Customer Reviews

Arabs

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The author clearly brings a wealth of knowledge to his subject, the 'Arabs' (which term he defines early on), but this is often hidden by his stilted, convoluted writing style. Over and over one reads a sentence or paragraph that seems to contain the point he's been trying to make, only to read it over and over to know what it is.

The effort will repay, however, but it is irritating. There are nuggets describing Arabs' gregarious nature, their social acuity, family and tribal structure, leadership, and, of course, attitudes towards Islam and its place in their lives. Since so many of these insights seemed fascinating I found myself over and over yearning for a simple, declarative sentence.

A weakness is his chapter on women in the Arab world (which, he admits, is because he actually knew very few over the years due to their place in society vs outsiders). Another is his treatment of 'politics', where his indirection and meandering style made it hard to follow--I concluded that politics was basically that of the tribe, etc, which is actually well-described elsewhere. One fascinating topic is on the qualities it takes to be a shaik (his spelling) and why certain families product them generation after generation--and how the ancient shaik system may be breaking down.

Patience will reward with this book but I suspect there are others that present the same insights with more clear writing.

This book is interesting, but it is a diplomat's memoirs of time spent in the Arabian desert with Bedouins, and heavy on history. It definitely has a misleading, too-broad title.
Arabs are people in 21 countries and most are not Arabians nor do they live in deserts. No description of urban people (the region is now 85% urban) and no reports of interacting with modern, educated people. So it's not a helpful guide for today, tho it is interesting history. It is almost entirely centered on the Arabian Peninsula.

I quickly became very disappointed with this book. The author raises many important questions, such as the definition of Arab (to what degree it is linked to tribal identity, for example) and the connections between Arab values and religion. But most of these questions are left hanging, illuminated, if at all, by a few arbitrarily chosen personal experiences. The author has apparently spent a lot of time in the Arab world, but he hasn't done much reading. For example, in his very weak chapter on women he shows no awareness of the voluminous writings on this subject, much of it by Arab women. His chapter on religion is similarly weak, with no real awareness of the complexity of the religious tradition. Key analytical issues are brushed over -- for example, how many of the Arab values that he discusses are common to all Middle Eastern tribal societies, and not specifically Arab at all? Further, the impact of national identities and differences, as well as the effects of economic and demographic changes, are well beyond his grasp. I see that the author of this book was knighted -- I certainly hope that it wasn't for this book, which is one of the weakest of the many I have read on this and related subjects.

"Arabs" is easy to read and admirably concise. It has a striking black, white, and gold cover. It would make a great, high-level introduction to Arabs - the perfect house gift for a stay in the Lincoln Bedroom, say - if it weren't so very backward looking.

Allen is great on historical Arabia: how it is that a large region, populated by the descendant of various early civilizations, has come to view itself as Arab. He's great on the historical tension between farmers and nomads.

But Allen is an old man. He remembers when the "khaki class" came to power, in the '50's and '60's, and this remains "modern Arabia", to him. There's very little about this "modern Arabia" in this book - and there's nothing about how the children of that generation turned to jihad.

If you've read anything by anyone who's spent time with the Bedu - Thesiger, say, or perhaps Burton - you'll find very little new here. If you haven't, you'll find this book inexpensive, enjoyable, and worth your time and money. Just don't expect any insight into tomorrow's headlines from it.

Unfortunately I agree with the other reviewers. I read this as background to some trips to the Gulf but I found Don't They Know It's Friday? Cross-Cultural Considerations for Business and Life in the Gulf more practically useful.

I found it an interesting read though, and certainly if you're buying a bunch of books to research the area before taking a trip to the Arab world, this should be one of the books you buy.

There were some frustrating typos which should have been caught by copy editors.

If the extent of your knowledge of Arabian culture is confined to Lawrence of Arabia and what you see on the nightly news [typically encompassing the following three things 1) Middle Easterners sitting in cafes smoking hookas 2) big protests 3) big explosions], then this book will be informative for you, as it was for me.

A previous reviewer was right in saying that the political chapter meanders a bit, but on the whole I found the book very useful and interesting. I read with particular interest the points on the interrelatedness of religion, family, tribe and state, as well as the inherent problems presented by democracy in Arab society.

It is also worth noting that the title is "Arabs", not "Extremists" or "Islamists". This book is not about "why they hate us" nor "why they are evil." It highlights differences without passing judgment.