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_zora_'s review against another edition
4.0
Visceral, heartbreaking inside view of the Egyptian revolution. Really recaptures the early hopes--and just how much the reversals crushed that. It seemed to unravel a bit at the end, but that fits with what actually happened. It just can't have a focused, decisive denouement.
If you didn't really follow the news from Egypt after the "18 days" period that ended with Mubarak stepping down, I'd recommend reading a quick timeline before starting. The text is punctuated with headlines, but if you don't know the various players by name already, it might be hard to follow.
If you didn't really follow the news from Egypt after the "18 days" period that ended with Mubarak stepping down, I'd recommend reading a quick timeline before starting. The text is punctuated with headlines, but if you don't know the various players by name already, it might be hard to follow.
bookandcat's review against another edition
4.0
At first I thought this book was nonfiction because I had misread the synopsis. Then I realized it was fiction...but based on very real events. The book is fast paced and chilling at times given the subject matter, but also treats its characters with humanity and empathy and urgency. I felt at times like I was there on the ground watching the Arab Spring happen around me. This is a very well done book. Fans of the recent books Exit West and American War will enjoy this book, though this book is much more releastic and faster paced.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
surabhichatrapathy's review against another edition
4.0
At end of every page in this book, I took a step back and let the words settle in.
Written through the minds of those who were at the forefront of the Egyptian Revolution in 2011, this book will leave you unnerved, and wounded.
If you have only read of wars, revolutions, insurgencies in papers and books but never had to experience it, read this book.
It makes you experience the revolution.
The psychological upheaval, the emotional trauma and physical strain. I can close my eyes now and smell the morgue, feel the fear pulsating through my body, rage and frustrations guiding my steps.
It takes immense grit, conviction and commitment to the memory of the lives lost, to write a book like this.
Can you imagine losing loved loves in a revolution, believing they didn't die in vain, that their death will be met with justice, to only then witness that their memory is buried in internet photos, posts and podcasts alone?
To loose every fiber of your being in the crusade against injustice, but only to be served with greater injustice? To be part of such a revolution or not? Where do you draw a line and how?
It was and is Egypt's story, Palestine's story, Tibet's story and so many more country and million's of people's story.
Reading this book has left me with a heavy heart and a deep sense of disillusionment with this world.
But read it, know what it means to go through something like that, and remember. Never ever forget these lives and their struggles.
Written through the minds of those who were at the forefront of the Egyptian Revolution in 2011, this book will leave you unnerved, and wounded.
If you have only read of wars, revolutions, insurgencies in papers and books but never had to experience it, read this book.
It makes you experience the revolution.
The psychological upheaval, the emotional trauma and physical strain. I can close my eyes now and smell the morgue, feel the fear pulsating through my body, rage and frustrations guiding my steps.
It takes immense grit, conviction and commitment to the memory of the lives lost, to write a book like this.
Can you imagine losing loved loves in a revolution, believing they didn't die in vain, that their death will be met with justice, to only then witness that their memory is buried in internet photos, posts and podcasts alone?
To loose every fiber of your being in the crusade against injustice, but only to be served with greater injustice? To be part of such a revolution or not? Where do you draw a line and how?
It was and is Egypt's story, Palestine's story, Tibet's story and so many more country and million's of people's story.
Reading this book has left me with a heavy heart and a deep sense of disillusionment with this world.
But read it, know what it means to go through something like that, and remember. Never ever forget these lives and their struggles.
heathergrace's review against another edition
5.0
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
The City Always Wins is poetic, heartbreaking and real. Omar Robert Hamilton has crafted a beautiful piece of literature that captures snapshots of hope and despair in a revolution. It is unique and emotional in a way that will stick with the reader long after they reach the last page.
This book is the story of the uprising that started in Tahrir Square in 2011, told through the eyes of Khalil, a Palistinian-Egyptian born in America who puts himself in the heart of the revolution and helps broadcast news from the front lines. The story is divided into three parts, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Each section brings its own energy, tone and structure, which Hamilton uses adeptly to pace the narrative. From a clear timeline and chapters to strings of frantic tweets and quotes to scenes scattered between news headlines, the reader's sense of time and place spins slowly out of control. Hamilton never lets you settle in, and that's good.
This is a difficult and relatively recent (some would say ongoing) issue. It's something that I admittedly knew little about beyond what U.S. news would have covered in the early days of the revolution in 2011. But it resonated with me as an American watching Black Lives Matter and the Women's March on Washington. It resonated with me as a Baltimore-area resident who watched unrest in the city in 2015 after Freddie Gray died. Some of Hamilton's words and the emotions of his character could have been about how some people felt after the election in November, and it's the universal feeling of hopelessness but ultimate decision to continue fighting that blend to make this book relatable and heartbreaking.
The City Always Wins is poetic, heartbreaking and real. Omar Robert Hamilton has crafted a beautiful piece of literature that captures snapshots of hope and despair in a revolution. It is unique and emotional in a way that will stick with the reader long after they reach the last page.
This book is the story of the uprising that started in Tahrir Square in 2011, told through the eyes of Khalil, a Palistinian-Egyptian born in America who puts himself in the heart of the revolution and helps broadcast news from the front lines. The story is divided into three parts, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Each section brings its own energy, tone and structure, which Hamilton uses adeptly to pace the narrative. From a clear timeline and chapters to strings of frantic tweets and quotes to scenes scattered between news headlines, the reader's sense of time and place spins slowly out of control. Hamilton never lets you settle in, and that's good.
This is a difficult and relatively recent (some would say ongoing) issue. It's something that I admittedly knew little about beyond what U.S. news would have covered in the early days of the revolution in 2011. But it resonated with me as an American watching Black Lives Matter and the Women's March on Washington. It resonated with me as a Baltimore-area resident who watched unrest in the city in 2015 after Freddie Gray died. Some of Hamilton's words and the emotions of his character could have been about how some people felt after the election in November, and it's the universal feeling of hopelessness but ultimate decision to continue fighting that blend to make this book relatable and heartbreaking.
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