Book picks similar to
Monarchies and Nations: Globalisation and Identity in the Arab States of the Gulf by Paul Dresch
world-tour-middle-east
academia
arabian-persian-gulf-region
asia
Sectarian Gulf: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Spring That Wasn't
Toby Matthiesen - 2013
In Sectarian Gulf, Toby Matthiesen paints a very different picture, offering the first assessment of the Arab Spring across the region. With first-hand accounts of events in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, Matthiesen tells the story of the early protests, and illuminates how the regimes quickly suppressed these movements.Pitting citizen against citizen, the regimes have warned of an increasing threat from the Shia population. Relations between the Gulf regimes and their Shia citizens have soured to levels as bad as 1979, following the Iranian revolution. Since the crackdown on protesters in Bahrain in mid-March 2011, the "Shia threat" has again become the catchall answer to demands for democratic reform and accountability. While this strategy has ensured regime survival in the short term, Matthiesen warns of the dire consequences this will have—for the social fabric of the Gulf States, for the rise of transnational Islamist networks, and for the future of the Middle East.
Dope Girl's Ambition
Monique Love - 2014
From her early childhood years her life was anything but normal. Her extensive knowledge of the drug game followed her from a young age right into adulthood. It wasn't until the sexy son of a Columbian drug lord was stunned by Rain's striking beauty that she realized she can also rule. You'll witness how a man and a woman torn by the love of money and power, past losses, present fears, and the paradox of their growing ambition for the game withstood their love for one another. Rain becomes the woman everyone loves to hate. Will she know when to stop, or will her greed for money cause her to self destruct!
A Bytch Named Karma 2
Teruka B. - 2013
“Get them before they get you!” is her motto. After Karma loses the closest thing to her, her whole mindset changes, and her heart turns to ice. Karma has endured a lot of pain in her life, and now her sights are set on making everybody miserable with her. If they have caused her pain in anyway she will be sure to bring the pain right back to them. However, Karma never realizes that “what goes around comes around” and just because her name is Karma doesn't mean she can’t get it too!Get sucked into this fast-paced read that is sure to leave you speechless at the journey Karma takes you on. Find out who Karma’s secret admirer is, and see what Devon has in store for you this time. Karma is on a killing spree with no remorse in her soul…. Will Karma get her life together before it’s too late? Will she find love or will love be her downfall?
Rescued by a Feminist: An Indian tale of equality and other myths
Saloni Chopra - 2020
If nothing else, at least you’ll find out why society has an upset stomach these days.Raw, relatable, powerful, often times uncomfortable, Rescued By A Feminist will make you question your prejudices and shatter your preconceived notions.“In a parallel universe where Cinderella was an independent and outspoken woman, who neither came home before midnight nor needed a fairy godmother... maybe Prince Charming was Rescued By A Feminist.”
Learn To Hate Me
Gracie Strattyn - 2012
When her mother decides to send her away to her father’s house, she begins to feel herself changing in strange ways. Her family is keeping secrets and Carson, her father's employee, seems to hate her for no apparent reason. Having always been headstrong, Kelsey is determined to find the truth.
Soul Cry: The Ten Year Girlfriend
Candace Mumford - 2014
After three engagement rings and no wedding on the horizon Amina has packed her bags. While relocating to a new state to start over Amina forges an unlikely friendship with two women who end up being just the friends she so desperately needs. Amina will soon find ending her long term relationship isn't going to be as easy as she'd once thought when deception is involved and women she thought were friends have been waiting in the wings to be her mans ten year girlfriend.
WHERE BORDERS BLEED: AN INSIDER'S ACCOUNT OF INDO-PAK RELATIONS
Rajiv Dogra - 2015
Covering almost seventy years of conflict, it chronicles the events leading up to Partition, reflects on the consequent strife, and provides a fresh, discursive perspective on the figures who have shaped the story of this land—from Lord Louis Mountbatten and Muhammad Ali Jinnah to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.Covering historical, diplomatic and military perspectives, Where Borders Bleed is intrepid, engaging with a range of contentious issues that have shaped Indo-Pak relations—water sharing, Kashmir and Article 370. Equally, it is speculative. It asks: would terror have affected the world the way it has, if ‘PakIndia’ had been a benign single entity? What if India and Pakistan were to reunite, much like East and West Germany? As the now-largest nation in the world, would the mammoth PakIndia radically change the globe’s geo-political framework?These questions—combined with the author’s own diplomatic access to rare archival material and key leaders across borders—make this a one-of-a-kind book on the story of India and Pakistan.
The Wife of a Hustler
Porscha Sterling - 2015
But the thorn in her side is his babymama, Trinity, who still loves him and makes no effort to hide it. Although Vanessa loves her husband, there is only so much of his conniving baby mother that she can take. Especially when another person enters the picture.While Ty is in Miami helping Trinity take control of her brother's Haitian drug cartel after he is locked up by the Feds, Vanessa meets Mayhem, a sexy rival hustler in NYC, who is after everything Ty has. Like Ty, he is a sexy thug; a self-made millionaire who earns his living off moving dough in the streets. The only difference is that whereas the family life gave Ty a heart, Mayhem doesn't have one. And it's something about his cold-hearted, rough nature that causes Vanessa to want to risk it all.Ty is trying to juggle the two women in his life and at the same time fight off Mayhem who ignores the rules of the streets and is steadily attacking Ty's empire. With Ty's mind on helping Trinity in Miami, his focus isn't on his family or his wife. By the time he tries to get himself together, it may just be too late.
