Desert Attorneys

Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia

Description

Turning away from the privileged world of the "eminent Victorians," Gertrude Bell (1868—1926) explored, mapped, and excavated the world of the Arabs. Recruited by British intelligence during World War I, she played a crucial role in obtaining the loyalty of Arab leaders, and her connections and information provided the brains to match T. E. Lawrence's brawn. After the war, she played a major role in creating the modern Middle East and was, at the time, considered the most powerful woman in the British Empire.
 
In this masterful biography, Janet Wallach shows us the woman behind these achievements–a woman whose passion and defiant independence were at odds wit the confined and custom-bound England she left behind. Too long eclipsed by Lawrence, Gertrude Bell emerges at last in her own right as a vital player on the stage of modern history, and as a woman whose life was both a heartbreaking story and a grand adventure.

A biography of the woman who, indirectly, was the catalyst for many of the troubles in the Middle East, including the Gulf War. In 1918, Gertrude Bell drew the region's proposed boundaries on a piece of tracing paper. Her qualifications for doing so were her extensive travel, her fluency in both Persian and Arabic, and her relationships with sheiks and tribal and religious leaders. She also possessed an ability to understand the subtle and indirect politeness of the culture, something many of her colonialist comrades were oblivious to. As a self-made statesman her sex was an asset, enabling her to bypass the ladder of protocol and dive into the business of building an Empire.

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-03-19
Summary: "Eye Opening Book, Typical good service from Amazom"

A good read about a stunning woman who defined the Middle East as we know it. What a person. What courage.

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Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-02-07
Summary: "pleased"

this book was in good shape and shipped to me right away - thank you

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-10-26
Summary: "Desert Queen"

Excellent book. Not only did I learn about this extraordinary woman, Wallach outlines that period of history in a way for the "non-historian" to understand and appreciate. It is a book that I "will keep on my shelf."

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-08-24
Summary: "Desert Queen"

Fascinating book, good condition and just in time for my book club review of the subject. This is about a woman who has been forgotten in our history, but not British history. Her braveness, adventerous spirit and breadth of knowledge and exploratory experience lent a great deal to the British role in the Middle EAst in World War I. The book also hilites the major challenges and barriers to successful women in that period.

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Rating: 3 / 5
Date: 2009-05-02
Summary: "an amazing woman of the 20th century"

I THINK THE BIOGRAPHY OF GERTRUDE BELL'S LIFE IS VERY WELL WRITTEN AND I AM ENJOYING READING ABOUT HER LIFE.

IT IS VERY DETAILED AND VERY INFORMATIVE.