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Last Days of the Pharaoh (Kindle Single) [Kindle Edition]

Bradley Hope
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Two days before the collapse of Hosni Mubarak's regime in Egypt, one man gathered the courage to tell the president the truth: he would be killed in his palace if he did not step down. What came next revealed the bitter power struggles atop the most populous country in the Middle East at its most vulnerable moment in six decades.

But it was too late. As street protests swelled into the hundreds of thousands across the country, decision-making at the highest levels broke down and Mubarak fled to the resort city of Sharm el Sheikh.

This is the inside story of the final days of Egypt’s modern day pharaoh, who ruled with near autocratic powers for three decades before being forced to resign on February 11, 2011.

Cairo-based journalist Bradley Hope interviewed more than two dozen eyewitnesses, from current and former officials to Mubarak's long-time make-up artist, to tell the dramatic story of the president's downfall.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Kindle Singles' second offering on the 2011 Egyptian revolution makes for a telling counterpoint to the first (David Wolman's The Instigators). While much has been written from the perspective of the revolutionaries, Bradley Hope-- informed by hundreds of interviews with Mubarak insiders--relates the tale of those eighteen fateful days through the comings, goings, and failings of the regime itself. As public faith in the regime dissolved before its eyes, and the thousands in Tahrir Square grew increasingly unwilling to settle for anything short of Mubarak's complete relinquishing of power, the "Last Pharaoh" resigned himself to the mortgaging of his legacy and yet, unlike other regional leaders deposed or killed in the Arab Spring, refused to leave his country. For better or for worse, this chapter in Egypt's storied history is, to date, still being written. Bradley Hope's contribution adds an informative, fast-paced facet to this decidedly 21st-century story. --Jason Kirk

From AudioFile


Product Details

  • File Size: 136 KB
  • Print Length: 48 pages
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B008URTZPQ
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Enabled
  • Lending: Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,260 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, concise analysis of Mubarak's last days August 13, 2012
"Last Days of the Pharaoh" tells the story of Hosni Mubarak's last few days as president of Egypt. Bradley Hope uses the tense atmosphere of those final days to highlight some of the reasons why Mubarak's presidency collapsed.

By focusing on only a few days of Mubarak's term, Hope is able to create a strong setting and establish vivid, clear personalities for the various advisors in Mubarak's government. Well-researched and unexpected details give the reader a concrete picture of Mubarak. His family and his advisors also appear as crucial actors. Interspersed with the action are informative accounts of Mubarak's history, describing his relationship to his family and detailing the circumstances of his rise to power and the early character of his government.

I have been following (or trying to follow) a lot of news about Egypt since the revolution and this short book put things into perspective. I would highly recommend "Last Days of the Pharaoh" to anyone with an interest in the Arab Spring or Egyptian history.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read history! August 13, 2012
Normally we have to wait five or ten years to learn what happens and what is said behind the palace walls, but somehow the indefatigable Bradley Hope manages to get the sources and get us there to understand, truly, swiftly, and compellingly, this critical history in critical times.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a 'losers' history'! August 13, 2012
Amazon Verified Purchase
If 'history is written by the victors', then reading Bradley Hope's evocative and panoramic depiction of the final doomed days of Mubarak in his 'bunker' brings to mind these lines by the great Russian futurist poet Vvedensky:

'Do not deliver him a horse
Because alas he is a corpse
Don't call him names and make him cry
Don't come and poke him in the eye'

Hope does not poke Mubarak in the eye. But Last Days is not a wistful apologia. Nor is the work shackled with the deadening sense of the inevitable that sometimes accompanies such accounts. We all know how the Egyptian president turned out in the end, yet I remained in thrall to the racing story, at every turn Quixotically thinking: maybe he will see sense and save himself! Of course, he does no such thing, but it is a testament to Hope's rollercoaster writing style that we follow the plot as if it were unfolding 'in real time'.

Hope is an intrepid Middle East correspondent of the 'old school', whose keen eye for sourcing and Pasolini-like affinity for the 'common man' bring us face to face as much with Mubarak's elite inner circle as his proletarian makeup artist. There is much dark humour, poignancy and empathy in this account of the downfall of Egypt's 'Godfather' figure.

