Saudi Arabia is a country defined by paradox: it sits atop some of the richest oil deposits in the world & yet the country's roiling disaffection produced sixteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers. It is a modern state driven by contemporary technology & yet its powerful religious establishment would have its customs & practices rolled back to match those of the Prophet Muhammed over a thousand years ago. In a world where events in the Middle East continue to have geopolitical consequences far beyond the region's boundaries an understanding of this complex nation is essential. With Inside the Kingdom" British journalist & bestselling author Robert Lacey has given us one of the most penetrating & insightful looks at Saudi Arabia ever produced. More than twenty years after he first moved to the country to write about the Saudis at the end of the oil boom Lacey has returned to find out how the consequences of the boom produced a society at war with itself. Filled with stories told by a broad range of Saudis from high princes & ambassadors to men & women on the street " Inside the Kingdom" is in many ways the story of the Saudis in their own words."