabia. Including being on the medical team of King Abdullah.
Well worth a read….
thank you patrick. I’ve not heard of it and will look for it.
I’m very surprised that no one has talked about Jean Sasson’s Princess series on the Saudi royal family. They were great reality shockers….
There is a film called “Saudis in America”, not a book, I know, but I know the director, and it’s pretty good.
I think though, there is a huge difference between full blooded Saudis and half Saudis and those who live in Saudi Arabia and are not Saudi at all.
From what I’ve seen, full bloods cast out everyone but family and close friends to what really goes on in their lives. That’s why I enjoyed the Princess books so much, she wrote them herself and Jean just translated them.
Hi Tiffany and welcome,
I purposely chose not to portray the Princess series. I have read them and believe much is over-exaggerated to make the books sell. They are not typical of average Saudi life and they are not at all related to the lifestyles and habits of the Royals whom I know. I think anyone reading them will come away with more misperceptions of Saudi than reality.
Dear American Bedu !
I thank you sincerely for not portraying Jean Sasson’s Princess-Triology for the reasons you mentioned on your lovely Blog.
You and your readers might not have heard, but this Princess mentioned here was simply ‘made-up’ and never ever existed to start with, nor did the author have a single page of a diary from a Princess nor any other Arabic woman to write those books about Saudi Arabia from.
For more info on this subject, please GOOGLE:
“PRINCESS” Plagiarism Suit Provides Rare Look Into Literary Arab-Bashing.
American Bedu I thank you again for being a soothing influence.
Monika Al Adsani
Monika: Welcome and thank you for your comment.
I did google your search terms: http://www.wrmea.com/backissues/1096/9610082.htm
and found them a very interesting, enlightening read.
Please feel free to email directly if you wish at admin@americanbedu.com
Dear American Bedu! I thank you for you express reply and also for turning my longwinded Google article search into a simple click of the finger. Brilliant. Yes, what a sorry book-publishing world we now have out there. Readers are being mislead, misinformed and stirred up with negative vibes, lies and even hatred. Books of fiction are sold as none fiction, as God’s truth. Lately we had James Frey, Norma Khouri. Herman Rosenblat, Kathy O’Beirne, Margaret Seltzer, I could go on and on about sooo manny authors biographies which turned out to be one big hoax. But first they graced Oprah Winfrieds chat-show and made a couple of $illions before being unveiled. There are still authors out there to be named and shamed. The problem is that the truth does not sell. Publishers know that so they take a chance with a lie. And even after the cat is out of the bag only the author is the looser. Publishers loose nothing and often carry on selling those fake-books.
One of my daughters in law, a lovely American girl from Washington D.C. Mum to two of my three super grandchildren, gave me IF OLAYA STREET COULD TALK by John Paul Jones in summer 2008. I liked it very much. I respect this author because with his extended knowledge about Saudi Arabia he stayed honourable throughout. Had he done otherwise, he too could be a multy-$illionair from a single book.
Your e-mail is now in my computer and it will soon be put to good use. Once again, I thank you very much.
Sincerely Monika
I suggest the book “The Battle for Saudi Arabia: Royalty, Fundamentalism, and Global Power” by As’as Abukhalil.
He is a professor at a university in California. The book is a must have for those who want an honest look at Saudi Arabia.
He is also the writer of the well known blog “The Angry Arab”.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2501/is_4_26/ai_n13562967/
opps……….As’ad.
@Monika – yes, it saddens me how many authors wishing to write non-fiction may sensationalize some details for marketability. I’ve often thought of writing my own book and yes, based on my own personal story but I don’t know if I’d want to expose myself that much. I say a lot through my blog but it is actually only the tip of the iceberg of what I choose to share, in the personal sense. I’m looking forward to corresponding with you Monika.
@Abu-Sinan – thanks for the recommendation. I do need to update the book links page and hope to do so soon.
Sir, I am fond of to collect of information about the different countries of the world. I will be thank ful to you if you kindly send me some informative material about SAUDI ARABIA.
