Elaine in abaya and veil
Bedoin Camp
Camel being hoisted into the air at camel auction
Elaine at camel auction
In my memoir, Into the Kingdom, I share my transition from back-to-the-earth Maine newbie to a confident host on Saudi national television. There is the tension of being involved in stolen money (the penalty for thieves: the loss of the right hand); of being considered a spy for the Saudis; of the threat of gas bombs; and of the diagnosis of AIDS—possibly a conspiracy, which halted a delicious love affair with a Muslim.
Women of various nationalities were there in new and wondrous ways supporting me; and yet, I had to cope with others who saw me as an enemy in the extreme to just plain strange. I was, after all, a crazy American.