VEILED HORIZONS

From Mary Khouri . . .In my early 40s I had an inexplicable desire to live and work in Saudi Arabia. No one including my Arab-born husband, Nabil Khouri, could understand this unusual hankering. We were living in the Washington, DC area, a dream of mine as a young adult, however, after nearly 20 years, my spirit grew restless for a broadened perspective. We needed to move to my husband’s region - the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia was of particular interest. I had to find out what was behind the women in the black cloaks; how did they navigate life, family, careers? In the midst of political unrest, terrorist attacks, and serious illness, I discovered the warmth and hospitality of the Arab Gulf, embracing the region’s communal meals, the focus on family and faith, and the cultural rhythms of people time. After 17 years in the Arab Peninsula, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, I felt compelled to share my story about this distant and often misunderstood land, particularly given the current and historical focus on the political turbulence of the region. It was critically important to convey the human side of what many in the U.S. and west, in general, consider the home of terrorism, which resulted in my memoir, Veiled Horizons: An American Woman’s Trek into the Heart of Arabia. Veiled Horizons is a bookend to my husband’s memoir, The Young Terrorist: Journey from Arab Militant to Proud American-Gold Medal winner of the Eric Hoffer Book Award for memoir.