A review by melbsreads
Inside Qatar: Hidden Stories from One of the Richest Nations on Earth by John McManus
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Trigger warnings: racism, classism, xenophobia,, unsafe work practices leading to death
I borrowed this the second it hit my library's Overdrive site because I'm doing a Read Around the World challenge and I've been struggling to find something for Qatar. And then this popped up. It was an interesting read, but I definitely didn't anticipate it being a) as sports-centric as it was and b) as lacking in female voices as it was. I suppose the latter makes sense in a Muslim country with strict rules and regulations for its female population, but I still found myself wishing there was more discussion of what life is like for women, given the nature of Qatar.
Anyway, I wouldn't have picked this up if it weren't for my Read Around the World challenge, and at least now when I have a terrible day at work, I can be quietly grateful for the fact that I don't have to let peregrine falcons wank on my head for a living (because thanks to this book I now know that "artificial falcon inseminator" an actual job in Qatar and it involves people essentially impersonating a female falcon and going through a courtship dance and then the male falcon copulating with a latex hat on the handler's head. Y.I.K.E.S.)
I borrowed this the second it hit my library's Overdrive site because I'm doing a Read Around the World challenge and I've been struggling to find something for Qatar. And then this popped up. It was an interesting read, but I definitely didn't anticipate it being a) as sports-centric as it was and b) as lacking in female voices as it was. I suppose the latter makes sense in a Muslim country with strict rules and regulations for its female population, but I still found myself wishing there was more discussion of what life is like for women, given the nature of Qatar.
Anyway, I wouldn't have picked this up if it weren't for my Read Around the World challenge, and at least now when I have a terrible day at work, I can be quietly grateful for the fact that I don't have to let peregrine falcons wank on my head for a living (because thanks to this book I now know that "artificial falcon inseminator" an actual job in Qatar and it involves people essentially impersonating a female falcon and going through a courtship dance and then the male falcon copulating with a latex hat on the handler's head. Y.I.K.E.S.)