City of Gold

This history of Dubai presents “a fascinating study of a small nation that has taken the ideas of modernism and capitalism to their outer limits” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

The city of Dubai, one of the seven United Arab Emirates, is everything the Arab world isn't: a freewheeling capitalist oasis where the market rules and history is swept aside. With a roaring economy and booming tourist industry, it's one of the world's safest places—a stone's throw from its most dangerous. And yet this dream city, which was a poor village just decades ago, literally came out of nowhere.

In City of Gold, Jim Krane, who reported for the AP from Dubai, brings us a boots-on-the-ground look at this fascinating place and the people who make it what it is, from business titans to prostitutes to the hard-bitten men who built its fanciful skyline. He delves into the city's history, paints an intimate portrait of the ruling Maktoum family, and ponders where the city is headed. While many think Dubai's glory days have passed, insiders like Krane know there's much more to come in the City of Gold.