Kingdom of Sand and Cement by Peter Bogaczewicz explores the challenges Saudi Arabia faces today as it rapidly transforms from a conservative and tribal desert culture to an influential world power. In less than a century the Saudis have experienced profound change as they transitioned from living in traditional mud buildings to commencing work on the world's tallest skyscraper. Examining this legacy through large-format color photographs, Peter Bogaczewicz documents a country of sharp contrasts where visual traces of an old reticent society can be seen in the midst of a burgeoning modern culture reflecting the ambitious agenda of the new King and his charismatic son and successor, the Crown Prince, a decisive risk-taker whose bold policies have received a warm welcome by some, yet have alienated others.

A First-Hand Look at Saudi Arabian Life as Few Outsiders Have Seen It "It's like watching a movie - just better," Dr. Elisabeth Kendall, Oxford University, Arabic and Islamic Studies. 2020 Finalist Sarton Women's Literary Award for Nonfiction #1 Bestseller on Saudi Arabia, Social Group Studies, Islam, Civil Rights, Islamic Banking & Finance Witness the mysterious world of Saudi Arabia. Understand Saudi culture, politics, history, human rights, and womens rights as seen through the intimate and insightful experiences of an award-winning journalist. Few Westerners have been allowed a closer look at the inner workings of Saudi Arabia. Susanne Koelbl, prize-winning journalist for the German news magazine Der Spiegel, strips away the veil covering many secrets of this mysterious kingdom. For years she traveled the Middle East, and recently lived in Riyadh during the most dramatic changes since the country's founding. Peek inside the black box that is Saudi Arabia. Koelbl has cultivated relationships on every level of Saudi society and is equally at ease with ultra-conservative Salafi preachers, oppositionists, and women from all walks of life. Listen to intimate conversations with women about their newly offered freedoms Have breakfast with Royal Highnesses, meet Osama bin Laden's bomb-making trainer, enter palaces of secret service chiefs View an in-depth portrait of the all-powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) If you have an interest in books such as Robert Lacey's Inside the Kingdom, Bradley Hope's Blood and Oil, or Kim Ghattas's Black Wave; expect unique insights into the new Saudi Arabia, travel through the rapidly changing kingdom, and be a witness to very personal encounters with the citizens of Saudi Arabia in Susanne Koelbl's Behind the Kingdom's Veil.

With over thirty years of experience writing about Saudi Arabia, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and former publisher of "The" "Wall Street Journal "Karen Elliott House has an unprecedented knowledge of life inside this shrouded kingdom. Through anecdotes, observation, analysis, and extensive interviews, she navigates the maze in which Saudi citizens find themselves trapped and reveals the sometimes contradictory nature of the nation that is simultaneously a final bulwark against revolution in the Middle East and a wellspring of Islamic terrorists.
Saudi Arabia finds itself threatened by fissures and forces on all sides, and "On Saudi Arabia" explores in depth what this portends for the country's future--and our own.