'Last Days' is by no means perfect, however. Sometimes, Hope's journalistic instincts privilege plot and pacing over analysis. For example, I would have loved to see a more fleshed-out assessment of the intriguing parallels between Mubarak and Romania's Ceausescu. A wider geopolitical focus might also have helped to put the Egyptian events into a wider context: where were Russia and the US as Mubarak floundered? At what point did Obama decide to throw his old ally under the bus?
... Read more ›
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
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This short monograph couples substance with conciseness. It is sourced and reported by one of the most courageous reporters on the Middle East. It is a balanced nuanced account of the "you are there" type. I suspect some Egyptian revolutionaries will not like it, but that is to their loss. Other fair minded people should read it with interest. I strongly recommend it
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars What Really Happened October 6, 2012
By tride
Amazon Verified Purchase
The last days of the Mubarak rule were succinctly stated through "Last Days of the Pharaoh". What the media told us was superficial compared to this detailed account. Like the Pharaohs of old Mubarak and his advisors tried vainly to avoid the loss of power. (And it seems the struggles continue to this day.)
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great, intimate read August 23, 2012
By CF
Amazon Verified Purchase
While much has been reported about the Egyptian revolution, especially the events that took place at Tahrir Square, this book provides an intimate look inside the Mubarak regime during its last days in power. Hope does a great job of personalizing Mubarak and showing just how unaware he and his advisors were about the magnitude of the revolution. It's also quick-hitting, fun read. Bravo!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly reliable account of Mubarak's last days August 16, 2012
Excellent and well-researched review of the last days of Mubarak as president written by a highly accomplished journalist who has witnessed first hand the developments that led to the fall of the Mubarak regime. Must read for anyone trying to understand the events that led to the fall of Mubarak.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Keep fighting Egypt! June 6, 2013
By CSSav
Amazon Verified Purchase
This book helped me partly understand the revolution and the politics that brought it on. Mubarak is not a bad man, only one that was kept in the dark by his advisors and therefore made some bad decisions late in his days in office. Easy read and quite insightful.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Too much missing
I enjoyed what I read. I didn't like having to wait for more chapters. I wanted more too read. It would have been better if I got all the chapters.
Published 24 days ago by Joyce Campbell
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and interesting
Despite its short length, the book puts the events of early 2011 in proper context. Those the author interviews relevant people, it reads more like an overview than providing... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Candace M. Tingen
5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Egypt
i had trouble following what went on in Egypt. This book helped me get t straight and it's easier to follow the news reports.
Published 4 months ago by MARALYN
3.0 out of 5 stars Last Days of the Pharaoh
bought by mistake but thought I should read it. It revealed an accurate time line of events. It portraid the decline in Mambaracks health & sanity. It was tedious & a chore to read
Published 5 months ago by acacia
2.0 out of 5 stars One for the politically minded readers
A political event in history recorded in an easy to read manner. I can't say that I was highly motivated to engage in the story but I am not a huge political fan and so ended up... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Anonymous
3.0 out of 5 stars interesting insight
It was interesting to learn more about egyptian revolution from a different point of view. I travelled in Egypt a few times before and after revolution and wanted to know more... Read more
Published 6 months ago by saabista
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Insight to the Last Days of Mubarak's Regime
Hope delivers an excellently researched and written account of ex Egypt PM Hosni Mubarak's last days. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Dave George-Cosh
3.0 out of 5 stars Egypt reformed
It is a good look at the inside of modern Egypt, not quite the enamored land of the Pharaohs. I would have liked to have more history from the time Mubarak took over until his... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Doreen B. Anderson
3.0 out of 5 stars Informative but fairly blandly written
The historical context was informative and a perceptive insight into the sociological structure of Egypt and the subsequent deterioration. Read more
Published 8 months ago by J. Darlow
5.0 out of 5 stars last days of the pharaoh
a very interesting book and a very easy reading style, i would suggest it to any one looking for a interesting insider view of governments around the world.
Published 9 months ago by thomas
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