A Diamond in the Desert: Behind the Scenes in Abu Dhabi, the World's Richest City

A compelling piece of history told with the intimate voice of a memoir, A Diamond in the Desert introduces readers to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates capital, which rests on one-tenth of the world's oil. Today, its glittering luxury hotels, recent $10 billion bailout of neighbor Dubai, branches of the Louvre and Guggenheim museums opening in 2013, and an extension of New York University have positioned the city for an international entrance.

Journalist Jo Tatchell arrived in Abu Dhabi as a child in 1974. She returned in search of the story behind the headlines. She talked to, among others, the widow of diplomat Edward Henderson, the earliest British advisor to the UAE's first president, Sheikh Zayed; her father's former business partner, who rose from the merchant class to become one of the city's richest men; and an old friend whose extreme partying revealed to Tatchell a city now dripping with wealth. But the chilling story behind her brother's decision to flee the capital and never return reinforces Tatchell's suspicion that Abu Dhabi may have much to hide.

"In this lively book [Tatchell] returns to assess the rags-to-riches fast track that has derailed the traditional society of Abu Dhabi and to look forward to a vision of the city as a possible cultural bridge between Islam and the West."—The Times (UK)

Jo Tatchell is the author of The Poet of Baghdad, which was nominated for the Costa Biography Award and other prizes. She has written on Middle Eastern culture for many publications, including The Guardian and the Sunday Times (UK), and has been on NPR's All Things Considered. She lives in London.