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Did you know that a Saudi woman was rated more powerful than Hillary Clinton by Fortune magazine in 2017 and that a Saudi university enrolls more than 60,000 female students, more than any other university in the world?

Would you believe that Muslims are allowed to drink wine and other alcoholic beverages, provided they don't get drunk and that they can eat pork in order to avert starvation?

Would it surprise you to learn that a Saudi pediatric surgeon and his team have performed 42 successful separations of conjoined twins from 19 countries--at no cost to the families of the patients?

These are some of the surprising facts revealed in the seventeen essays of this collection, Saudi Arabia: Reflections of an American. Ronald W. Kenyon recounts the adventures and misadventures befalling Americans, Britons, Filipinos, one unlucky Sudanese and two extremely unfortunate Koreans. There are true stories, apocryphal stories, even outrageous stories. The author also discloses the personal counter-terrorism plan he devised after the jihadi attacks that took place a mile from where he lived. Several essays evoking historical events and a number of sidebars profiling outstanding Saudi women, men and institutions add valuable context.

With his delightful humor and alternative points of view, the author, who spent nine years in Saudi Arabia, provides lively accounts of characters you will never forget in a book that will appeal not only to readers who have lived in the Middle East, but armchair travelers and those simply curious about Saudi Arabia and the people who live and work there. Saudi Arabia: Reflections of an American is a timely and insightful look at a country increasingly in the limelight.