{"product_id":"its-not-what-you-think-an-american-woman-in-saudi-arabia-hardcover","title":"It's Not What You Think: An American Woman in Saudi Arabia - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eSabeeha Rehman\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the author of \u003ci\u003eThreading My Prayer Rug\u003c\/i\u003e, an eye-opening view of life in Saudi Arabia.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt's Not What You Think\u003c\/i\u003e is a wry, incisive account of working in Saudi Arabia that offers insight into that insular patriarchal society, what is so attractive to expatriates living there, and what was contradictory or confining about it for a naturalized American who is a woman and a Muslim. A hospital executive in New Jersey, Sabeeha relocated with her oncologist husband to Riyadh, the most conservative city in the country, intending to remain two years. They ended up staying for six. Her book takes the reader on a journey of discovery that mirrors her own. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOffered an influential position at Riyadh's most prestigious hospital, she first has to obtain her husband's permission to work. In public spaces, she quickly encounters the morality police but also learns the freedom of the abaya. Sales\u003ci\u003emen\u003c\/i\u003e staff the lingerie department. Women in Riyadh do not work in public places, yet they hold positions of authority within corporate culture; and outside Riyadh, she discovers that women-owned-and-operated businesses flourish, and Bedouin women could drive in the desert decades before Riyadh's ban was relaxed. Through Sabeeha's eyes, we see how Saudi and Western expat cultures coexist within the boundaries of \"don't ask, don't tell,\" how traditions define the identity of the Saudi nation, and how to discern what is \"culturally appropriate\" versus what is required legally. As she dons pilgrim's garb, we join her on the hajj, to discover the intensity and spiritual high of the devout.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSabeeha Rehman \u003c\/b\u003eis an author, blogger, and speaker on interfaith understanding. Her memoir \u003ci\u003eThreading My Prayer Rug\u003c\/i\u003e: \u003ci\u003eOne Woman's Journey from Pakistani Muslim to American Muslim\u003c\/i\u003e was finalist for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing, named one of \u003ci\u003eBooklist'\u003c\/i\u003es Top Ten Religious and Spirituality Books and Top Ten Diverse Nonfiction Books, awarded honorable mention in the San Francisco Book Festival Awards, Spiritual Category, and was a United Methodist Women's Reading Program Selection. Sabeeha has given more than 250 talks in nearly a hundred cities at houses of worship, academic institutions, libraries, and community organizations, including the Chautauqua Institution. She is also the author, with Walter Ruby, of \u003ci\u003eWe Refuse to Be Enemies: \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eHow Muslims and Jews Can Make Peace, One Friendship at a Time, \u003c\/i\u003eand has given more than eighty book talks nationwide and overseas. She is an op-ed contributor to the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Daily News, \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Baltimore Sun.\u003c\/i\u003e She lives with her husband in New York City.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.26 x 9.13 x 6.06 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 11, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51766061891872,"sku":"9781956763027","price":26.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/471e04da1c27d60adb0abd814f6abc77.webp?v=1780284682","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/its-not-what-you-think-an-american-woman-in-saudi-arabia-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}