Demanding Dignity: Young Voices from the Front Lines of the Arab Revolutions

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. Some pieces (particularly the editors’ introduction) come across as self-indulgent and in stark contrast to the hardships, violence, and torture other contributors have endured and the sobering reality of the work that must be done yet. Most of the contributors are male, Western in outlook, and observers rather than organizers. Despite these shortcomings, the 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. (Nov.)