America's Kingdom: Mythmaking on the Saudi Oil Frontier (Stanford Studies in Middle Eastern and Islamic Societies and Cultures)

...you should slog your way through the clunky writing though, if you're going to spend a good amount of time in Saudi. It really helps you feel out the way things work here and the history behind it.

If you are interested in transnational American exceptionalism and big oil politics, this is the book for you. It's not about Saudi Arabia or al Saud's dirty secrets but rather about the relationship between power, oil, money, and politics.

I highly recommend not purchasing this book.

I was honored by having Bob Vitalis teach me a class while I was at the University of Pennsylvania, and was always struck by his engaging ideas and unconventional teaching style. Overcoming several obstacles to actually get the information to write this book in the first place, Vitalis has finally achieved what many would consider an impossible feat: An honest look at the history of the American-Saudi relationship. Here's to the hope that future students of his will be as inspired by his ideas as I was.