Black Wave cover art

Black Wave

Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Rivalry That Unravelled the Middle East

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Black Wave

By: Kim Ghattas
Narrated by: Kim Ghattas, Nan McNamara
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About this listen

 A timely and unprecedented examination of how the modern Middle East unravelled, and why it started with the pivotal year of 1979

'What happened to us?'

For decades, the question has haunted the Arab and Muslim world, heard across Iran and Syria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and in the author's home country of Lebanon. Was it always so? When did the extremism, intolerance and bloodletting of today displace the region's cultural promise and diversity?

In Black Wave, award-winning journalist and author Kim Ghattas argues that the turning point in the modern history of the Middle East can be located in the toxic confluence of three major events in 1979: the Iranian revolution; the siege of the Holy Mosque in Mecca; and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Before this year, Saudi Arabia and Iran had been working allies and twin pillars of US strategy in the region - but the radical legacy of these events made them mortal enemies, unleashing a process that transformed culture, society, religion and geopolitics across the region for decades to come.

Drawing on a sweeping cast of characters across seven countries over forty years, Ghattas demonstrates how this rivalry for religious and cultural supremacy has fed intolerance, suppressed cultural expression, encouraged sectarian violence, birthed groups like Hezbollah and ISIS and, ultimately, upended the lives of millions. At once bold and intimate, Black Wave is a remarkable and engrossing story of the Middle East as it has never been told before.

(P)2020 Tantor©2020 Kim Ghattas Anthropology Middle East Politics & Government Royalty Iran Africa Saudi Arabia Ottoman Empire Middle Ages War
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The book is excellent. Sadly the reader, who is a good reader in English, really struggled with non English names and words. At times she even got the consonants reversed, such as ‘Zulkifar’ instead of the correct word Zulfikar and ‘infetada’ instead of the correct word intefada. Shame that she did not bother to familiarise herself with the non English terms before embarking on reading such an excellent book.

Excellent book ill served by the reader

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I loved the book. It was easy to listen to. Not only does Kim write extremely well but she also an outstanding narrator. The book provides a fascinating insight into the rise of fundamental Islam and I feel that the author provides an extremely objective overview of the challenges faced by moderates across the Middle East, Pakistan and Iran. Thank you for the education.

Objective, educational and inspirational

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I found this to be a well researched book that explain the modern history of the Middle East and particular Religious fundamentalism and differences between sects and countries very well.
It kept me captivated for the entire length.

Excellent book

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As a non muslim i found the bool amazing and engaging. I learnt so much and could not stop listening.

Shifted my perspective

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Great book. Very thorough - Maybe a little too much info to keep track of as it jumped around at times

Very well researched

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