John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones lived over a 25 year period (1978-2003) in Saudi Arabia, with a four year "sabbatical" in the middle. He married his wife in Bahrain in 1982, and they raised their two children, born in 1985 and 1986, in the Kingdom until they reached college age. During their life in Saudi Arabia they traveled into virtually every part of the country, and developed friendships and relationships with Saudis of every social strata. Aware that virtually all Americans have a very negative image of Saudi Arabia, "If Olaya Street Could Talk," whose title is derived from James Baldwin's "If Beale Street Could Talk," was written to present a realistic image of the country to these readers, as well as to examine how American perceptions of the country are formed. The author was also a Medical Corpsman in a tank unit, with the 4th Infantry Division, in Vietnam, for a one year period, over 1968-69. He returned to Vietnam three times during peacetime, in 1994, '95 and '96. One of the book's themes is to address the parallels in American actions in Southeast Asia a generation ago with American actions in Southwest Asia today.

Pictures of Saudi Arabia, its people, and visitors that are depicted in the book can be seen at the www.tazapress.com website. Presently, the book is banned in Saudi Arabia.

John Paul Jones remains concerned about the curriculum, or lack of same, in the American school systems in regards to the Islamic world. This is another theme in the book, with specific incidents which occurred to his children mentioned. Other readers who are concerned about this issue are invited to post comments on the author's Amazon blog.