MBS

The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman

By: Ben Hubbard

Narrated by: Robert Petkoff

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • A gripping, behind-the-scenes portrait of the rise of Saudi Arabia’s secretive and mercurial new ruler

“Revelatory . . . a vivid portrait of how MBS has altered the kingdom during his half-decade of rule.”—The Washington Post

Finalist for the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, Kirkus Reviews

MBS is the untold story of how a mysterious young prince emerged from Saudi Arabia’s sprawling royal family to overhaul the economy and society of the richest country in the Middle East—and gather as much power as possible into his own hands. Since his father, King Salman, ascended to the throne in 2015, Mohammed bin Salman has leveraged his influence to restructure the kingdom’s economy, loosen its strict Islamic social codes, and confront its enemies around the region, especially Iran. That vision won him fans at home and on Wall Street, in Silicon Valley, in Hollywood, and at the White House, where President Trump embraced the prince as a key player in his own vision for the Middle East. But over time, the sheen of the visionary young reformer has become tarnished, leaving many struggling to determine whether MBS is in fact a rising dictator whose inexperience and rash decisions are destabilizing the world’s most volatile region.

Based on years of reporting and hundreds of interviews, MBS reveals the machinations behind the kingdom’s catastrophic military intervention in Yemen, the bizarre detention of princes and businessmen in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton, and the shifting Saudi relationships with Israel and the United States. And finally, it sheds new light on the greatest scandal of the young autocrat’s rise: the brutal killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul, a crime that shook Saudi Arabia’s relationship with Washington and left the world wondering whether MBS could get away with murder.

MBS is a riveting, eye-opening account of how the young prince has wielded vast powers to reshape his kingdom and the world around him.

©2020 Ben Hubbard (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Brilliant . . . clear and convincing . . . a detailed and disturbing portrait of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince . . . The book’s strength is the thoroughness of its reporting.”—Christopher Dickey, The New York Times Book Review

“A devastating profile of the Saudi prince who rose rapidly to become one of the Middle East’s most powerful players—and one of the world’s most ruthless leaders . . . Ben Hubbard has provided a chilling and occasionally horrifying portrait of a man known worldwide simply by his initials: MBS. It’s a captivating read.”—Robin Wright, author of Rock the Casbah

“An elegant writer, the multilingual veteran Middle East correspondent Ben Hubbard is exactly the right person to draw this portrait of the most important leader in that part of the world today. His fast-paced narrative never flags or avoids dark corners. I found it riveting.”—Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold’s Ghost

Shame on the PGA tour!

After learning in greater detail than I ever knew about MBS, I am outraged that the PGA tour is allowing him to whitewash his evil deeds by using the golf tour as a cleansing solution.

Interesting & Entertaining

Great writing - I wasn't bored for a second! And I learned so much about events that have shaped the world, but I didn't recognize the significance of at the time. The author provided a lot of context by describing Suadi culture and history, as well as the geopolitical situation, which I loved. Great narration, too.

Fascinating

This clarified the inner workings and history of Saudi society while at the same time showing the challenges to making profound societal change- we wish the Saudi people and their ruler well.

Lot of details that would not have come to attention

Very detail oriented, balanced, lot of valuable information. Ben Hubbard had done a good job of putting all the details he set out to put forth and thus the readers can make up their own opinions of MBS.

Brilliant Overview of Saudi Political Climate

Ben Hubbard had done a brilliant job of presenting an overview of the current political climate in Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman's rise to power and the events and circumstances that have resulted in MBS becoming Saudi Arabia de facto leader. Hubbard is the unique western reporter in that his fluency, in Arabic, has provided him with the ability not only to communicate to members of the royal family and others, within the Saudi power structure, but everyday Saudis whose perspective adds depth to Hubbard's accounts.

Very good

Informative and entertaining. I could see this being turned into a HBO special.

My favourite parts were the check ins with the women drivers.

almost full picture

the anther tried to be in neutrality not to be with or against MBS and he successes in covering almost all the point in MBS life, this book will give you good back ground about what is happening in KSA recently and you will understand how are Saudis are living today

Excellent insight

Excellent review, insight, and background to a complex story that is just beginning. Recommend highly.

Enlightening

Loved reading about the excesses of Saudi royals, the controversy surrounding women drivers, the politics of the Middle East, and the reportage of Jamal Khashoggi’s career. Devoured this book and wanted more.

Hugely informative

This book doesn’t just go over the basics about MBS, but weaves it into the whole narrative of Saudi Arabia. Especially with the Ritz Carlton incident, I was baffled with that whole situation. As well the murder of khashoggi, this book puts it all into perspective.