Unholy Kingdom: Religion, Corruption and Violence in Saudi Arabia

Books on modern Saudi Arabian history are becoming more popular, and the number of them is increasing. This book enters an increasingly crowded field, and while decently written and easy to follow, especially when covering Kings and their heirs, it does not offer much that is new that has not been covered in similar books. Author Malise Ruthven takes readers into the world of Saudi Arabia and largely covers its post-World War II existence, especially after the United States and Saudi Arabia made a deal about oil shipments during World War II, with most of the book covering events since the early 2000s. Ruthven takes readers inside the Kingdom and explores how religion and oil have made a volatile combination between those who want to be pious and those who wish to become among the mega wealthy while not being the most religious..

One of the main issues of writing a book like this, especially Saudi Arabia, is that it has been done many times in the past; and books that cover more current topics tend to become outdated fairly quickly, compared to books written about older historical topics.