With best regards,
ATTIQ-UR-REHMAN
HOUSE NO.106
STREET NO.4
FAISAL BAGH
NEAR NEW CENTRAL JAIL ROAD
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PAKISTAN
@Annie:
“Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Memoirs of a Somalian woman who moves to Holland. This is a tough (sad) read so don’t read it when you are going through a hard time)”
There’s a reason its such a “tough”, “sad” read: Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a liar. She lied about the reason she moved to the Netherlands. She uses the fact that she is an ex-Muslim in order to slander Islam and all Muslims. She blames female circumcision on Islam, even though it is pre-Islamic African pagan practice. She generalizes and claims that Muslims are terrorists and Islam is a violent impressive religion. She is anything but a good source. She is a fascist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raKPJ3-ypwo&feature=related
Ayaan Hirsi hit it lucky in the West just like manny Muslim females and males after fleeing from their Muslim Country to the West. After Ayaan was welcomed with open arms, she realised as soon as she had landed, on which side her bread was buttered and started self inventing, (and telling lies, as we’ve read) and she never look’t back. Discovering all she had to do was to repeat, parrot like, the West’s negative propaganda. I doubt she ever was a Muslim. For if, as she claims she was indeed a Muslim, she knows painfully little about Islam, her own religion, she talks about this faith with rather limited’ know how’. Those discriminating, negative statements she makes about Islam are a clever ruse with which to please the West who use her as handy propaganda tool along with others Muslims sisters and brothers in crime. With those who defected to the West and have been brown nosing ever since. That guy who interviewed her on Hard talk has got her pretty well figured out.
I am not an Arab, nor am I a Muslim, but I seem to know more about it than Ayaan Hirsi.
American Bedu, thank you for giving readers a platform to speak our mind on your super blog!
It has been awhile since I read that book, “infidel”. I don’t remember much it said about Islam. Mainly I remember what a terrible messed up family she had. It would be interesting to read a rebuttal.
Sigh – I know a rebuttal (not sure that is the right word) has come out about 3 Cups of Tea. A friend says it is pretty daming – sigh. I always hunger for good news and stories of something constructive being done now in the world.
Frederike, if you have really red Ayaan Hirshi Ali’s book you would know that she was full blown salafi, covering head to toe, and really, truly convinced that if men saw her hair or the shape of her legs in something like baggy trousers the ground would split open and the planet would be destroyed.
She describes in her book amongst other things how she woke up, how she freed her mind from religious voodoo and enslavement of the mind.
Of course she now works to stop other people from the quagmire of religion, specifically Islam as that was the religion she was indoctrinated into, and the mutilation of girls. How could any sane, decent person do different?
Ayaan was lucky to be in the Netherlands, where we have a free secular and open society, where people actually go out of their way to help others, even strangers from the other side of the globe, with different religions. The Netherlands is so far superior to countries like Saudi Arabia I can’t even start to point out the differences, but if you actually read ”infidel” you would know enough.
Read a book and understand it first before you go around writing nasty stuff about it.
Al Mutazili, Islam is such a nasty m, misogynist religion that you don’t need to slander it, you only need to tell the truth about it. Like any other religion btw.
NEWSWEEK just published an excellent article authored by Ayaan Hirsi: Global War on Christians In The Muslim World …..
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/02/05/ayaan-hirsi-ali-the-global-war-on-christians-in-the-muslim-world.html
I, too, am saddened that there is now controversy surrounding Three Cups of Tea.
What one gets to read in a so called ‘none fiction’ book and what is the actual truth, are two different matters. Proof if needed: James Frey, Norma Khouri, Ayaan Hirsi, Jean Sasson….the list goes on and on like a telephone directory, why not look it up? And yes, It has been out in the open for over a year now: “Three Cups Of Tea” is also half a hoax and I am sorry to say “it will not be the last one”.
carol – i’d say take all this books na dread it like a fiction, just enjoy it and dream for a few hrs…
good point, Radhaa. But then if I were to write a book, would everyone think it was fiction? (smile)
please try?