Having indirectly witnessed the Arab uprisings on TV and the internet, I very was excited to read this book. I have to admit, outside of the situation in Egypt and somewhat in Libya, I was not that informed about what had been going on in Tunisia, where these uprisings began, and in Yemen.
That being said, reading about and getting a more depth look at how activists and ordinary people were suffering and often sacrificing their lives and often those of their families fighting for their dignity (thus the apt title, which you can read about in the Afterword) and the truth were heart-breaking, breath-taking and awe-inspiring all at the same time. Both as a Muslim and as a relatively young person, these changes were something I had wanted to see happen in the region in general - though I never thought it would occur in in my lifetime to be honest. When it came to Egypt the , the events I witnessed from my laptop and then read about here in this book, it really brought the events that much more to life.
Of course, by no means are these revolutions over, but to get further insight from events of the very recent past and viewing them in the context of the subsequent developments and ongoing struggle, makes this book timely and of course, very relevant. Just as the footage we saw online and on TV, these accounts bring those images to life with words and further detail that we can only begin to hear about now, after time has passed to allow these stories to be re-collected, written down and shared.
All of the essays, save maybe one (that of a young Palestinian boy, though his view was also appreciated, though just misplaced in this collection) were each in their own way troubling (in terms of their content and the suffering witnessed and recalled) and moving. Two of the essays that I was particularly struck by and appreciated were that of Adel Abdel Ghafar and Atiaf Alwazir, whose accounts of assistance to and documenting the horrific crimes against the people of Libya and Yemen, respectively, was truly moving - especially the former as I'm in the medical field myself and Adel's efforts were truly inspiring in regards to providing basic medical supplies to those in need.
I highly recommend this book to read and to purchase too, as I think it's a great addition to our home libraries - a momentous period in modern history regardless of whether you have any connection to this part of the world - afterall, these uprisings were about fundamental rights and human dignity - thing that we all strive to have and should have, regardless of our status in society.
I salute the efforts of Ahmed Shihab-Eldin and Maytha Elhassen for putting this book together as well as the contributors for sharing invaluable stories - ones that should never be forgotten by the current generation and preserved for future generations to learn from, especially those of course, who will inherit a hopefully forward-moving Middle East that will one day, be free of oppressive dictators who deny their people their basic rights and dignified lives.
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Top reviews from other countries
- Muhammad RadwanReviewed in Germany on October 13, 2023
2011 had and continues to shape the region.
