Out of the Desert: My Journey From Nomadic Bedouin to the Heart of Global Oil

I read this book over two days, laughed and got choked with tears a number of times. I am an Aramco Brat, having grown up in Dhahran. Being a third-culture kid has always been a mixed blessing, which I wouldn't trade for anything, despite the heartache of losing HOME. I grew up hearing Mr. Al-Naimi's name, as well as others mentioned, Kings Khaled and Fahd, and John Kelberer. I walked by Steineke Hall many times, curious about the fancy guest quarters for Aramco execs, and knew about places like Khafji (pivotal location in Desert Shield/Storm), Yanbu (mythical Red Sea locale where some employees got transferred to), Ras Tanura (home of the dark blue pool, sea-life paintings at the snack bar, and lovely rental homes for employees from other compounds), al-Hasa (some of my dad's ophthalmology patients lived there), and Hofuf (camel market) many times. While reading, I grew to love and admire this man through the pages (although I have yet to read a memoir where this wasn't the case). Granted, I'm coming from a naive perspective, not having worked at Aramco, but Mr. Al-Naimi is thoughtful, self-aware, shrewd, conscientious, tenacious, astute, and absolutely extraordinary. Although it got a little dry at the end, I love that he included aspects of geology, engineering, and economics. There was even humor - Dick Cheney didn't shoot him while hunting together! and he sang Frank Sinatra in karaoke! I love that he loves hiking, and in his 70s, used it as a diplomatic tool in global relations. I love that he included some heart, talking about his wife, children, his best friend Sam, and his many work connections. There are also lovely photos. Al-Naimi is a true patriot, devoted to his country, and had such a vision of the big picture. I wish he had included more about the role of religion in his life, tribal cultural influences in Saudi, and health conditions and other changes that came with westernization, as well as any influences of the Arab Spring in the Kingdom. But thankfully he did touch on environmental concerns, the process of Saudization, and the role of women in Aramco. I hope this book was also published in Arabic. I highly recommend it!

A must read

Es gelingt diesem Buch, das Interesse zu wecken nicht nur für den Verfasser und seine erstaunliche Lebensleistung, sondern auch für sein Land und die geschilderten Hintergründe der dortigen kulturellen und indusriellen Entwicklung der letzten Jahrzehnte. Kurzweilig und spannend erzählt, man möchte das Buch nicht mehr aus der Hand legen. Eine deutsche Übersetzung wäre sehr zu empfehlen.

Fui hasta Nueva York a buscar este libro y solo se vendía en UK. Al regresar a España lo pedí y para mi sorpresa llegó tal cual lo quería, justo el día de mi cumpleaños.

Good reading