mr and mr simpson used to come into the hotel i worked in while they were finishing the book. when it was done they gave me a signed copy. it is special.
After reading this book it is apparent that the author, William Simpson, is a friend of Bandar's. The attempt to exonerate Saudi Arabia's culpability for 9/11 and Khobar Towers bombing is quite laughable. However, it is not as absurd as Simpson's lauding of Bandar's diplomacy with Qaddafi to bring the Lockerbie suspects to "justice". Yes, Bandar got Abdel Basset Ali el-Megrati and Amin Khalifa Fhimah turned over from Libya to face trial in the Netherlands; but justice was perverted when el-Megrati was released from prison on "compassionate grounds" in 2009. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer but to this day he is still alive and well unlike the 273 people who were murdered. Furthermore, it is quite evident that Qaddafi himself personally ordered the bombing, great job Bandar in legitimizing this terrorist.
I loved this book, taught me a great deal about the relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia. I would love to meet Prince Bandar one day and thank him for his service. He made a real difference in the world and was a brilliant diplomat.
It is very rare for me to enjoy a book written by a westerner on Arab people, but this has been an exception (Because it has been approved by Prince Bandar and the sources were chosen by Prince Bandar himself; close family, friends, and leaders).
The story of Prince Bandar and his life easily made his way through my top 5 people in this world. He lived an eventful life as told by the author, he was the Saudi Ambassador in Washington from during a time of Arab Vulnerability (from wars, peace accords, coups, civil wars, etc.), and looking at these events from a Saudi perspective rather than my typical Kuwaiti-Emirati perspective has been very interesting.
I haven鈥檛 read a book this interesting since the summer of 2020 when I鈥檝e read Dr Sheikh Sultan AlQassemi鈥檚 books. If I can give it more than 5 stars I would.
If you are looking for an objective biography, don't bother reading. The author is sympathetic, clearly pro - Saudi, conservative, and an Israel policy hardliner. It is well researched and well written, and an enjoyable read. But, the Prince's flaws are delicately discussed and white washed with stories of his kindness and basic human decency. I can't help but wonder what the last chapters would have been had Obama been in office, had the Arab Spring occured, had the recent riots in Saudi Arabia erupted. What about Saudi Arabia's role in the Yemeni civil war? It is a fascinating biography written by a friend. It is not an unbiased political treatise, nor even a centered description of Saudi policy. It's definitely worth reading, and there's no doubt that Bandar is/was an amazing diplomat. However, there's a lot of varnish that you'll have to chip off in order to form your own opinions.