From Cairo to Wall Street: Voices from the Global Spring

In 2011, protesters helped topple dictatorships in North Africa and the Middle East, railed against crippling austerity measures in the European Union, and occupied Wall Street literally and metaphorically. Edited by journalists Schiffrin and Kircher-Allen, this collection—featuring essays by activists in nine countries—attempts to weave a coherent narrative from these disparate protests. Uneven in tone and polish, each essay shares the personal account of one individual, their political awakening, and the spark that led them to take to the streets—often with a proviso, such as “I’m not really the demonstration-going type.” Though it presents a valuable, multifaceted, grassroots perspective on a complex phenomenon, the book suffers from a number of oversights and omissions. Neither Libya nor Yemen is represented, and, while it is mentioned in the forward, Tel Aviv’s tent city is also absent. Ultimately the effort to tie together so many movements with such different aims and circumstances falls flat. When activists who distribute roses to Syrian soldiers are being arrested and tortured for their troubles, rhetoric about the Wisconsin government “declaring war on … workers” seems out of place. (May)