South Beach Cartel - Part 1
Nisa Santiago - 2014
She's making savage rounds through Miami until she can bring her own brand of hood justice to the cartel who messed with hers.After a reunion that seemed like a dream come true, Citi and her mother Ashanti clash heads in a power struggle. Ashanti plays her position as the head chick in charge, and Citi is ostracized from the family. With no money, she's once again forced to make her way back to the throne.Apple is growing restless in Colombia with Kola and Eduardo. She's tired of the controlling situation and wants to resume making money. Plus, she can't let go of the idea of finding her daughter Peaches. The search takes her to Miami, where she runs into her old friend from New York, Cartier.When Apple, Cartier, and Citi meet up, there's an instant realization that the three can take down their opponents and rule the MIA, inflict pain and taking their spots as the Queen B's of Miami.
Between Two Rivers: A Story of Life, Love and Marriage from an English Woman in Baghdad
Dorothy al Khafaji - 2013
When Dorothy set off on a night out with her sister, she never dreamed it would lead to a car journey to Baghdad; but that night she met a dark, mysterious stranger—an Iraqi student named Zane—and almost before she knew it they were married and driving to Baghdad in a borrowed car with their baby daughter. They moved into a house in the suburbs with Zane’s family, throwing Dorothy into the maelstrom of Iraqi culture: letters could take weeks to arrive, there were no mobile phones or computers, and there was no direct dial facility to the UK—she might as well have been living on the moon.
Crack Money With Cocaine Dreams
Jahquel J. - 2014
And so are the drug dealers that flood them. When your pockets are empty but your needs are full, you do the unthinkable. After her mother walks out on her at seven years old, Messiah Garibaldi was groomed to be a boss. Being the daughter to a mob boss and maid, she learned early to never mix business with pleasure. Messiah and her best friend, Jaylah, cook some of the best dope to man, which is how the ruthless drug lord, Tech, enters her world. Never being the one to be in love, Rasheed enters Messiah’s life and opens her to the possibility to love. Will Messiah mix business with pleasure? There’s only one thing in his way: Eli, Messiah’s companion. Eli is money hungry and broke. When giving the opportunity, Eli pulls off a stunt that might end his life. LB is a low-level nickel and dime drug dealer for Tech. Tech has been promising to put him on for years. Tired of being broke and watching Tech reaps the benefits of his labor, LB decides to step out and link up with Rasheed. Staten Island is small, everyone knows everyone…but do they really? When you have crack money but cocaine dreams, envy becomes your best friend.
City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism
Jim Krane - 2009
Until the credit crunch knocked it flat, Dubai was the fastest-growing city in the world, with a roaring economy that outpaced China's while luring more tourists than all of India. It's one of the world's safest places, a stone's throw from its most dangerous. In "City of Gold, " Jim Krane, who reported for the AP from Dubai, brings us a boots-on-the-ground look at this fascinating place by walking its streets, talking to its business titans, its prostitutes, and the hard-bitten men who built its fanciful skyline. He delves into the city's history, paints an intimate portrait of the ruling Maktoum family, and ponders where the city is headed. Dubai literally came out of nowhere. It was a poor and dusty village in the 1960s. Now it's been transformed into the quintessential metropolis of the future through the vision of clever sheikhs, Western capitalists, and a river of investor money that poured in from around the globe. What has emerged is a tolerant and cosmopolitan city awash in architectural landmarks, luxury resorts, and Disnified kitsch. It's at once home to America's most prestigious companies and universities and a magnet for the Middle East's intelligentsia. Dubai's dream of capitalism has also created a deeply stratified city that is one of the world's worst polluters. Wild growth has clogged its streets and left its citizens a tiny minority in a sea of foreigners. Jim Krane considers all of this and casts a critical eye on the toll that the global economic downturn has taken on a place that many tout as a blueprint for a more stable Middle East. While many think Dubai's glory days have passed, insiders like Jim Krane who got to know the city and its creators firsthand realize there's much more to come in the City of Gold, a place that, in just a few years, has made itself known to nearly every person on earth.
Pakistan: A Modern History
Ian Talbot - 1999
There is a need at the time of Pakistan's golden jubilee for it to be taken seriously in its own right as a country of 130 million people. It is in reality a complex plural society which although greatly shaped by the colonial inheritance and circumstances of its birth is also experiencing rapid change. The author's approach breaks down stereotypes and assists in answering the vexed question of why democracy has succeeded in India, while Pakistan has been subject to long periods of authoritarianism during its five decades of existence.
Checkmate 2: Let the Games Begin
Tiece - 2013
He’s now a legit business man who intends to make Bank’s Realty one of the most profitable corporations in Augusta, GA. Unlike his past, which included a rush from sexual pleasure and getting money; his new pawns are now considered to be the women whom he pays and uses for their services. In this sequel, Monty battles with the concept of being faithful to Candy, but a strong connection with a new chick in town keeps interfering. After Monica returns, Rico mans up, but it still seems to be in the wrong manner. Can love really stand the test of time or will everything come crashing down around the both of them? One thing for sure is that you really can’t mix business with pleasure and come out unscathed. Everyone is competing to win. Let the Games begin…