Description

Demanding Dignity: Voices from the Arab Revolutions brings together essays written by today’s generation of Arab youth who have directly inspired and sparked a revolutionary spirit that toppled governments, unearthing the corruption of decades of dictator dominated countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Their voices are as varied as their individual stories, but their destinies are shared. They are the connected generation. Stories come from the streets of Egypt, Tunisa, Bahrain, Syria, Yemen, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, and Palestine.

Inspired in part by universal human values and aspirations, each story captures the changes revolutionizing the region and social media’s role in uniting like-minded citizens through civic engagement.

ABOUT THE EDITORS
Maytha Alhassen

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin

ENDORSEMENTS & REVIEWS

“The essays in the third I Speak for Myself series prove that the revolution was televised, tweeted, and updated on Facebook. Muhammad Radwan, an Egyptian-American, describes choosing between living or tweeting as he found himself in a standoff between protesters and pro-regime forces in Syria. Dina Sadek, an Egyptian English literature graduate with bleak prospects, became a well-paid translator for a U.K. journalist covering the revolution. The essays focused on Bahrain are particularly shocking, with one former member of the Bahrain Parliament describing his days-long detention and torture. . . . [T]he proud spirit of the young Arabs featured in this book shine through. Most readers will be inspired by little nuggets within, from the first all-Palestinian Model U.N. to the vendor selling “freedom tea” in Egypt’s Tahrir Square. ~ Publishers Weekly

“This is a powerful—and disturbing—book. Don’t miss it!” ~ Cornel West

“The voices in this book chronicle a time of courage, turbulence, and extraordinary hunger for change. An essential read for anyone interested in understanding the Arab revolutions from the perspective of the resilient young people who ignited and accelerated it all.” ~ Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“It would be hard to match the charge that courses through the stories of those who fought and bore witness to the ongoing wave of protests and uprisings in the Arab world. The authors are to be commended for their wise and far ranging-choices and for rendering them eloquently. A powerful answer to those who despair for the future of the region.” ~ James L. Gelvin, author of The Arab Uprisings: What Everyone Needs to Know

“This book is essential reading for all those trying to understand an Arab world in profound transformation. It provides a fresh approach on a fundamental, and often misconceived reality that affects everything and everybody” ~ Manuel Castells, author ofNetworks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age, Wallis Annenberg Chair in Communication, University of Southern California

“After a decade of being the “terrorists”, Arabs have become the “revolutionaries”. The voices in this book capture this rare moment in history, revealing stirring stories, both personal and collective of the ongoing struggle for self-determination.” ~ Dima Khatib, Latin America Correspondent, Al Jazeera