JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 12, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Today, the Middle East seems to be dominated by Islamic fundamentalism and anti-Western sentiments, but not long ago the region opened its arms to outsiders. David E. Russell recounts his experiences there in his new memoir, The Old Arabia and the New Arabia: An American Engineer in Saudi Arabia 1954 and Again in 1982 (now available through AuthorHouse).
Russell takes readers into land that remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years, then revisits that same place nearly 30 years later to view the changes that unsettled a friendly culture. As an employee of Aramco (Arabian American Oil Company), Russell worked in Saudi Arabia and other countries as an engineer who helped mine vast deposits of crude oil. On his initial visit, he traveled from Saudi Arabia to Lebanon and Israel and experienced the various unique facts and oddities of the arid yet colorful land. In 1982, he returned to the region as a contractor and noticed a number of changes in the culture and people.
Filled with photographs snapped by Russell, the book takes readers into a world completely foreign to many Western readers. Throughout, he addresses topics that many books and media reports rarely touch upon. From customs to governments to raucous hanky panky, the book details how these people lived and offers insight into modern situations in the Middle East. Russell touches on the little discussed pornographic nature of Paradise and its 72 virgins, and explains how he almost lost his head for committing one of the worst offenses possible in Saudi Arabia.
The Old Arabia and the New Arabia is an insightful look into foreign contracting and the vast changes in the Middle East that set the stage for modern conflict.
Russell received his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Florida and studied English history at Oxford. For most of his career he has been a consulting engineer. Russell holds five patents and is the former chairman of Jacksonville's water quality control board.
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