A penetrating spur to imagine an alternative political system of civil liberties in a now firmly repressive Saudi Arabia.
Another damning exposé on the authoritarian crown prince of a problematic state.
Al-Rasheed, a longtime Saudi expat scholar and professor living in London, makes an important addition to the literature on Mohammed bin Salman (often known as MBS), offering a surgical delineation of his repressive measures in the name of "reform"—while arguing that real reform is possible. The charming prince, who assumed the role of heir-designate in 2017, was seen as a modernizer and reformer, and he has both celebrated and hindered the aspirations of young Saudis. Before the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, the Western press mostly celebrated MBS, allowing him a sliver of legitimacy as he simultaneously promoted his purge of opponents and seduced the public with more liberal entertainment policies. The author, who displays keen knowledge of her former home, looks deeply at some of the troubling and persistent currents plaguing MBS's Saudi Arabia: a new populist nationalism, which she believes "covers up" nefarious economic, social, and regional policies of the crown prince; persistent tribalism and celebration of tribal purity; and the consistent targeting of the Saudi feminist movement. The chapter entitled "Women and Rights" is an excellent examination of a contradictory element that is ever present in the prince's policy: the ostensible empowerment of women (allowing them to drive and be more visible) versus punishment for chafing against the paternalistic "guardianship system." Al-Rasheed is especially familiar with the Saudi diaspora and the increased activism since the murder of Khashoggi. All of these developments, she writes, "puncture the official narrative about Muhammad bin Salman’s modern new Saudi Arabia." However, the author notes that low oil prices, continued war in Yemen, the erosion of state services and salaries, and the ravages of the pandemic may prompt Saudis to challenge the policies of the prince. Read this one alongside Bradley Hope’s Blood and Oil and Ben Hubbard’s MBS.
A penetrating spur to imagine an alternative political system of civil liberties in a now firmly repressive Saudi Arabia.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-19-755814-0
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years.
A carefully curated personal portrait.
First ladies’ roles have evolved significantly in recent decades. Their memoirs typically reflect a spectrum of ambition and interests, offering insights into their values and personal lives. Melania Trump, however, stands out as exceptionally private and elusive. Her ultra-lean account attempts to shed light on her public duties, initiatives, and causes as first lady, and it defends certain actions like her controversial “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” jacket. The statement was directed at the media, not the border situation, she claims. Yet the book provides scant detail about her personal orbit or day-to-day interactions. The memoir opens with her well-known Slovenian origin story, successful modeling career, and whirlwind romance with Donald Trump, culminating in their 2005 marriage, followed by a snapshot of Election Day 2016: “Each time we were together that day, I was impressed by his calm.…This man is remarkably confident under pressure.” Once in the White House, Melania Trump describes her functions and numerous public events at home and abroad, which she asserts were more accomplished than media representations suggested. However, she rarely shares any personal interactions beyond close family ties, notably her affection for her son, Barron, and her sister, Ines. And of course she lavishes praise on her husband. Minimal anecdotes about White House or cabinet staff are included, and she carefully defuses her rumored tensions with Trump’s adult children, blandly stating, “While we may share the same last name, each of us is distinct with our own aspirations and paths to follow.” Although Melania’s desire to support causes related to children’s and women’s welfare feels authentic, the overall tenor of her memoir seems aimed at painting a glimmering portrait of her husband and her role, likely with an eye toward the forthcoming election.
A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years.Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9781510782693
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
For Howard Zinn, long-time civil rights and anti-war activist, history and ideology have a lot in common. Since he thinks that everything is in someone's interest, the historian—Zinn posits—has to figure out whose interests he or she is defining/defending/reconstructing (hence one of his previous books, The Politics of History). Zinn has no doubts about where he stands in this "people's history": "it is a history disrespectful of governments and respectful of people's movements of resistance." So what we get here, instead of the usual survey of wars, presidents, and institutions, is a survey of the usual rebellions, strikes, and protest movements. Zinn starts out by depicting the arrival of Columbus in North America from the standpoint of the Indians (which amounts to their standpoint as constructed from the observations of the Europeans); and, after easily establishing the cultural disharmony that ensued, he goes on to the importation of slaves into the colonies. Add the laborers and indentured servants that followed, plus women and later immigrants, and you have Zinn's amorphous constituency. To hear Zinn tell it, all anyone did in America at any time was to oppress or be oppressed; and so he obscures as much as his hated mainstream historical foes do—only in Zinn's case there is that absurd presumption that virtually everything that came to pass was the work of ruling-class planning: this amounts to one great indictment for conspiracy. Despite surface similarities, this is not a social history, since we get no sense of the fabric of life. Instead of negating the one-sided histories he detests, Zinn has merely reversed the image; the distortion remains.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1979
ISBN: 0061965588
Page Count: 772
Publisher: Harper & Row
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1979
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