I grew up as a teenager living in the Emirates and have always sought to understand the intricacies of that culture. I would forgo Bernard Lewis - too textbook like and Arabist sympathies there.
I second going to Fortress of Faith and downloading their Saturday broadcasts for free. hit info button and mp3 download is available.
A few books I recommend:
(This is a solid and not too difficult read with lots of info - far more than Refuting Islam by Tom Wallace at Fortress of Faith- good stuff there but this is better)
http://www.amazon.com/Islam-Revealed-Christian-Arabs-View/dp/0840730152/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462374965&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=anish+shorrosh
(best overall book to understand the Arab world)
http://www.amazon.com/Closed-Circle-Interpretation-Edward-Burlingame-ebook/dp/B002EVP4V8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462388283&sr=8-1&keywords=closed+circle+jones
If you want to read a good travel book that reveals the desert lifestyle of the Bedouin and the redeeming qualities that come form that lifestyle as opposed to the corruption of the city and modern Arab world separated from Islam in a sense I would recommend
I ordered a few that you Freepers have recommended and I printed out the list of titles in this thread for future reference.
Thanks so much, all!
Someday the curse of Islam will be gone. See tagline.