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Fool's Paradise
The author describes his experiences traveling in Saudi Arabia and shares his impressions of the country's people and culture
242 pages, Paperback
Published April 12, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 19, 2012
My favorite kind of travel book is one where the author has gone on an adventure that I have no intention of ever, EVER taking myself.
A trip far from the comforts of home that:
1) is too dangerous or messy
2) features scary, unfamiliar food
3) involves using unsavory rest room facilities
4) is void of any trees or waterfalls
In this book, written in the eighties, the author set out to find the "old Arabia before it disappeared forever." His journey turned out to be part laugh-out-loud situational comedy, part deep philosophizing about Islam, and part white-knuckled thrill ride.
How'd you like to go a-hellin' up the side of a mountain on an ancient camel trail inside a Land Cruiser taxi, "wheels only inches from thousand-foot drops", look down and see the remains of smashed vehicles littering the deep ravines? Yeah... Me neither.
Or my favorite scene where the author is crammed into a vehicle with five other smelly, cigarette-smoking passengers:
"When we got onto the brand-new, six-lane superhighway to Mecca, the effects of our speed, combined with the shamal (north wind), made the open window next to me like a wind tunnel testing my head's aerodynamics. I was blasted so fiercely that I couldn't open my eyes, and my lips were flapping uncontrollably as if a firehose were trained on them. My scalp, in an effort to keep my hair from being torn out by the roots, began to ache."
So he rolled up the window. The man next to him leaned over and rolled it back down again.
The author's solution?
"I reached into my shopping bag beneath my feet and took out a large notebook, propped my elbow on the armrest, and held the notebook half a foot in front of my face at an angle that sluiced the wind nicely right onto Scarlip. His headrag began to loosen in the gale. He couldn't smoke. His matches blew out. No more than two minutes went by before he reached across me and rolled up the window."
Ha! Take that!
Despite all the levity, the author did not shy away from two sore subjects: religion and the treatment of women. The fact that he was a stranger in Arabia was most driven home when he came upon the sobering sight of three men, accused rapists, buried to their necks in the sand. They had all just been stoned to death.
A trip far from the comforts of home that:
1) is too dangerous or messy
2) features scary, unfamiliar food
3) involves using unsavory rest room facilities
4) is void of any trees or waterfalls
In this book, written in the eighties, the author set out to find the "old Arabia before it disappeared forever." His journey turned out to be part laugh-out-loud situational comedy, part deep philosophizing about Islam, and part white-knuckled thrill ride.
How'd you like to go a-hellin' up the side of a mountain on an ancient camel trail inside a Land Cruiser taxi, "wheels only inches from thousand-foot drops", look down and see the remains of smashed vehicles littering the deep ravines? Yeah... Me neither.
Or my favorite scene where the author is crammed into a vehicle with five other smelly, cigarette-smoking passengers:
"When we got onto the brand-new, six-lane superhighway to Mecca, the effects of our speed, combined with the shamal (north wind), made the open window next to me like a wind tunnel testing my head's aerodynamics. I was blasted so fiercely that I couldn't open my eyes, and my lips were flapping uncontrollably as if a firehose were trained on them. My scalp, in an effort to keep my hair from being torn out by the roots, began to ache."
So he rolled up the window. The man next to him leaned over and rolled it back down again.
The author's solution?
"I reached into my shopping bag beneath my feet and took out a large notebook, propped my elbow on the armrest, and held the notebook half a foot in front of my face at an angle that sluiced the wind nicely right onto Scarlip. His headrag began to loosen in the gale. He couldn't smoke. His matches blew out. No more than two minutes went by before he reached across me and rolled up the window."
Ha! Take that!
Despite all the levity, the author did not shy away from two sore subjects: religion and the treatment of women. The fact that he was a stranger in Arabia was most driven home when he came upon the sobering sight of three men, accused rapists, buried to their necks in the sand. They had all just been stoned to death.
September 20, 2008
The most critical piece of information about this book is that it is one of the very few books written on modern day Arabia that was written before either 9/11 or the first Gulf War. This is extremely important, as the writer has no agenda in explaining to the why's and how's of terrorism or foreign policy or social development unlike the current crop of zealots who churn out books more inclined to promote their own agenda rather than the current state of affairs. Make no mistake, Walker does go into these topics and more about Arabian culture, but he approaches it in a light-hearted tone, and strikes a good balance in discussing both the good and bad of life in Arabia, and the good and bad of how we respond to it. As someone who lived in Saudi Arabia in the early 80's, I was looking for a book that would remind me of the things I experienced there, and I have to say I was pleased with this story. If you are interested in Arabian life, culture, or history, you would be far better off reading this book than what currently be printed in this genre.
June 1, 2009
Liked the book more than I thought I would at first. Author returns to Saudi Arabia after having worked there for years as an English teacher. Some might find the book rife with intolerant Saudi-bashing, but it must get frustrating being often confronted with smug "suggestions" to convert following "hello" in meeting Saudis.
October 29, 2010
This was an interesting account of modern Saudi Arabia, by an American who used to work there and went back for a visit. Very insightful, if not always positive.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews