I like this book because it is written by an American, for Americans, with the intimate knowledge of what kinds of misconceptions Americans have about the Arab world.  It is not an "authentic" account of the Arabs, but I think its positionality could be valuable given how little most Americans know about Arabs.

It is quite dated at this point, with the latest edition published a decade before the Arab Spring.  However, I still think it's useful in understanding many episodes in the 20th century, through a particularly nonjudgmental lens.

I liked how it covered, but did not fixate on, Israel and oil.  These themes often dominate US conversation about the Middle East, and while they are important, they don't cover or explain everything.