Black Wave: A Sweeping History of the Middle East's Unraveling
**A New York Times Notable Book of 2020**
The Rivalry that Defined a Region
"Black Wave" is an unprecedented and ambitious examination of the modern Middle East's unraveling, tracing its roots back to the pivotal year of 1979. Author Kim Ghattas, a renowned journalist and expert on the region, weaves together history, geopolitics, and culture to deliver a gripping narrative of the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, a rivalry born from the sparks of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and fueled by American policy.
A Rivalry Beyond Geopolitics
Ghattas challenges accepted truths about the Middle East, unveiling the complex relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran, once allies and pillars of US strategy in the region. She demonstrates how, after 1979, their alliance fractured, leading to a fierce competition for cultural supremacy. This competition, fueled by religious and political ambitions, went beyond mere geopolitics, shaping the region's trajectory in profound ways.
A History of Intolerance and Violence
"Black Wave" explores the dark side of this rivalry, showcasing its devastating consequences. Ghattas meticulously documents how the competition between Saudi Arabia and Iran fueled intolerance, suppressed cultural expression, and encouraged sectarian violence across the Middle East. From the fatwa against author Salman Rushdie to the assassination of countless intellectuals, from the birth of Hezbollah in Lebanon to the September 11th terrorist attacks and the rise of ISIS, the ripple effects of this rivalry are undeniable.
A Tapestry of Lives
Ghattas weaves a gripping narrative through the lives of individuals who were deeply impacted by this geopolitical drama. We meet a Pakistani television anchor who defied her country's dictator, an Egyptian novelist imprisoned for "indecent writings," and the tragic case of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. These intimate stories provide a human face to the sweeping historical events, adding depth and emotional resonance to the narrative.
A New Understanding of the Middle East
"Black Wave" is both an intimate and sweeping history of the region, offering a fresh perspective on the Middle East. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, Ghattas reveals the complex dynamics that shaped the region's tumultuous past and present. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the Middle East and its ongoing conflicts.
Uncanny Valley
‘Joan Didion at a startup’ Rebecca Solnit
‘Impossibly pleasurable’ Jia Tolentino
‘This is essential reading’ Stylist
At twenty-five years old, Anna Wiener was beginning to tire of her assistant job in New York publishing. There was no room to grow, and the voyeuristic thrill of answering someone else’s phone had worn thin.
Within a year she had moved to Silicon Valley to take up a job at a data analytics startup in San Francisco. Leaving her business casual skirts and shirts in the wardrobe, she began working in company-branded T-shirts. She had a healthy income for the first time in her life. She felt like part of the future.
But a tide was beginning to turn. People were speaking of tech startups as surveillance companies. Out of sixty employees, only eight of her colleagues were women. Casual sexism was rife. Sexual harassment cases were proliferating. And soon, like everyone else, she was addicted to the internet, refreshing the news, refreshing social media, scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. Slowly, she began to realise that her blind faith in ambitious, arrogant young men from America’s soft suburbs wasn’t just her own personal pathology. It had become a global affliction.
Uncanny Valley is a coming of age story set against the backdrop of our generation’s very own gold rush. It’s a story about the tension between old and new, between art and tech, between the quest for money and the quest for meaning – about how our world is changing forever.
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