Scan barcode
A review by lauren_endnotes
Circling the Square: Stories from the Egyptian Revolution by Wendell Steavenson
3.0
"Democracy cannot be muddled through," Tarek said. "It is a single indivisible principle. All the people of Egypt say: we want to topple the regime. We went to the Square for that right. I knew what was right because I saw what was wrong."
Image from The New Yorker - Tahrir Square: A Year in Graffiti
Steavenson interviews dozens of people - some pre-Tahrir in her first assignment in 2008, and many more over the year of revolution that began in 2011 at Tahrir Square. Some stories are short and focus on the everyday life of people in Cairo: family, law, religion. There are stories of restaurant owners, photographers, "thugs", city planners... and Steavenson is accompanied by Hassan, her translator, who also plays a role in translating cultural norms and customs.
The stories are rich and layered, painting a full contextual picture of Cairo, and Egypt at that point in time. While the stories were compelling - and the accompanying street art and graffiti from around Cairo was fabulous - I felt the book was missing a narrative that could tie the stories together cohesively.
Read for Book Riot's 2016 Read Harder Challenge - Politics in your country or another country
Image from The New Yorker - Tahrir Square: A Year in Graffiti
Steavenson interviews dozens of people - some pre-Tahrir in her first assignment in 2008, and many more over the year of revolution that began in 2011 at Tahrir Square. Some stories are short and focus on the everyday life of people in Cairo: family, law, religion. There are stories of restaurant owners, photographers, "thugs", city planners... and Steavenson is accompanied by Hassan, her translator, who also plays a role in translating cultural norms and customs.
The stories are rich and layered, painting a full contextual picture of Cairo, and Egypt at that point in time. While the stories were compelling - and the accompanying street art and graffiti from around Cairo was fabulous - I felt the book was missing a narrative that could tie the stories together cohesively.
Read for Book Riot's 2016 Read Harder Challenge - Politics in your country or another country