Arid Empire

Praise

“Arid Empire explores the dual relationship between colonization of the US Southwest and diplomatic relations in the Middle East.”
—Hunter Bassler, KPNX Channel 12

“With lucid prose, a big narrative sweep and an impressive command of the facts, Natalie Koch exposes the connections—both historic and modern—between two dry spots on the globe with vastly different human cultures that forged strong economic and military ties. The ‘double exposure’ between Arizona and Arabia is a vital contribution to geographic scholarship, as well as a missing piece of the puzzle for residents of both America’s backyard Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula’s version of the Mojave.”
—Tom Zoellner, author of Rim to River

“I’ve waited for a book like this for a long time. Arizona’s place in our collective imagination has been as a water-starved, overheated, dangerous crossing point for Latin American migrants. But it is these things and more. From the experimental agricultural programs to the refugee settlement communities and, yes, the camels, it has also been a site for the projection of imperial power in the Middle East, North Africa, and the rest of the world. Now that Natalie Koch has helped us see it so clearly, we won’t ever be able to unsee it. “
—Geraldo Cadava, author of The Hispanic Republican and Standing on Common Ground

“Arid Empire is a surprising history book about the centuries-old cyclical relationship between two deserts half a world away from each other-and their continued mutual influence.”
—Jeff Fleischer, Foreword Reviews