{"product_id":"9780812972269","title":"Florence of Arabia","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe bestselling author who made mincemeat of political correctness in \u003ci\u003eThank You for Smoking\u003c\/i\u003e, conspiracy theories in \u003ci\u003eLittle Green Men\u003c\/i\u003e, and Presidential indiscretions \u003ci\u003eNo Way to Treat a First Lady\u003c\/i\u003e now takes on the hottest topic in the entire world–Arab-American relations–in a blistering comic novel sure to offend the few it doesn’t delight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAppalled by the punishment of her rebellious friend Nazrah, youngest and most petulant wife of Prince Bawad of Wasabia, Florence Farfarletti decides to draw a line in the sand. As Deputy to the deputy assistant secretary for Near East Affairs, Florence invents a far-reaching, wide-ranging plan for female emancipation in that part of the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe U.S. government, of course, tells her to forget it. Publicly, that is. Privately, she’s enlisted in a top-secret mission to impose equal rights for the sexes on the small emirate of Matar (pronounced “Mutter”), the “Switzerland of the Persian Gulf.” Her crack team: a CIA killer, a snappy PR man, and a brilliant but frustrated gay bureaucrat. Her weapon: TV shows.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe lineup on TV Matar includes \u003ci\u003eA Thousand and One Mornings,\u003c\/i\u003e a daytime talk show that features self-defense tips to be used against boyfriends during Ramadan; an addictive soap opera featuring strangely familiar members of the Matar royal family; and a sitcom about an inept but ruthless squad of religious police, pitched as “\u003ci\u003eFriends\u003c\/i\u003e from Hell.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result: the first deadly car bombs in the country since 1936, a fatwa against the station’s entire staff, a struggle for control of the kingdom, and, of course, interference from the French. And that’s only the beginning.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA merciless dismantling of both American ineptitude and Arabic intolerance, \u003ci\u003eFlorence of Arabia\u003c\/i\u003e is Christopher Buckley’s funniest and most serious novel yet, a biting satire of how U.S. good intentions can cause the Shiite to hit the fan.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Random House Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47031155687664,"sku":"9780812972269","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780812972269_p0.jpg?v=1763742389","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780812972269","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}